The Ages and Abundances of the M87 Globular Clusters

A subset of 150 globular clusters in M87 has been selected on the basis of S/N ratio for abundance and age determinations from the sample of Paper I. Indices measuring the strength of the strongest spectral features were determined for the M87 GCs and from new data for twelve galactic GCs. Combining the new and existing data for the galactic GCs and comparing the $(U-R)$ colors and the line indices gives qualitative indications for the ages and abundances of the GCs. Quantitative results are obtained by applying the Worthey (1994) models for the integrated light of stellar systems of a single age, calibrated by observations of galactic GCs, to deduce abundances and ages for the objects in our sample. We find that the M87 GCs span a wide range in metallicity, from very metal poor to somewhat above solar metallicity. The mean [Fe/H] of -0.95 dex is higher than that of the galactic GC system, and there is a metal rich tail that reaches to higher [Fe/H] than one finds among the galactic GCs. The mean metallicity of the M87 GC system is about a factor of four lower than that of the M87 stellar halo at a fixed projected radius $R$. The metallicity inferred from the X-ray studies is similar to that of the M87 stellar halo, not to that of GCs. We infer the relative abundances of Na, Mg, and Fe in the M87 GCs from the strength of their spectral features. The behavior of these elements between the metal rich and metal poor M87 GCs is similar to that shown by the galactic GCs and by halo stars in the Galaxy. The pattern of chemical evolution in these disparate old stellar systems is indistinguishable. We obtain a median age for the M87 GC system of 13 Gyr, similar to that of the galactic GCs, with a small dispersion about this value.Comment: 56 pages with included postscript figures; added derived M87 GC metallicities to Table 2, a statistical analysis of possible bimodality, an appendix on the metallicity calibration of U-R and the Washington system, and other smaller changes. Accepted for publication in ApJ. (See paper for complete version of the Abstract.

The Surface Brightness Fluctuations and Globular Cluster Populations of M87 and its Companions

Using the surface brightness fluctuations in HST WFPC-2 images, we determine that M87, NGC 4486B, and NGC 4478 are all at a distance of ~16 Mpc, while NGC 4476 lies in the background at ~21 Mpc. We also examine the globular clusters of M87 using archived HST fields. We detect the bimodal color distribution, and find that the amplitude of the red peak relative to the blue peak is greatest near the center. This feature is in good agreement with the merger model of elliptical galaxy formation, where some of the clusters originated in progenitor galaxies while other formed during mergers.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

Robustness and Enhancement of Neural Synchronization by Activity-Dependent Coupling

We study the synchronization of two model neurons coupled through a synapse having an activity-dependent strength. Our synapse follows the rules of Spike-Timing Dependent Plasticity (STDP). We show that this plasticity of the coupling between neurons produces enlarged frequency locking zones and results in synchronization that is more rapid and much more robust against noise than classical synchronization arising from connections with constant strength. We also present a simple discrete map model that demonstrates the generality of the phenomenon.Comment: 4 pages, accepted for publication in PR

The Globular Cluster System in the Inner Region of M87

1057 globular cluster candidates have been identified in a WFPC2 image of the inner region of M87. The Globular Cluster Luminosity Function (GCLF) can be well fit by a Gaussian profile with a mean value of m_V^0=23.67 +/- 0.07 mag and sigma=1.39 +/- 0.06 mag (compared to m_V^0=23.74 mag and sigma=1.44 mag from an earlier study using the same data by Whitmore it et al. 1995). The GCLF in five radial bins is found to be statistically the same at all points, showing no clear evidence of dynamical destruction processes based on the luminosity function (LF), in contradiction to the claim by Gnedin (1997). Similarly, there is no obvious correlation between the half light radius of the clusters and the galactocentric distance. The core radius of the globular cluster density distribution is R_c=56'', considerably larger than the core of the stellar component (R_c=6.8''). The mean color of the cluster candidates is V-I=1.09 mag which corresponds to an average metallicity of Fe/H = -0.74 dex. The color distribution is bimodal everywhere, with a blue peak at V-I=0.95 mag and a red peak at V-I=1.20 mag. The red population is only 0.1 magnitude bluer than the underlying galaxy, indicating that these clusters formed late in the metal enrichment history of the galaxy and were possibly created in a burst of star/cluster formation 3-6 Gyr after the blue population. We also find that both the red and the blue cluster distributions have a more elliptical shape (Hubble type E3.5) than the nearly spherical galaxy. The average half light radius of the clusters is ~2.5 pc which is comparable to the 3 pc average effective radius of the Milky Way clusters, though the red candidates are ~20% smaller than the blue ones.Comment: 40 pages, 17 figures, 4 tables, latex, accepted for publication in the Ap

