Photometric catalog of nearby globular clusters (I)

We present the first part of the first large and homogeneous CCD color-magnitude diagram (CMD) data base, comprising 52 nearby Galactic globular clusters (GGC) imaged in the V and I bands using only two telescopes (one for each hemisphere). The observed clusters represent 75% of the known Galactic globulars with (m-M)v<=16.15 mag, cover most of the globular cluster metallicity range (-2.2 <= [Fe/H] <= -0.4), and span Galactocentric distances from ~1.2 to ~18.5 kpc. In this paper, the CMDs for the 39 GGCs observed in the southern hemisphere are presented. The remaining 13 northern hemisphere clusters of the catalog are presented in a companion paper. For four clusters (NGC 4833, NGC 5986, NGC 6543, and NGC 6638) we present for the first time a CMD from CCD data. The typical CMD spans from the 22nd V magnitude to the tip of the red giant branch. Based on a large number of standard stars, the absolute photometric calibration is reliable to the ~0.02 mag level in both filters. This catalog, because of its homogeneity, is expected to represent a useful data base for the measurement of the main absolute and relative parameters characterizing the CMD of GGCs.Comment: 34 pages, 108 figures, Astronomy & Astrophysics Supplement Series, in press. Full resolution figures can be obtained from the authors upon reques

Rotation of Hot Horizontal Branch Stars in Galactic Globular Clusters

We present high resolution UVES+VLT spectroscopic observations of 61 stars in the extended blue horizontal branches of the Galactic globular clusters NGC 1904 (M79), NGC 2808, NGC 6093 (M80), and NGC 7078 M15). Our data reveal for the first time the presence in NGC 1904 of a sizable population of fast (v sin(i) >= 20 km/s) horizontal branch (HB) rotators, confined to the cool end of the EHB, similar to that found in M13. We also confirm the fast rotators already observed in NGC 7078. The cooler stars (T_eff < 11,500 K) in these three clusters show a range of rotation rates, with a group of stars rotating at ~ 15 km/s or less, and a fast rotating group at ~ 30 km/s. Apparently, the fast rotators are relatively more abundant in NGC 1904 and M13, than in NGC 7078. No fast rotators have been identified in NGC 2808 and NGC 6093. All the stars hotter than T_eff ~ 11,500 K have projected rotational velocities vsini< 12 km/s. The connection between photometric gaps in the HB and the change in the projected rotational velocities is not confirmed by the new data. However, our data are consistent with a relation between this discontinuity and the HB jump.Comment: 2 pages, 1 figure, A.S.P. Conf. Ser., in press in Vol. 296, 200

Study of the Helium Enrichment in Globular Clusters

Globular clusters (GCs) are spheroidal concentrations typically containing of the order of 10^5 to 10^6, predominantly old, stars. Historically, they have been considered as the closest counterparts of the idealized concept of "simple stellar populations." However, some recent observations suggest than, at least in some GCs, some stars are present that have been formed with material processed by a previous generation of stars. In this sense, it has also been suggested that such material might be enriched in helium, and that blue horizontal branch stars in some GCs should accordingly be the natural progeny of such helium-enhanced stars. In this contribution we show that, at least in the case of M3 (NGC 5272), the suggested level of helium enrichment is not supported by the available, high-precision observations.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures. To appear in the proceedings of IAU Symp. 262 (ed. G. Bruzual & S. Charlot

Observing multiple stellar populations with FORS2@VLT - Main sequence photometry in outer regions of NGC 6752, NGC 6397, and NGC 6121 (M 4)

We present the photometric analysis of the external regions of three Galactic Globular Clusters: NGC 6121, NGC 6397 and NGC 6752. The main goal is the characterization of the multiple stellar populations along the main sequence (MS) and the study of the radial trend of the different populations hosted by the target clusters. The data have been collected using FORS2 mounted at the ESO/VLT@UT1 telescope in UBVI filters. From these data sets we extracted high-accuracy photometry and constructed color-magnitude diagrams. We exploit appropriate combination of colors and magnitudes which are powerful tools to identify multiple stellar populations, like B versus U-B and V versus c_{U,B,I}=(U-B)-(B-I) CMDs. We confirm previous findings of a split MS in NGC 6752 and NGC 6121. Apart from the extreme case of omega Centauri, this is the first detection of multiple MS from ground-based photometry. For NGC 6752 and NGC 6121 we compare the number ratio of the blue MS to the red MS in the cluster outskirts with the fraction of first and second generation stars measured in the central regions. There is no evidence for significant radial trend. The MS of NGC 6397 is consistent with a simple stellar population. We propose that the lack of multiple sequences is due both to observational errors and to the limited sensitivity of U,B,V,I photometry to multiple stellar populations in metal-poor GCs. Finally, we compute the helium abundance for the stellar populations hosted by NGC 6121 and NGC 6752, finding a mild (Delta Y ~ 0.02) difference between stars in the two sequences.Comment: 16 pages, 5 tables, 17 figures, accepted for pubblication in A&

Multiple stellar populations in the Galactic globular cluster NGC 6752

We have carried out high-precision photometry on a large number of archival HST images of the Galactic globular cluster NGC 6752, to search for signs of multiple stellar populations. We find a broadened main sequence, and demonstrate that this broadening cannot be attributed either to binaries or to photometric errors. There is also some indication of a main-sequence split. No significant spread could be found along the subgiant branch, however. Ground-based photometry reveals that in the U vs. (U-B) color-magnitude diagram the red-giant branch exhibits a clear color spread, which we have been able to correlate with variations in Na and O abundances. In particular the Na-rich, O-poor stars identified by Carretta et al. (2007) define a sequence on the red side of the red-giant branch, while Na-poor, O-rich stars populate a bluer, more dispersed portion of the red-giant branch.Comment: 31 pages, 12 figures; Accepted for Publication in the Astrophysical Journa

The helium spread in the Globular cluster 47 Tuc

Spectroscopy has shown the presence of the CN band dicothomy and the Na-O anticorrelations for 50--70% of the investigated samples in the cluster 47 Tuc, otherwise considered a "normal" prototype of high metallicity clusters from the photometric analysis. Very recently, the re-analysis of a large number of archival HST data of the cluster core has been able to put into evidence the presence of structures in the Sub Giant Branch: it has a brighter component with a spread in magnitude by $\sim$0.06 mag and a second one, made of about 10% of stars, a little fainter (by $\sim$0.05 mag). These data also show that the Main Sequence of the cluster has an intrinsic spread in color which, if interpreted as due to a small spread in helium abundance, suggests $\Delta$Y$\sim$0.027. In this work we examine in detail whether the Horizontal Branch morphology and the Sub Giant structure provide further independent indications that a real --although very small-helium spread is present in the cluster. We re--analyze the HST archival data for the Horizontal Branch of 47 Tuc, obtaining a sample of $\sim$500 stars with very small photometric errors, and build population synthesis based on new models to show that its particular morphology can be better explained by taking into account a spread in helium abundance of 2% in mass. The same variation in helium is able to explain the spread in luminosity of the Sub Giant Branch, while a small part of the second generation is characterized by a small C+N+O increase and provides an explanation for the fainter Sub Giant Branch. We conclude that three photometric features concur to form the paradigm that a small but real helium spread is present in a cluster that has no spectacular evidence for multiple populations like those shown by other massive clusters.Comment: Accepted for publication in the MNRAS on 2010 June 8. Received 2010 May 19; in original form 2010 February 9. 7 pages and 3 figures. No table