The relative ages of LMC old clusters, and the case of NGC 1841

Using archival HST/WFPC2 imaging of 7 LMC globular clusters, and following the methods outlined in our previous study, we have reached the tightest constrain so far on their age dispersion, which cannot be greater than ~ 0.5 Gyr. We also confirm earlier results that their average age is comparable to that of the metal-poor Galactic globulars. Evidence is also provided that NGC 1841 is younger than the rest of LMC globulars.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figure, requires newpasp.sty. To appear in "New Horizons in Globular Cluster Astronomy", Giampaolo Piotto, George Meylan, George Djorgovski and Marco Riello, ed

The red giant branches of Galactic globular clusters in the [(V-I)o,Mv] plane: metallicity indices and morphology

The purpose of this study is to carry out a thorough investigation of the changes in morphology of the red giant branch (RGB) of Galactic globular clusters (GGC) as a function of metallicity, in the V,I bands. To this aim, two key points are developed in the course of the analysis. (a) Using our photometric V,I database for Galactic globular clusters (the largest homogeneous data sample to date; Rosenberg et al. 1999) we measure a complete set of metallicity indices, based on the morphology and position of the red-giant branch. In particular, we provide here the first calibration of the S, DV_(1.1) and DV_(1.4) indices in the (V-I,V) plane. We show that our indices are internally consistent, and we calibrate each index in terms of metallicity, both on the Zinn & West (1984) and the Carretta & Gratton (1997) scales. Our new calibrations of the (V-I)o,g, DV_(1.2), (V-I)_(-3.0) and (V-I)_(-3.5) indices are consistent with existing relations. (b) Using a grid of selected RGB fiducial points, we define a function in the {(V-I)o,Mi,[Fe/H]} space which is able to reproduce the whole set of GGC giant branches in terms of a single parameter (the metallicity). As a first test, we show that the function is able to predict the correct trend of our observed indices with metallicity. The usage of this function will improve the current determinations of metallicity and distances within the Local Group, since it allows to easily map [(V-I)o,Mi] coordinates into {[Fe/H],Mi} ones. To this aim the ``synthetic'' RGB distribution is generated both for the currently used Lee et al. (1990) distance scale, and for the most recent results on the RR Lyr distance scale.Comment: 14 pages, 11 PS figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics, main journa

Discovery of Blue Hook Stars in the Massive Globular Cluster M54

We present BV photometry centered on the globular cluster M54 (NGC 6715). The color-magnitude diagram clearly shows a blue horizontal branch extending anomalously beyond the zero age horizontal branch theoretical models. These kinds of horizontal branch stars (also called ``blue hook'' stars), which go beyond the lower limit of the envelope mass of canonical horizontal branch hot stars, have so far been known to exist in only a few globular clusters: NGC 2808, Omega Centauri (NGC 5139), NGC 6273, and NGC 6388. Those clusters, like M54, are among the most luminous in our Galaxy, indicating a possible correlation between the existence of these types of horizontal branch stars and the total mass of the cluster. A gap in the observed horizontal branch of M54 around T(eff)= 27000 K could be interpreted within the late helium flash theoretical scenario, a possible explanation for the origin of those stars.Comment: 10 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

The ACS Survey of Galactic Globular Clusters. Vii. Relative Ages

The ACS Survey of Galactic globular clusters is a Hubble Space Telescope Treasury program designed to provide a new large, deep, and homogeneous photometric database. Based on observations from this program, we have measured precise relative ages for a sample of 64 Galactic globular clusters by comparing the relative position of the clusters\u27 main-sequence (MS) turnoffs, using MS fitting to cross-compare clusters within the sample. This method provides relative ages to a formal precision of 2%-7%. We demonstrate that the calculated relative ages are independent of the choice of theoretical model. We find that the Galactic globular cluster sample can be divided into two groups—a population of old clusters with an age dispersion of ~5% and no age-metallicity relation, and a group of younger clusters with an age-metallicity relation similar to that of the globular clusters associated with the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy. These results are consistent with the Milky Way halo having formed in two phases or processes. The first one would be compatible with a rapid (\u3c0.8 Gyr) assembling process of the halo, in which the clusters in the old group were formed. Also these clusters could have been formed before re-ionization in dwarf galaxies that would later merge to build the Milky Way halo as predicted by ΛCDM cosmology. However, the galactocentric metallicity gradient shown by these clusters seems difficult to reconcile with the latter. As for the younger clusters, it is very tempting to argue that their origin is related to their formation within Milky Way satellite galaxies that were later accreted, but the origin of the age-metallicity relation remains unclear

The ACS Survey of Galactic Globular Clusters: M54 and Young Populations in the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxy

