Related papers: Heavy element diffusion and globular cluster ages
Chemical composition is an important factor that affects stellar evolution. The element abundance on the stellar surface evolves along the lifetime of the star because of transport processes, including atomic diffusion. However, models of…
The presence of a substantial number of hot stars in the extremely metal-rich} open cluster NGC6791 has been a mystery. If these hot stars are in their core helium burning phase, they are significantly bluer (hotter) than predicted by…
We investigate the influence of both a new generation of low-temperature opacities and of various amounts of alpha-element enhancements on stellar evolution models. New stellar models with two different alpha-element mixtures and two sets…
High-resolution optical spectra of thirteen blue horizontal-branch (BHB) stars in the globular cluster M13 show enormous deviations in element abundances from the expected cluster metallicity. In the hotter stars (T_eff > 12000 K), helium…
We present the results of determination of the age, helium mass fraction (Y) in terms of the used stellar evolutionary models, metallicity ([Fe/H]), and abundances of the elements C, O, Na, Mg, Ca, Ti, Cr and Mn for 26 globular clusters of…
The studies focused on the Thermally-Pulsing Asymptotic Giant Branch phase experienced by low- and intermediate-mass stars are extremely important in many astrophysical contexts. In particular, a detailed computation of their chemical…
We present yields from stars of mass in the range Mo<M<8Mo of metallicities Z=0.0003 and Z=0.008, thus encompassing the chemistry of low- and high-Z Globular Clusters. The yields are based on full evolutionary computations, following the…
We present preliminary results of VLT/FORS spectroscopy of globular clusters in nearby early-type galaxies. Our project aims at studying the chemistry and determine the ages of globular cluster (sub-)populations. First results indicate that…
Star clusters are fundamental building blocks of galaxies. Their formation is related to the density and pressure in progenitor molecular clouds and their environmental conditions. To understand better the dynamical processes driving star…
A fraction of late B-type stars, the so-called HgMn stars, exhibit enhanced absorption lines of certain chemical elements, notably Hg and Mn, combined with an underabundance of He. For about a decade now the elements with anomalously high…
This paper presents evolutionary computations which investigate the theoretical predictions concerning metal rich RR Lyrae pulsators found both in the Galactic field and in the Galactic bulge. The main aim of this investigation is to…
Dispersion among the light elements is common in globular clusters (GCs), while dispersion among heavier elements is less common. We present detection of r-process dispersion relative to Fe in 19 red giants of the metal-poor GC M92. Using…
The evolution of star clusters is studied using N-body simulations in which the evolution of single stars and binaries are taken self-consistently into account. Initial conditions are chosen to represent relatively young Galactic open…
It is becoming clear that `self--pollution' by the ejecta of massive asymptotic giant branch stars has an important role in the early chemical evolution of globular cluster stars, producing CNO abundance spreads which are observed also at…
Massive stars played a key role in the early evolution of the Universe. They formed with the first halos and started the re-ionisation. It is therefore very important to understand their evolution. In this review, we first recall the effect…
Star formation plays a central role in the evolution of galaxies and of the Universe as a whole. Studies of star-forming regions in the local universe have shown that star formation typically occurs in a clustered fashion. Building a…
Dynamical evolution plays a key role in shaping the current properties of star clusters and star cluster systems. A detailed understanding of the effects of evolutionary processes is essential to be able to disentangle the properties which…
Stars of intermediate mass (~4-8Msun) evolve to the stage of white dwarfs through the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stage: stationary hydrogen shell burning and helium thermal pulses, wind mass loss and planetary nebula ejection. Almost the…
Atmospheric parameters (effective temperature Teff, surface gravity log g), masses and helium abundances are derived for 42 hot horizontal branch (HB) stars in the globular cluster NGC 6752. For 19 stars we derive magnesium and iron…
Model color magnitude diagrams of low-metallicity globular clusters usually show a deficit of hot evolved stars with respect to observations. We investigate quantitatively the impact of such modelling inaccuracies on the significance of…