Searching for Multiple Populations in the Integrated Light of the Young and Extremely Massive Clusters in the Merger Remnant NGC~7252
Nate Bastian, Carmela Lardo, Christopher Usher, Sebastian Kamann, Soeren S. Larsen, Ivan Cabrera-Ziri, William Chantereau, Silvia Martocchia, Maurizio Salaris, … 展开作者
Nate Bastian, Carmela Lardo, Christopher Usher, Sebastian Kamann, Soeren S. Larsen, Ivan Cabrera-Ziri, William Chantereau, Silvia Martocchia, Maurizio Salaris, Randa Asa'd, Michael Hilker
备注:
7 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS
Recent work has shown that the properties of multiple populations within massive stellar clusters (i.e., in the extent of their abundance variations as well as the fraction of stars that show the anomalous chemistry) depend on the mass as well as the age of the host cluster. Such correlations are largely unexpected in current models for the formation of multiple populations and hence provide essential insight into their origin. Here we extend or previous study into the presence or absence of multiple populations using integrated light spectroscopy of the $\sim600$~Myr, massive ($\sim10^7 - 10^8$~\msun) clusters, W3 and W30, in the galactic merger remnant, NGC 7252. Due to the extreme mass of both clusters, the expectation is that they should host rather extreme abundance spreads, manifested through, e.g., high mean [Na/Fe] abundances. However, we do not find evidence for a strong [Na/Fe] enhancement, with the observations being consistent with the solar value. This suggests that age is playing a key role, or alternatively that multiple populations only manifest below a certain stellar mass, as the integrated light at all ages above $\sim100$~Myr is dominated by stars near or above the main sequence turn-off.
We isolate a sample of 43 upper RGB stars in the extreme outer halo Galactic globular cluster NGC 2419 from two Keck/DEIMOS slitmasks. The probability that there is more than one contaminating halo field star in this sample is extremely low. Analysis of moderate resolution spectra of these cluster members, as well as of our Keck/HIRES high resolution spectra of a subsample of them, demonstrates that there is a small but real spread in Ca abundance of ~ 0.2 dex within this massive metal-poor globular cluster. This provides additional support to earlier suggestions that NGC 2419 is the remnant o…
The planetary nebula known as the Cat's Eye Nebula (NGC 6543) has a complex, point-symmetric morphology that cannot be fully explained by the current theory of planetary nebula formation, the Interacting Stellar Winds Model. In order to reveal the three dimensional (3D) structure of the Cat's Eye Nebula, we created a detailed 3D morpho-kinematic model of this nebula using a [NII] image from the Hubble Space Telescope and five different position-velocity diagrams using the SHAPE code. This modeling approach has revealed point-symmetric partial rings, which were likely formed by a precessing jet…
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We present an observational estimate of the fraction and distribution of dark mass in the innermost region of the two Galactic globular clusters NGC 6218 (M12) and NGC 288. Such an assessment has been made by comparing the dynamical and luminous mass profiles derived from an accurate analysis of the most extensive spectroscopic and photometric surveys performed on these stellar systems. We find that non-luminous matter constitutes more than 60% of the total mass in the region probed by our data (R<1.6 arcmin~r_h) in both clusters. We have carefully analyzed the effects of binaries and tidal he…
We have investigated the variable stars in the field surrounding NGC 2355 based on the time-series photometric observation data. More than 3000 CCD frames were obtained in the V band spread over 13 nights with the Nanshan One-meter Wide-field Telescope. We have detected 88 variable stars, containing 72 new variable stars and 16 known variable stars. By analyzing these light curves, we classified the variable stars as follows: 26 eclipsing binaries, 52 pulsating stars, 4 rotating variables, and 6 unclear type variable stars for which their periods are much longer than the time baseline chosen. …
Galactic open clusters (OCs) that survive the early gas-expulsion phase are gradually destroyed over time by the action of disruptive dynamical processes. Their final evolutionary stages are characterized by a poorly populated concentration of stars called open cluster remnant (OCR). This study is devoted to assess the real physical nature of the OCR candidate NGC 7193. GMOS/Gemini spectroscopy of 53 stars in the inner target region were obtained to derive radial velocities and atmospheric parameters. We also employed photometric and proper motion data. The analysis method consists of the foll…
