101 research outputs found
Magnesium isotopes: a tool to understand self-enrichment in Globular Clusters
A critical issue in the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) self-enrichment
scenario for the formation of multiple populations in Globular Clusters (GCs)
is the inability to reproduce the magnesium isotopic ratios, despite the model
in principle can account for the depletion of magnesium. In this work we
analyze how the uncertainties on the various p-capture cross sections affect
the results related to the magnesium content of the ejecta of AGB stars. The
observed distribution of the magnesium isotopes and of the overall Mg-Al trend
in M13 and NGC 6752 are successfully reproduced when the proton-capture rate by
25Mg at the temperatures 100 MK, in particular the 25Mg(p, gamma)26Alm channel,
is enhanced by a factor 3 with respect to the most recent experimental
determinations. This assumption also allows to reproduce the full extent of the
Mg spread and the Mg-Si anticorrelation observed in NGC 2419. The uncertainties
in the rate of the 25Mg(p,gamma)26Alm reaction at the temperatures of interest
here leave space for our assumption and we suggest that new experimental
measurements are needed to settle this problem. We also discuss the competitive
model based on the super massive star nucleosynthesis.Comment: accepted for publication on MNRA
Stars caught in the braking stage in young Magellanic Clouds clusters
The color-magnitude diagrams of many Magellanic Cloud clusters (with ages up
to 2 billion years) display extended turnoff regions where the stars leave the
main sequence, suggesting the presence of multiple stellar populations with
ages which may differ even by hundreds million years (Mackey et al. 2008,
Milone et al. 2009, Girardi et al. 2011). A strongly debated question is
whether such an extended turnoff is instead due to populations with different
stellar rotations (Girardi et al. 2011, Goudfrooij et al. 2011, Rubele et al.
2013, Li et al. 2014). The recent discovery of a `split' main sequence in some
younger clusters (about 80--400Myr) added another piece to this puzzle. The
blue (red) side of the main sequence is consistent with slowly (rapidly)
rotating stellar models (D'Antona et al. 2015, Milone et al. 2016, Correnti et
al. 2017, Milone et al 2016), but a complete theoretical characterization of
the observed color-magnitude diagram appeared to require also an age spread
(Correnti et al. 2017). We show here that, in three clusters so far analyzed,
if the blue main sequence stars are interpreted with models that have been
always slowly rotating, they must be about 30% younger than the rest of the
cluster. If they are instead interpreted as stars initially rapidly rotating,
but that have later slowed down, the age difference disappears, and "braking"
also helps to explain the apparent age differences of the extended turnoff. The
age spreads in Magellanic Cloud clusters are a manifestation of rotational
stellar evolution. Observational tests are suggested.Comment: Accepted for publication and in state of Advance Online Publication
(from 24 July 2017) on Nature Astronom
The formation of multiple populations in the globular cluster 47 Tuc
We use the combination of photometric and spectroscopic data of 47 Tuc stars
to reconstruct the possible formation of a second generation of stars in the
central regions of the cluster, from matter ejected from massive Asymptotic
Giant Branch stars, diluted with pristine gas. The yields from massive AGB
stars with the appropriate metallicity (Z=0.004, i.e. [Fe/H]=-0.75) are
compatible with the observations, in terms of extension and slope of the
patterns observed, involving oxygen, nitrogen, sodium and aluminium. Based on
the constraints on the maximum helium of 47 Tuc stars provided by photometric
investigations, and on the helium content of the ejecta, we estimate that the
gas out of which second generation stars formed was composed of about one-third
of gas from intermediate mass stars, with M>= 5Mo and about two-thirds of
pristine gas. We tentatively identify the few stars whose Na, Al and O
abundances resemble the undiluted AGB yields with the small fraction of 47 Tuc
stars populating the faint subgiant branch. From the relative fraction of first
and second generation stars currently observed, we estimate that the initial FG
population in 47 Tuc was about 7.5 times more massive than the cluster current
total mass.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA
The puzzle of metallicity and multiple stellar populations in the Globular Clusters in Fornax
We examine the photometric data for Fornax clusters, focussing our attention
on their horizontal branch color distribution and, when available, on the RR
Lyr variables fraction and period distribution. Based on our understanding of
the HB morphology in terms of varying helium content in the context of multiple
stellar generations, we show that clusters F2, F3 and F5 must contain
substantial fractions of second generation stars (~54-65%). On the basis of a
simple chemical evolution model we show that the helium distribution in these
clusters can be reproduced by models with cluster initial masses ranging from
values equal to ~4 to ~10 times larger than the current masses. Models with a
very short second generation star formation episode can also reproduce the
observed helium distribution but require larger initial masses up to about
twenty times the current mass. While the lower limit of this range of possible
initial GC masses is consistent with those suggested by the observations of the
low metallicity field stars, we also discuss the possibility that the
metallicity scale of field stars (based on CaII triplet spectroscopy) and the
metallicities derived for the clusters in Fornax may not be consistent with
each other. The reproduction of the HB morphology in F2,F3,F5 requires two
interesting hypotheses: 1) the first generation HB stars lie all at "red"