We present new Hubble Space Telescope photometry of the massive globular cluster M54 (NGC 6715) and the superposed core of the tidally disrupted Sagittarius (Sgr) dSph galaxy as part of the ACS Survey of Galactic Globular Clusters. Our deep (F606W~26.5), high-precision photometry yields an unprecedentedly detailed color-magnitude diagram showing the extended blue horizontal branch and multiple main sequences of the M54+Sgr system. The distance and reddening to M54 are revised usingboth isochrone and main-sequence fitting to (m-M)_0=17.27 and E(B-V)=0.15. Preliminary assessment finds the M54+Sgr field to be dominated by the old metal-poor populations of Sgr and the globular cluster. Multiple turnoffs indicate the presence of at least two intermediate-aged star formation epochs with 4 and 6 Gyr ages and [Fe/H]=-0.4 to -0.6. We also clearly show, for the first time, a prominent, 2.3 Gyr old Sgr population of near-solar abundance. A trace population of even younger (0.1-0.8 Gyr old), more metal-rich ([Fe/H]\sim0.6) stars is also indicated. The Sgr age-metallicity relation is consistent with a closed-box model and multiple (4-5) star formation bursts over the entire life of the satellite, including the time since Sgr began disrupting.Comment: Accepted to ApJ Letter; 11 pages, 2 figures; figure 1 uploaded as jpg; paper in ApJ format with full-resolution figures available at: http://www.astro.ufl.edu/~ata/public_hstgc/paperIV/paperIV.p

The ACS Survey Of Globular Clusters. V. Generating A Comprehensive Star Catalog For Each Cluster

The ACS Survey of Globular Clusters has used Hubble Space Telescope's Wide-Field Channel to obtain uniform imaging of 65 of the nearest globular clusters to provide an extensive homogeneous data set for a broad range of scientific investigations. The survey goals required not only a uniform observing strategy, but also a uniform reduction strategy. To this end, we designed a sophisticated software program to process the cluster data in an automated way. The program identifies stars simultaneously in the multiple dithered exposures for each cluster and measures them using the best available point-spread function models. We describe here in detail the program's rationale, algorithms, and output. The routine was also designed to perform artificial-star tests, and we ran a standard set of similar to 10(5) tests for each cluster in the survey. The catalog described here will be exploited in a number of upcoming papers and will eventually be made available to the public via the World Wide Web.Astronom

The ACS survey of globular clusters. XIII. Photometric calibration in comparison with Stetson standards

In this study we compare the photometric data of 34 Milky Way globular clusters, observed within the ACS Treasury Program (PI: Ata Sarajedini) with the corresponding ground-based data, provided by the Photometric Standard Field Catalogs of Stetson (2000, 2005). We focus on the transformation between the HST/ACS F606W to V-band and F814W to I-band only. The goal is to assess the validity of the filter transformation equations by Sirianni et al.(2005) with respect to their dependence on metallicity, Horizontal Branch morphology, mass and integrated (V-I) colour of the various globular clusters. Such a dependence is expected due to the fact that the transformation equations are based on the observations of only one globular cluster, i.e., NGC 2419. Surprisingly, the correlation between offset and metallicity is found to be weak, with a low level significance. The correlation between offset and Horizontal Branch structure, as well as total cluster mass is still weaker. Based on the available data we do not find the photometric offset to be linked to multiple stellar populations, e.g., as found in NGC 0288, NGC 1851, and NGC 5139. The results of this study show that there are small systematic offsets between the transformed ACS- and observed ground based photometry, and that these are only weakly correlated, if at all, with various cluster parameters and their underlying stellar populations. As a result, investigators wishing to transform globular cluster photometry from the Sirianni et al.(2005) ground-based V, I system onto the Stetson (2000) system simply need to add 0.040 (+/-0.012) to the V-band magnitudes and 0.047 (+/-0.011) to the I-band magnitudes. This in turn means that the transformed ACS (V-I) colours match the ground-based values from Stetson (2000) to within ~0.01 mag.Comment: 28 pages, 14 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

The ACS Survey Of Galactic Globular Clusters. VI. NGC 6366: A Heavily Stripped Galactic Globular Cluster

We have used observations obtained as part of the Hubble Space Telescope/ACS Survey of Galactic globular clusters (GCs) to construct a color-magnitude diagram for the bulge cluster, NGC 6366. The luminosity function derived from those data extends to M(F606W) similar to 9, or masses of similar to 0.3 M(circle dot). Unlike most GCs, the mass function peaks near the main-sequence turnoff with significantly fewer low-mass stars even after correction for completeness and mass segregation. Using a multimass King model, we extrapolate the global cluster behavior and find the global mass function to be poorly matched by a power law, with a particular deficit of stars with masses between 0.5 and 0.7 M(circle dot). We briefly discuss this interesting anomaly within the context of tidal stripping.NASA GO-10775, 5-26555Space Telescope Science InstituteInstituto de Astrofisica de Canarias P3-94Ministry of Education and Science of the Kingdom of Spain AYA-2008-67913Astronom

Taller de resonancias : una herramienta interdisciplinar para educación primaria

La Naturaleza nos brinda una gran variedad de fenómenos, como el sonido, la música, la luz, el movimiento de los planetas, el Sol, los terremotos o los volcanes, que tienen algo en común, su carácter oscilatorio/cíclico. Este hecho puede servir como hilo conductor para ofrecer al alumnado de Educación Primaria una forma distinta de aprender sobre el mundo que les rodea y sobre la estrecha relación entre conceptos que ven aparentemente desligados, como pueden ser la música, las matemá¬ticas, la historia o las propiedades de la materia. La conexión entre todos estos saberes se llevará a cabo a través de una serie de talleres sencillos y baratos que van desde la construcción de un péndulo simple a la fabricación de un altavoz con un trozo de papel y un motor eléctrico