We present metallicities for red giant stars in the globular cluster NGC 6273 based on intermediate resolution GMOS-S spectra of the calcium triplet region. For the 42 radial velocity members with reliable calcium triplet line strength measurements, we obtain metallicities, [Fe/H], using calibrations established from standard globular clusters. We confirm the presence of an intrinsic abundance dispersion identified by Johnson et al. (2015). The total range in [Fe/H] is ~1.0 dex and after taking into account the measurement errors, the intrinsic abundance dispersion is σ[Fe/H] = 0.17 dex. Among…
We survey four nearby irregular galaxies for radio supernova remnants (SNRs) using deep (1 sigma ~ 20 microJy), high resolution (~20 pc) VLA continuum data at 20, 6, and 3.6 cm. We identify discrete sources in these galaxies and use radio spectral indices and H alpha images to categorize them as SNRs, H II regions, or background radio galaxies. Our classifications are generally in good agreement agreement with the literature. We identify a total of 43 SNR candidates: 23 in NGC 1569, 7 in NGC 4214, 5 in NGC 2366, and 8 in NGC 4449. Only one SNR--the well-studied object J1228+441 in NGC 4449--is…
We constrained the progenitor masses for 169 supernova remnants, 8 historically observed supernovae, and the black hole formation candidate in NGC 6946, finding that they are consistent with originating from a standard initial mass function. Additionally, there were 16 remnants that showed no sign of nearby star formation consistent with a core-collapse supernova, making them good Type Ia candidates. Using $Hubble$ $Space$ $Telescope$ broadband imaging, we measured stellar photometry of ACS/WFC fields in F435W, F555W, F606W, and F814W filters as well as WFC3/UVIS fields in F438W, F606W, and F8…
We explore the possibility of searching for extratidal features around the Galactic globular cluster NGC362 using the Gaia DR2 together with a modified version of a classical statistical decontamination algorithm. Our results suggest that an important stellar component is associated with this globular cluster, which is perfectly distinguishable from the populations in the Small Magellanic Cloud and that of the nearby NGC104 (47 Tucanae). We thus confirm once again the power of Gaia to disentangle different stellar components along the same line-of-sight.
Galactic open and globular clusters (OCs, GCs) appear to inhabit separate regions of the age-mass plane. However, the transition between them is not easily defined because there is some overlap between high-mass, old OCs and low-mass, young GCs. We are exploring the possibility of a clear-cut separation between OCs and GCs using an abundance feature that has been found so far only in GCs: (anti)correlations between light elements. Among the coupled abundance trends, the Na-O anticorrelation is the most widely studied. These anticorrelations are the signature of self-enrichment, i.e., of a form…
Accurate distance estimates of astrophysical objects such as planetary nebulae (PNe), and nova and supernova remnants, among others, allow us to constrain their physical characteristics, such as size, mass, luminosity, and age. An innovative technique based on the expansion parallax method, the so-called distance mapping technique (DMT), provides distance maps of expanding nebulae as well as an estimation of their distances. The DMT combines the tangential velocity vectors obtained from 3D morpho-kinematic models and the observed proper motion vectors to estimate the distance. We applied the D…
Stellar population studies of globular clusters have suggested that the brightest clusters in the Galaxy might actually be the remnant nuclei of dwarf spheroidal galaxies. If the present Galactic globular clusters formed within larger stellar systems, they are likely surrounded by extra-tidal halos and/or tails made up of stars that were tidally stripped from their parent systems. The stellar surroundings around globular clusters are therefore one of the best places to look for the remnants of an ancient dwarf galaxy. Here an attempt is made to search for tidal debris around the supernovae enr…
In this paper, we present the analysis of time-series observations from 2013 and 2014 of five metal rich ([Fe/H] $>$ -1) globular clusters: NGC~6388, NGC~6441, NGC~6528, NGC~6638, and NGC~6652. The data have been used to perform a census of the variable stars in the central parts of these clusters. The observations were made with the electron multiplying CCD (EMCCD) camera at the Danish 1.54m Telescope at La Silla, Chile, and they were analysed using difference image analysis (DIA) to obtain high-precision light curves of the variable stars. It was possible to identify and classify all of the …
