Related papers: A comparative analysis of the observed white dwarf…
We present an empirical determination of the white dwarf cooling sequence in the globular cluster 47 Tucanae. Using spectral models, we determine temperatures for 887 objects from Wide Field Camera 3 data, as well as 292 objects from data…
We present measurements of ages, metallicities, and [alpha/Fe] ratios for 16 globular clusters (GC) in NGC 147, NGC 185, and NGC 205 and of the central regions of the diffuse galaxy light in NGC 185, and NGC 205. Our results are based on…
Using the Hubble Space Telescope, we have obtained the first color-magnitude diagram (CMD) to reach the main-sequence turnoff of the Galactic globular cluster NGC 6388. From a comparison between the cluster CMD and 47 Tucanae's, we find…
Recently, \citet{vitral2021does} detected a central concentration of dark objects in the core-collapsed globular cluster NGC 6397, which could be interpreted as a subcluster of stellar-mass black holes. However, it is well established…
We first review reasons why dark matter is an interesting issue in connection with star clusters. Next we consider to what extent the presence of dark matter is consistent with their dynamics and structure. We review various model-dependent…
We fit various colour-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) of the Galactic globular clusters NGC\,6397 and NGC\,6809 (M55) by isochrones from the Dartmouth Stellar Evolution Database (DSED) and Bag of Stellar Tracks and Isochrones (BaSTI) for…
I propose and apply a method for deriving ages of the metal-poor globular clusters (GCs) in a distance-independent way, which is based on age indicator related to the main sequence in the two-color diagrams with U-B index. Age of the…
The distinction of the stellar content in globular clusters (GCs) in multiple stellar populations characterized by different amounts of proton-capture elements has been well assessed since a long time. On the other hand, the existence of…
Gyrochronology allows the derivation of ages for cool main sequence stars based on their observed rotation periods and masses, or a suitable proxy thereof. It is increasingly well-explored for FGK stars, but requires further measurements…
Using archival Hubble Space Telescope observations, we report the discovery of four variable low-mass white dwarfs ($0.18 \, M_\odot \leq M \leq 0.5 \,M_\odot$) in the globular cluster NGC 6397. One source exhibits a periodic optical…
We explore the physics of crystallization in the deep interiors of white dwarf stars using the color-magnitude diagram and luminosity function constructed from proper motion cleaned Hubble Space Telescope photometry of the globular cluster…
Numerical and observational evidence suggests that massive white dwarfs dominate the innermost regions of core-collapsed globular clusters by both number and total mass. Using NGC 6397 as a test case, we constrain the features of white…
We present first results of a pilot project aimed at exploiting the potentiality of ground based adaptive optics imaging in the near infrared to determine the age of stellar clusters in the Galactic Bulge. We have used a combination of high…
We present a study of the white dwarf (WD) cooling sequence (CS) in the globular cluster (GC) Omega Centauri, the primary goal of a dedicated Hubble Space Telescope (HST) programme. Our analysis has revealed that the peak at the termination…
Color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) derived from Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Advanced Camera for Surveys F606W,F814W photometry of 6 globular clusters (GCs) are presented. The six GCs form two loose groupings in Galactocentric distance (Rgc):…
We use new observations from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope to study the white dwarf cooling sequence of the open cluster M37, a cluster that displays an extended main sequence turn-off and, according to a recent photometric analysis,…
The color magnitude diagram (CMD) of NGC 1851 presents two subgiant branches (SGB), probably due the presence of two populations differing in total CNO content. We test the idea that a difference in total CNO may simulate an age difference…
The dense central region of NGC 6397 contains three classes of stars whose origins are likely related to stellar interactions: blue stragglers, cataclysmic variables, and probable helium white dwarfs. We summarize results concerning CVs and…
We investigate current problems in obtaining reliable ages for old stellar systems based on stellar population synthesis modelling of their integrated spectra. In particular, we address the large ages derived for the globular cluster 47…
Multi-epoch observations with ACS on HST provide a unique and comprehensive probe of stellar dynamics within NGC 6397. We are able to confront analytic models of the globular cluster with the observed stellar proper motions. The measured…