Related papers: Age as the Second Parameter in NGC 288/NGC 362? II…
We present deep V,I photometry of the globular clusters NGC 288, NGC 362 and NGC 1851 obtained during a single observational run under strictly homogeneous conditions. We use the bimodal horizontal branch (HB) of NGC 1851 as a ``bridge'' to…
The horizontal branch (HB) morphology of globular clusters (GCs) is most strongly influenced by metallicity. The second parameter phenomenon acknowledges that metallicity alone is not enough to describe the HB morphology of all GCs. In…
The Horizontal Branch (HB) second parameter of Globular Clusters (GCs) is a major open issue in stellar evolution. Large photometric and spectroscopic databases allow a re-examination of this issue. We derive median and extreme (90% of the…
We have applied a new method to analyze the horizontal branch (HB) morphology in relation to the distribution of stars near the red giant branch (RGB) tip for the globular clusters M22, M5, M68, M107, M72, M92, M3 and 47 Tuc. This new…
The "second-parameter effect" is characterized by the existence of globular clusters (GCs) with similar metallicity [Fe/H] (the "first parameter") but different horizontal-branch (HB) morphologies. One of the primary second-parameter…
The location of Galactic Globular Clusters' (GC) stars on the horizontal branch (HB) should mainly depend on GC metallicity, the "first parameter", but it is actually the result of complex interactions between the red giant branch (RGB)…
Deep HST photometry has recently been presented for the outer-halo globular clusters Palomar 4 and Eridanus. The new high-precision color-magnitude diagrams obtained for these globulars have allowed a measurement of their ages relative to…
We review the most outstanding issues related to the study of the morphology of the Horizontal Branch (HB) in the Color-Magnitude Diagrams of Galactic Globular Clusters and its use as age indicator. It is definitely demonstrated (see also…
Recent Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observations by Rich et al. (1997) have shown that the metal-rich globular clusters (GCs) NGC 6388 and NGC 6441 exhibit a pronounced 2nd parameter effect. Ordinarily metal-rich GCs have only a red…
The horizontal branch (HB) morphology of globular clusters (GCs) is mainly determined by metallicity. However, the fact that GCs with almost the same metallicity exhibit different HB morphologies demonstrates that at least one more…
The Horizontal Branch (HB) morphology in the color -- magnitude diagram of the Galactic globular clusters depends on many factors, and it is now firmly established that the so-called Second Parameter is not just the cluster age as claimed…
We study the correlations between the distribution of stars on the horizontal branch (HB), the HB morphology, with some other properties of globular clusters (GCs) in a large sample of GCs. We strengthen previous results that a general…
Ages have been derived for 55 globular clusters (GCs) from overlays of isochrones onto the turnoff photometry, assuming distances based on fits of zero-age horizontal branch (ZAHB) models to the lower bound of the observed distributions of…
The horizontal branch (HB) morphology of globular clusters (GCs) is mainly described by metallicity. The fact that some clusters with almost the same metallicity exhibit different HB demonstrates that other parameters are at work. We…
We investigate age and metallicity distributions of bright globular clusters (GCs) in the candidate intermediate-age early-type galaxies NGC 3610, NGC 584 and NGC 3377 using a combination of new Gemini/NIRI K'-band imaging and existing…
We present our recent revision of model constructions for the horizontal-branch (HB) morphology of globular clusters, which suggests the HB morphology is more sensitive to age compared to our earlier models. We also present our high…
The impact of metallicity on the mass-loss rate from red giant branch (RGB) stars is studied through its effect on the parameters of horizontal branch (HB) stars. The scaling factors from Reimers (1975) and Schroder & Cuntz (2005) are…
Theory and observations indicate that the distribution of stars along the horizontal branch of Galactic globular clusters mainly depends on the metal content. However, the existence of globular clusters with similar metal content and…
The connection between mass loss on the red giant branch (RGB) and horizontal branch (HB) morphology in globular clusters (GCs) has long been acknowledged but the mechanisms governing mass loss remains poorly understood from a theoretical…
We present new BVI photometry for the halo globular cluster M5, and examine the B- and I-band luminosity functions (LFs), based on over 20,000 stars. We do not see evidence in the LF of a ``subgiant excess'' or of a discrepancy in the…