1E 0102.2--7219 (hereafter E0102) is a young supernova remnant (SNR) in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). It contains oxygen-rich SN ejecta, a possible neutron star (NS), and a small amount of fast-moving H-rich ejecta material. These properties are also seen in Cas A, it has thus been suggested that E0102 is also a Type IIb SNR, whose SN progenitor's hydrogen envelope was stripped off possibly via interactions with a companion star. To search for a surviving companion of E0102's SN progenitor, we have used archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) continuum images to make photometric measurements…
A nova is a cataclysmic event on the surface of a white dwarf in a binary system that increases the overall brightness by several orders of magnitude. Although binary systems with a white dwarf are expected to be overabundant in globular clusters (GCs) compared to the Galaxy, only two novae from Galactic globular clusters have been observed. We present the discovery of an emission nebula in the Galactic globular cluster M 22 (NGC 6656) in observations made with the integral-field spectrograph MUSE. We extract the spectrum of the nebula and use the radial velocity determined from the emission l…
Type Ia Supernovae (SNe Ia) are securely understood to come from the thermonuclear explosion of a white dwarf as a result of binary interaction, but the nature of that binary interaction and the secondary object is uncertain. Recently, a double white dwarf model known as the dynamically driven double-degenerate double-detonation (D6) model has become a promising explanation for these events. One realization of this scenario predicts that the companion may survive the explosion and reside within the remnant as a fast moving ($V_{peculiar} >1000$ km s$^{-1}$), overluminous ($L > 0.1 L_\odot$) wh…
We report the discovery of a large timescale candidate microlensing event of a bulge stellar source based on near-infrared observations with the VISTA Variables in the Via Lactea Survey (VVV). The new microlensing event is projected only 3.5 arcmin away from the center of the globular cluster NGC 6553. The source appears to be a bulge giant star with magnitude Ks = 13.52, based on the position in the color-magnitude diagram. The foreground lens may be located in the globular cluster, which has well-known parameters such as distance and proper motions. If the lens is a cluster member, we can di…
4U 1820-30 is a low-mass X-ray binary near the center of the globular cluster NGC 6624 consisting of, at least, one neutron star and one helium white dwarf. Analyzing 16 years of data from the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) allows us to measure its orbital period and its time derivative with unprecedented accuracy to be P = 685.01197 +- 0.00003 s and dP/dt /P = -5.3 +- 0.3x10^-8 yr^-1. Hence, we confirm that the period derivative is significantly negative at the >17 sigma level, contrary to theoretical expectations for an isolated X-ray binary. We discuss possible scenarios that could expl…
We present the results of a new magnetic field survey of Herbig Ae/Be and A debris disk stars. They are used to determine whether magnetic field properties in these stars are correlated with the mass-accretion rate, disk inclinations, companion(s), Silicates, PAHs, or show a more general correlation with age and X-ray emission as expected for the decay of a remnant dynamo.
We present a multiplexed, high-resolution (R~50,000 median) spectroscopic survey designed to detect exoplanet candidates in two southern star clusters (NGC 2516 and NGC 2422) using the Michigan/Magellan Fiber System (M2FS) on the Magellan/Clay telescope at Las Campanas Observatory. With 128 available fibers in our observing mode, we are able to target every star in the core half-degree of each cluster that could plausibly be a solar-analog member. Our template-based spectral fits provide precise measurements of fundamental stellar properties - $T_{eff}$ ($\pm$30 K), [Fe/H] and [$α$/Fe] ($\pm$0…
Detailed chemical abundances for five stars in two Galactic globular clusters, NGC 5466 and NGC 5024, are presented from high resolution optical (from the Hobby- Eberley Telescope) and infrared spectra (from the SDSS-III APOGEE survey). We find [Fe/H] = -1.97 +/- 0.13 dex for NGC 5466, and [Fe/H] = -2.06 +/- 0.13 dex for NGC 5024, and the typical abundance pattern for globular clusters for the remaining elements, e.g., both show evidence for mixing in their light element abundance ratios (C, N), and AGB contributions in their heavy element abundances (Y, Ba, and Eu). These clusters were select…