Multiple stellar populations in globular clusters with photometry and low resolution spectroscopy

Lardo, Carmela (2013) Multiple stellar populations in globular clusters with photometry and low resolution spectroscopy , [Dissertation thesis], Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna. Dottorato di ricerca in Astronomia, 25 Ciclo. DOI 10.6092/unibo/amsdottorato/5204.
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Abstract

Our view of Globular Clusters has deeply changed in the last decade. Modern spectroscopic and photometric data have conclusively established that globulars are neither coeval nor monometallic, reopening the issue of the formation of such systems. Their formation is now schematized as a two-step process, during which the polluted matter from the more massive stars of a first generation gives birth, in the cluster innermost regions, to a second generation of stars with the characteristic signature of fully CNO-processed matter. To date, star-to-star variations in abundances of the light elements (C, N, O, Na) have been observed in stars of all evolutionary phases in all properly studied Galactic globular clusters. Multiple or broad evolutionary sequences have also been observed in nearly all the clusters that have been observed with good signal-to-noise in the appropriate photometric bands. The body of evidence suggests that spreads in light-element abundances can be fairly well traced by photometric indices including near ultraviolet passbands, as CNO abundance variations affect mainly wavelengths shorter than ~400 nm owing to the rise of some NH and CN molecular absorption bands. Here, we exploit this property of near ultraviolet photometry to trace internal chemical variations and combined it with low resolution spectroscopy aimed to derive carbon and nitrogen abundances in order to maximize the information on the multiple populations. This approach has been proven to be very effective in (i) detecting multiple population, (ii) characterizing their global properties (i.e., relative fraction of stars, location in the color-magnitude diagram, spatial distribution, and trends with cluster parameters) and (iii) precisely tagging their chemical properties (i.e., extension of the C-N anticorrelation, bimodalities in the N content).

Abstract
Tipologia del documento
Tesi di dottorato
Autore
Lardo, Carmela
Supervisore
Co-supervisore
Dottorato di ricerca
Scuola di dottorato
Scienze matematiche, fisiche ed astronomiche
Ciclo
25
Coordinatore
Settore disciplinare
Settore concorsuale
Parole chiave
Globular clusters abundances carbon nitrogen NGC1851 NGC6388 NGC6352 NGC5927 M2 sloan photometry
URN:NBN
DOI
10.6092/unibo/amsdottorato/5204
Data di discussione
25 Febbraio 2013
URI

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