Letter from W. H. Elson, Edwin B. Cox, C. N. Kendall, F. T. Oldt, and A. W. Rankin

Letter concerning resolutions being voted on concerning the National Educational Association

The observation of long-range three-body Coloumb effects in the decay of 16Ne

The interaction of an $E/A$=57.6-MeV $^{17}$Ne beam with a Be target was used to populate levels in $^{16}$Ne following neutron knockout reactions. The decay of $^{16}$Ne states into the three-body $^{14}$O+$p$+$p$ continuum was observed in the High Resolution Array (HiRA). For the first time for a 2p emitter, correlations between the momenta of the three decay products were measured with sufficient resolution and statistics to allow for an unambiguous demonstration of their dependence on the long-range nature of the Coulomb interaction. Contrary to previous experiments, the intrinsic decay width of the $^{16}$Ne ground state was found to be narrow ($\Gamma<60$~keV), consistent with theoretical estimates.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

The Spin of M87 as measured from the Rotation of its Globular Clusters

We revisit the kinematical data for 204 globular clusters in the halo of M87. Beyond 3 r_eff along the major axis of the galaxy light, these globular clusters exhibit substantial rotation (~ 300 +/- 70 km/s) that translates into an equally substantial spin (lambda ~ 0.18). The present appearance of M87 is most likely the product of a single major merger, since this event is best able to account for so sizable a spin. A rotation this large makes improbable any significant accretion of material after this merger, since that would have diluted the rotation signature. We see weak evidence for a difference between the kinematics of the metal-poor and metal-rich population, in the sense that the metal-poor globular clusters appear to dominate the rotation. If, as we suspect, the last major merger event of M87 was mainly dissipationless and did not trigger the formation of a large number of globular clusters, the kinematic difference between the two could reflect their orbital properties in the progenitor galaxies; these differences would be compatible with these progenitors having formed in dissipational mergers. However, to put strong kinematic constraints on the origin of the globular clusters themselves is difficult, given the complex history of the galaxy and its last dominant merger event.Comment: 20 pages (AAS two column style, including 1 table and 7 figures) accepted in the AJ (November issue), also available at http://www.ucolick.org/~mkissler

Statistics of Stellar Populations of Star Clusters and Surrounding Fields in the Outer Disk of the Large Magellanic Cloud

A comparative analysis of Washington color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) for 14 star clusters and respective surrounding fields in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) outer disk is presented. Each CCD frame including field and respective cluster covers an area of 185 arcmin^2. The stellar population sampled is of intermediate age and metallicity. CMD radial analysis involving star count ratios, morphology and integrated light properties are carried out. Luminosity functions (LFs) are also presented. Two main results are: (i) Within the range 4<R(kpc)<8, the distance from the LMC center is well correlated with the average age in the sense that inner fields are younger and; (ii) Beyond approximately 8kpc the outer fields do not show evidence of a significant intermediate-age component in their stellar populations, as inferred from red giant clump star counts.Comment: 27 pages, 4 tables, 11 figures; accepted by the A

The Opacity of Nearby Galaxies from Counts of Background Galaxies: II. Limits of the Synthetic Field Method

Recently, we have developed and calibrated the Synthetic Field Method (SFM) to derive the total extinction through disk galaxies. The method is based on the number counts and colors of distant background field galaxies that can be seen through the foreground object, and has been successfully applied to NGC 4536 and NGC 3664, two late-type galaxies located, respectively, at 16 and 11 Mpc. Here, we study the applicability of the SFM to HST images of galaxies in the Local Group, and show that background galaxies cannot be easily identified through these nearby objects, even with the best resolution available today. In the case of M 31, each pixel in the HST images contains 50 to 100 stars, and the background galaxies cannot be seen because of the intrinsic granularity due to strong surface brightness fluctuations. In the LMC, on the other hand, there is only about one star every six linear pixels, and the lack of detectable background galaxies results from a ``secondary'' granularity, introduced by structure in the wings of the point spread function. The success of the SFM in NGC 4536 and NGC 3664 is a natural consequence of the reduction of the intensity of surface brightness fluctuations with distance. When the dominant confusion factor is structure in the PSF wings, as is the case of HST images of the LMC, and would happen in M 31 images obtained with a 10-m diffraction- limited optical telescope, it becomes in principle possible to improve the detectability of background galaxies by subtracting the stars in the foreground object. However, a much better characterization of optical PSFs than is currently available would be required for an adequate subtraction of the wings. Given the importance of determining the dust content of Local Group galaxies, efforts should be made in that direction.Comment: 45 pages, 10 Postscript figure