Related papers: Anomalous globular clusters: insights from neutron…
We have calculated synthetic spectra for typical chemical element mixtures (i.e., a standard alpha-enhanced distribution, and distributions displaying CN and ONa anticorrelations) found in the various subpopulations harboured by Galactic…
Disentangling distinct stellar populations along the red-giant branches (RGBs) of Globular Clusters (GCs) is possible by using the pseudo two-color diagram dubbed chromosome map (ChM). One of the most intriguing findings is that the…
We present Ca-CN-CH-NH photometry for the well-known globular cluster (GC) M3 (NGC 5272). We show new evidence for two M3 populations with distinctly different carbon and nitrogen abundances, seen in a sharp division between CN-weak and…
Large star-to-star variations of the abundances of proton-capture elements, such as Na and O, in globular clusters (GCs) are interpreted as the effect of internal pollution resulting from the presence of multiple stellar populations. To…
The study of star clusters plays an important role in our understanding of the Universe since these systems are natural laboratories for testing theories of stellar dynamics and evolution. Particularly, globular clusters (GCs) are one of…
Globular clusters are gravitationally bound stellar systems containing on the order of 100,000 stars. Due to the high stellar densities in the cores of these clusters, close encounters and even physical collisions between stars are…
A catalog of Galactic globular clusters has been compiled and used to analyze relations between the chemical and kinematic parameters of the clusters. The catalog contains positions, distances, luminosities, metallicites, and…
The framework for the interpretation of neutron-capture elements observed in Population II stars, established 20-25 years ago, is that these stars primarily exhibit r-process signatures, due to the inefficiency of the s-process at low…
Over the last decade, HST imaging studies have revealed that the centers of most galaxies are occupied by compact, barely resolved sources. Based on their structural properties, position in the fundamental plane, and spectra, these sources…
Observational and theoretical arguments support the idea that violent events connected with $AGN$ activity and/or intense star forming episodes have played a significant role in the early phases of galaxy formation at high red shifts. Being…
This paper is aimed at emphasizing some of the main hints, constraints and difficulties we currently have in trying to understand how globular clusters formed, along with their multiple stellar generations, an issue that must be regarded as…
We present a detailed chemical composition analysis of 35 red giant stars in the globular cluster M22. High resolution spectra for this study were obtained at five observatories, and analyzed in a uniform manner. We have determined…
Globular cluster (GC) stars composed of pristine material (first-generation, 1G, stars) are not chemically homogeneous, as they exhibit extended sequences in the "Chromosome Map" (ChM). Recent studies characterized 1G stars within the…
Recent studies have confirmed the long standing suspicion that M22 shares a metallicity spread and complex chemical enrichment history similar to that observed in Omega Cen. M22 is among the most massive Galactic globular clusters and its…
Globular clusters (GCs) display anomalous light element abundances (HeCNONaMgAl), resembling the yields of hot-hydrogen burning, but there is no consensus yet on the origin of these ubiquitous multiple populations. We present a model in…
The peculiar Galactic globular cluster $\omega$ Centauri (NGC 5139) has drawn attention for its unique features - such as a high stellar mass and a broad distribution of chemical elements - that have led to the hypothesis that it might be…
In galaxy clusters, hierarchical assembly predicts the formation of stellar substructures and intracluster light (ICL), a diffuse stellar component tracing the global cluster potential. Because these features are extremely faint,…
The origin and formation of globular clusters has remained a mystery. We present a formation scenario for ancient globular cluster-like objects that form in ultra-high resolution simulations (smallest cell size $<0.1\,\mathrm{pc}$, mass…
The differences between the neutron-capture element abundances of halo stars are important to our understanding of the nucleosynthesis of elements heavier than the iron group. We present a detailed abundance analysis of carbon and twelve…
In our previous study, we showed that the peculiar globular cluster (GC) M22 contains two distinct stellar populations, namely the Ca-w and Ca-s groups with different physical properties, having different chemical compositions, spatial…