colours. According to this interpretation, the low metallicity stars in the
field of Fornax, populating the HB at colours bluer than the blue side
((V-I)o<=0.3 or (B-V)o<=0.2) of the RR Lyrs, should be second generation stars
born in the clusters;a preliminary analysis of available colour surveys of
Fornax field provides a fraction ~20% of blue HB stars, in the low metallicity
range; 2) the mass loss from individual second generation red giants is a few
percent of a solar mass larger than the mass loss from first generation stars.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA
Four stellar populations and extreme helium variation in the massive outer-halo globular cluster NGC 2419
Recent work revealed that both the helium variation within globular clusters
(GCs) and the relative numbers of first and second-generation stars (1G, 2G)
depend on the mass of the host cluster. Precise determination of the internal
helium variations and of the fraction of 1G stars are crucial constraints to
the formation scenarios of multiple populations (MPs). We exploit multi-band
Hubble Space Telescope photometry to investigate MPs in NGC 2419, which is one
of the most-massive and distant GCs of the Galaxy, almost isolated from its
tidal influence. We find that the 1G hosts the ~37% of the analyzed stars, and
identified three populations of 2G stars, namely 2GA, 2GB, and 2GC, which
comprise the ~20%, ~31% and ~12% of stars, respectively. We compare the
observed colors of these four populations with the colors derived from
appropriate synthetic spectra to infer the relative helium abundances. We find
that 2GA, 2GB, and 2GC stars are enhanced in helium mass fraction by deltaY
~0.01, 0.06, and 0.19 with respectto 1G stars that have primordial helium
(Y=0.246). The high He enrichment of 2GC stars is hardly reconcilable with most
of the current scenarios for MPs. Furthermore, the relatively larger fraction
of 1G stars (~37%) compared to other massive GCs is noticeable. By exploiting
literature results, we find that the fractions of 1G stars of GCs with large
perigalactic distance are typically higher than in the other GCs with similar
masses. This suggests that NGC 2419, similarly to other distant GCs, lost a
lower fraction of 1G stars.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, submitted to MNRAS January 22n
A unique model for the variety of multiple populations formation(s) in globular clusters: a temporal sequence
We explain the multiple populations recently found in the 'prototype'
Globular Cluster (GC) NGC 2808 in the framework of the asymptotic giant branch
(AGB) scenario. The chemistry of the five -or more- populations is
approximately consistent with a sequence of star formation events, starting
after the supernovae type II epoch, lasting approximately until the time when
the third dredge up affects the AGB evolution (age ~90-120Myr), and ending when
the type Ia supernovae begin exploding in the cluster, eventually clearing it
from the gas. The formation of the different populations requires episodes of
star formation in AGB gas diluted with different amounts of pristine gas. In
the nitrogen-rich, helium-normal population identified in NGC 2808 by the UV
Legacy Survey of GCs, the nitrogen increase is due to the third dredge up in
the smallest mass AGB ejecta involved in the star formation of this population.
The possibly-iron-rich small population in NGC 2808 may be a result of
contamination by a single type Ia supernova. The NGC 2808 case is used to build
a general framework to understand the variety of 'second generation' stars
observed in GCs. Cluster-to-cluster variations are ascribed to differences in
the effects of the many processes and gas sources which may be involved in the
formation of the second generation. We discuss an evolutionary scheme, based on
pollution by delayed type II supernovae, which accounts for the properties of
s-Fe-anomalous clusters.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figures, in press on MNRA
Extended main sequence turnoff as a common feature of Milky Way open clusters
We present photometric analysis of twelve Galactic open clusters and show
that the same multiple-population phenomenon observed in Magellanic Clouds
(MCs) is present in nearby open clusters. Nearly all the clusters younger than
2.5 Gyr of both MCs exhibit extended main-sequence turnoffs (eMSTOs) and
all the cluster younger than 700 Myr show broadened/split main sequences
(MSs). High-resolution spectroscopy has revealed that these clusters host stars
with a large spread in the observed projected rotations. In addition to
rotation, internal age variation is indicated as a possible responsible for the
eMSTOs, making these systems the possible young counterparts of globular
clusters with multiple populations. Recent work has shown that the
eMSTO+broadened MSs are not a peculiarity of MCs clusters. Similar photometric
features have been discovered in a few Galactic open clusters, challenging the
idea that the color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) of these systems are similar to
single isochrones and opening new windows to explore the eMSTO phenomenon. We
exploit photometry+proper motions from Gaia DR2 to investigate the CMDs of open
clusters younger than 1.5 Gyr. Our analysis suggests that: (i) twelve
open clusters show eMSTOs and/or broadened MSs, that cannot be due neither to
field contamination, nor binaries; (ii) split/broadened MSs are observed in
clusters younger than 700 Myr, while older objects display only an eMSTO,
similarly to MCs clusters; (iii) the eMSTO, if interpreted as a pure age
spread, increases with age, following the relation observed in MCs clusters and
demonstrating that rotation is the responsible for this phenomenon.Comment: 17 pages, 42 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in ApJ
(31/10/2018
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