Wednesday, June 26, 2013

1306.5795 (G. Piotto et al.)

Multi-wavelength Hubble Space Telescope photometry of stellar populations in NGC288    [PDF]

G. Piotto, A. P. Milone, A. F. Marino, L. R. Bedin, J. Anderson, H. Jerjen, A. Bellini, S. Cassisi
We present new UV observations for NGC288, taken with the WFC3 detector on board the Hubble Space Telescope, and combine them with existing optical data from the archive to explore the multiple-population phenomenon in this globular cluster (GC). The WFC3's UV filters have demonstrated an uncanny ability to distinguish multiple populations along all photometric sequences in GCs, thanks to their exquisite sensitivity to the atmospheric changes that are tell-tale signs of second-generation enrichment. Optical filters, on the other hand, are more sensitive to stellar-structure changes related to helium enhancement. By combining both UV and optical data we can measure helium variation. We quantify this enhancement for NGC288 and find that its variation is typical of what we have come to expect in other clusters.
View original: http://arxiv.org/abs/1306.5795

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