The RR Lyrae Period - K Luminosity relation for Globular Clusters: an observational approach

The Period - metallicity - K band luminosity (PLK) relation for RR Lyrae stars in 15 Galactic globular clusters and in the LMC globular cluster Reticulum has been derived. It is based on accurate near infrared (K) photometry combined with 2MASS and other literature data. The PLK relation has been calibrated and compared with the previous empirical and theoretical determinations in literature. The zero point of the absolute calibration has been obtained from the K magnitude of RR Lyr whose distance modulus has been measured via trigonometric parallax with HST. Using this relation we obtain a distance modulus to the LMC of (m-M)_0 = 18.54 \pm 0.15 mag, in good agreement with recent determinations based on the analysis of Cepheid variable stars.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication by MNRA

Monte Carlo simulations of multiple populations in globular clusters: constraints on the cooling flow vs. accretion scenario using million bodies simulations

I simulate the evolution of a stellar system hosting two stellar populations whose initial set up is defined according to the two main scenarios proposed for the origin of multiple populations in Galactic globular clusters: (i) formation of a second generation from a cooling flow of pristine+polluted gas and (ii) accretion of polluted gas onto the proto-stellar disks of a fraction of low-mass stars. For this purpose, Monte Carlo simulations containing from $10^{5}$ up to $3\cdot 10^{6}$ particles have been run including the effect of stellar evolution, binary interactions, external tidal field and a detailed modelling of the proto-stellar disk structure. The early accretion of gas onto proto-stellar disks is unable to produce discrete populations and to alter the chemical composition of a significant ($>10\%$) fraction of stars unless a disk lifetime larger ($t_{disk}\sim20~Myr$) than that predicted by models is assumed. Moreover, in this scenario the mixing timescale of the two populations is too short to reproduce the observed segregation of the chemically enriched population. On the other hand, simulations run within the cooling flow scenario can evolve after a Hubble time into stellar systems with a first-to-second population mass ratio similar to that observed in globular clusters, provided that an initial filling-factor $r_{h}/r_{J}>0.15$ is adopted. However, in the weak tidal field regime a radial segregation of the second population stronger than what observed in Milky Way globular clusters at large Galactocentric distances is predicted. This discrepancy disappears in simulations following eccentric orbits in a realistic axisymmetric potential.Comment: 19 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication by MNRA

Infrared photometry of Young Massive Clusters in the starburst galaxy NGC 4214

We present the results of an infrared photometric survey performed with NICS@TNG in the nearby starburst galaxy NGC 4214. We derived accurate integrated JK magnitudes of 10 young massive clusters and compared them with the already available Hubble Space Telescope ultraviolet colors. These clusters are located in the combined ultraviolet-infrared colors planes on well defined sequences, whose shapes allow a precise determination of their age. By means of the comparison with suitable stellar evolution models we estimated ages, metallicities, reddening and masses of these clusters. All the analyzed clusters appear to be younger than log(t/yr)<8.4, moderately metal-rich and slightly less massive than present-day Galactic globular clusters. The derived ages for clusters belonging to the secondary HII star forming complex are significantly larger than those previously estimated in the literature. We also discuss the possibility of using the ultraviolet-infrared color-color diagram to select candidate young massive clusters hosting multiple stellar populations.Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication by MNRA

Globular clusters in modified Newtonian dynamics: velocity-dispersion profiles from self-consistent models

We test the modified Newtonian dynamics (MOND) theory with the velocity-dispersion profiles of Galactic globular clusters populating the outermost region of the Milky Way halo, where the Galactic acceleration is lower than the characteristic MOND acceleration a_0. For this purpose, we constructed self-consistent, spherical models of stellar systems in MOND, which are the analogues of the Newtonian King models. The models are spatially limited, reproduce well the surface-brightness profiles of globular clusters, and have velocity-dispersion profiles that differ remarkably in shape from the corresponding Newtonian models. We present dynamical models of six globular clusters, which can be used to efficiently test MOND with the available observing facilities. A comparison with recent spectroscopic data obtained for NGC2419 suggests that the kinematics of this cluster might be hard to explain in MOND.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication by MNRA

New Metallicities of RR Lyrae Stars in omega Centauri: Evidence for a Non He-Enhanced Metal-Intermediate Population

We present new spectroscopic metal abundances for 74 RR Lyrae stars in omega Cen obtained with FLAMES. The well-known metallicity spread is visible among the RR Lyrae variables. The metal-intermediate (MInt) RR Lyrae stars ([Fe/H] ~ -1.2) are fainter than the bulk of the dominant metal-poor population ([Fe/H] ~ -1.7), in good agreement with the corresponding zero-age horizontal branch models with cosmological helium abundance Y = 0.246. This result conflicts with the hypothesis that the progenitors of the MInt RR Lyrae stars correspond to the anomalous blue main-sequence stars, which share a similar metallicity but whose properties are currently explained by assuming for them a large helium enhancement. Therefore, in this scenario, the coexistence within the cluster of two different populations with similar metallicities ([Fe/H] ~ -1.2) and different helium abundances has to be considered.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication by ApJ

Spectroscopy of Red Giants in the globular cluster Terzan 8: kinematics and evidence for the surrounding Sagittarius stream

We present the results of a spectroscopic survey of Red Giants in the globular cluster Terzan 8 with the aim of studying its kinematics. We derived accurate radial velocities for 82 stars located in the innermost 7 arcmin from the cluster center identifying 48 bona fide cluster members. The kinematics of the cluster have been compared with a set of dynamical models accounting for the effect of mass segregation and a variable fraction of binaries. The derived velocity dispersion appears to be larger than that predicted for mass-segregated stellar systems without binaries, indicating that either the cluster is dynamically young or it contains a large fraction of binaries (>30%). We detected 7 stars with a radial velocity compatible with the cluster systemic velocity but with chemical patterns which stray from those of both the cluster and the Galactic field. These stars are likely members of the Sagittarius stream surrounding this stellar system.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication by MNRA