3,357 research outputs found
Variable Side-Look Angle Concept For Radar Mapping
Radar mapping of planets can be accomplished at lower cost and with reduced emphasis on propulsion system capability from spacecraft operating in elliptical orbit than from circular orbit
On the use of Gaia magnitudes and new tables of bolometric corrections
The availability of reliable bolometric corrections and reddening estimates,
rather than the quality of parallaxes will be one of the main limiting factors
in determining the luminosities of a large fraction of Gaia stars. With this
goal in mind, we provide Gaia G, BP and RP synthetic photometry for the entire
MARCS grid, and test the performance of our synthetic colours and bolometric
corrections against space-borne absolute spectrophotometry. We find indication
of a magnitude-dependent offset in Gaia DR2 G magnitudes, which must be taken
into account in high accuracy investigations. Our interpolation routines are
easily used to derive bolometric corrections at desired stellar parameters, and
to explore the dependence of Gaia photometry on Teff, log(g), [Fe/H],
alpha-enhancement and E(B-V). Gaia colours for the Sun and Vega, and
Teff-dependent extinction coefficients, are also provided.Comment: MNRAS Letter. Solar colours: BP-G = 0.33, G-RP = 0.49, BP-RP = 0.82.
Mean extinction coefficients at turn-off: R_G = 2.740 , R_BP = 3.374, R_RP =
2.035. Interpolation routines available at
https://github.com/casaluca/bolometric-correction
Synthetic Stellar Photometry - I. General considerations and new transformations for broad-band systems
After a pedagogical introduction to the main concepts of synthetic
photometry, colours and bolometric corrections in the Johnson-Cousins, 2MASS,
and HST-ACS/WFC3 photometric systems are generated from MARCS synthetic fluxes
for various [Fe/H] and [alpha/Fe] combinations, and virtually any value of
reddening E(B-V) < 0.7. The successes and failures of model fluxes in
reproducing the observed magnitudes are highlighted. Overall, extant synthetic
fluxes predict quite realistic broad-band colours and bolometric corrections,
especially at optical and longer wavelengths: further improvements of the
predictions for the blue and ultraviolet spectral regions await the use of
hydrodynamic models where the microturbulent velocity is not treated as a free
parameter. We show how the morphology of the colour-magnitude diagram (CMD)
changes for different values of [Fe/H] and [alpha/Fe]; in particular, how
suitable colour combinations can easily discriminate between red giant branch
and lower main sequence populations with different [alpha/Fe], due to the
concomitant loops and swings in the CMD. We also provide computer programs to
produce tables of synthetic bolometric corrections as well as routines to
interpolate in them. These colour-Teff-metallicity relations may be used to
convert isochrones for different chemical compositions to various bandpasses
assuming observed reddening values, thus bypassing the standard assumption of a
constant colour excess for stars of different spectral type. We also show how
such an assumption can lead to significant systematic errors. The MARCS
transformations presented in this study promise to provide important
constraints on our understanding of the multiple stellar populations found in
globular clusters (e.g., the colours of lower main sequence stars are predicted
to depend strongly on [alpha/Fe]) and of those located towards/in the Galactic
bulge.Comment: MNRAS, accepted. Tables and programs to generate synthetic colours
and bolometric corrections in various photometric systems and for different
combination of E(B-V), [Fe/H], [alpha/Fe], Teff and logg available via CDS at
http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/MNRAS/444/39
Fiducial Stellar Population Sequences for the VJKs Photometric System
We have obtained broad-band near-infrared photometry for seven Galactic star
clusters (M92, M15, M13, M5, NGC1851, M71 and NGC6791) using the WIRCam
wide-field imager on the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, supplemented by images
of NGC1851 taken with HAWK-I on the VLT. In addition, 2MASS observations of the
[Fe/H] ~ 0.0 open cluster M67 were added to the cluster database. From the
resultant (V-J)-V and (V-Ks)-V colour-magnitude diagrams (CMDs), fiducial
sequences spanning the range in metallicity, -2.4 < [Fe/H] < +0.3, have been
defined which extend (for most clusters) from the tip of the red-giant branch
(RGB) to ~ 2.5 magnitudes below the main-sequence turnoff. These fiducials
provide a valuable set of empirical isochrones for the interpretation of
stellar population data in the 2MASS system. We also compare our newly derived
CMDs to Victoria isochrones that have been transformed to the observed plane
using recent empirical and theoretical colour-Teff relations. The models are
able to reproduce the entire CMDs of clusters more metal rich than [Fe/H] ~
-1.4 quite well, on the assumption of the same reddenings and distance moduli
that yield good fits of the same isochrones to Johnson-Cousins BV(RI)C
photometry. However, the predicted giant branches become systematically redder
than the observed RGBs as the cluster metallicity decreases. Possible
explanations for these discrepancies are discussed.Comment: 18 pages, 20 figures, Accepted for publication in A
The Bifurcated Age-Metallicity Relation of Milky Way Globular Clusters and its Implications For the Accretion History of the Galaxy
We use recently derived ages for 61 Milky Way (MW) globular clusters (GCs) to
show that their age-metallicity relation (AMR) can be divided into two
distinct, parallel sequences at [Fe/H] \ga -1.8. Approximately one-third of
the clusters form an offset sequence that spans the full range in age (--13 Gyr), but is more metal rich at a given age by dex in
[Fe/H]. All but one of the clusters in the offset sequence show orbital
properties that are consistent with membership in the MW disk. They are not
simply the most metal-rich GCs, which have long been known to have disk-like
kinematics, but they are the most metal-rich clusters at all ages. The slope of
the mass-metallicity relation (MMR) for galaxies implies that the offset in
metallicity of the two branches of the AMR corresponds to a mass decrement of 2
dex, suggesting host galaxy masses of M_{*} \sim 10^{7-8} \msol for GCs that
belong to the more metal-poor AMR. We suggest that the metal-rich branch of the
AMR consists of clusters that formed in-situ in the disk, while the metal-poor
GCs were formed in relatively low-mass (dwarf) galaxies and later accreted by
the MW. The observed AMR of MW disk stars, and of the LMC, SMC and WLM dwarf
galaxies are shown to be consistent with this interpretation, and the relative
distribution of implied progenitor masses for the halo GC clusters is in
excellent agreement with the MW subhalo mass function predicted by simulations.
A notable implication of the bifurcated AMR, is that the identical mean ages
and spread in ages, for the metal rich and metal poor GCs are difficult to
reconcile with an in-situ formation for the latter population.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
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