Related papers: Un updated theoretical scenario for globular clust…
A novel way of looking at the evolution of star clusters is presented. With a dynamical temperature, given by the mean kinetic energy of the cluster stars, and a dynamical luminosity, which is defined as the kinetic energy of the stars…
We present a review of the present state of knowledge regarding the relative ages of Galactic globular clusters. First, we discuss the relevant galaxy formation models and describe the detailed predictions they make with respect to the…
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 extend to lower metallicities recent evolutionary computations devoted to Magellanic Clouds stars, presenting and discussing new stellar models with Z=0.0002, 0.0004, 0.0006, 0.001 and suitable assumptions about the original He content.…
We estimate the empirical R parameter in 26 Galactic Globular Clusters covering a wide metallicity range, imaged by WFPC2 on board the HST. The improved spatial resolution permits a large fraction of the evolved stars to be measured and…
It is now commonly accepted that globular clusters (GCs) have undergone a complex formation and that they host at least two stellar generations. This is a recent paradigm and is founded on both photometric and spectroscopic evidence. We…
In spite of significant recent and ongoing research efforts, most of the early evolution and long-term fate of young massive star clusters remain clouded in uncertainties. Here, I discuss our understanding of the initial conditions of star…
Dynamical models of star clusters are maturing in the sense that effects other than simple point particle dynamics are taken into account. We summarize the relevance of and prospects for this new generation of N-body models.
The paper deals with the conditions required to form at least two stellar generations in globular clusters under the constraints generated by feedback from massive stars as well as radiative cooling and the metallicity of the primordial…
In this contribution I will discuss fundamental stellar parameters as determined from young star clusters; specifically those with ages less than or approximately equal to that of the Pleiades. I will focus primarily on the use of stellar…
Pre-main sequence evolutionary theory is not well-calibrated to observations. With care, the observed quantities can be converted into effective temperature and luminosity (i.e. the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram) which the theoretical…
Galactic globular clusters are old, dense star systems typically containing 10\super{4}--10\super{7} stars. As an old population of stars, globular clusters contain many collapsed and degenerate objects. As a dense population of stars,…
The majority of observed mass-to-light ratios of globular clusters are too low to be explained by `canonical' cluster models, in which dynamical effects are not accounted for. Moreover, these models do not reproduce a recently reported…
In the first part of this article, we review observations of the mass and luminosity functions of young and old star cluster systems. We also review some of the physical processes that may determine the characteristic mass of globular…
Once fixed the age and metallicity; the colour distribution of horizontal branch stars in a globular cluster depends on few parameters: the helium abundance of the population and the mass lost during the pre-HB stages. These parameters are…
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 present the result of a survey of Monte Carlo simulations of globular clusters hosting two generations of stars including a large (f_b=50%) fraction of primordial binaries in both populations. The dynamical evolution of the two stellar…
The evolution of AGB stars is notoriously complex. The confrontation of AGB population models with observed stellar populations is a useful alternative to the detailed study of individual stars in efforts to converge towards a reliable…
Recent progress in studies of globular clusters has shown that they are not simple stellar populations, being rather made of multiple generations. Evidence stems both from photometry and spectroscopy. A new paradigm is then arising for the…
We review spectroscopic results concerning multiple stellar populations in globularclusters. The cluster initial mass is the most important parameter determining the fraction of second generation stars. The threshold for the onset of the…