scholarly journals The Period-Luminosity Relation for Cepheids in Globular Clusters

1973 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 180-184
Author(s):  
B. V. Kukarkin ◽  
A. S. Rastorgouev

The period-luminosity relation for Cepheids in globular clusters has been investigated many times (e.g. Fernie, 1964; Kwee, 1968; Frolov, 1970; Demers, 1971).The method of determination of the apparent distance moduli was recently revised by Kukarkin and Russev (1972). Instead of using a single absolute magnitude for RR Lyrae variables, the magnitudes according to pulsation theory (Christy, 1966, 1971) were adopted. The inhomogeneity of the absolute magnitudes of the RR Lyrae variables had already been established long ago (Pavlovskaya, 1953), but it attracted attention only recently. The different methods for determining the distance moduli of globular clusters were calibrated according to the new absolute magnitudes of the RR Lyrae variables. The problem consisted in the determination of the absolute magnitudes of the Cepheids in globular clusters according to the apparent distance moduli.

1989 ◽  
Vol 111 ◽  
pp. 121-140
Author(s):  
Allan Sandage

AbstractIt is shown that the intrinsic spread in the absolute magnitudes of the RR Lyrae variables in a given globular cluster can reach 0.5 magnitudes at a given period or at a given color, due to luminosity evolution away from the zero age horizontal (ZAHB). The size of this intrinsic luminosity spread is largest in clusters of the highest metallicity.The absolute magnitude of the ZAHB itself also differs from cluster to cluster as a function of metallicity, being brightest in clusters of the lowest metallicity. Three independent methods of calibrating the ZAHB RR Lyrae luminosities each show a strong variation of MV(RR) with [Fe/H]. The pulsation equation of P<ρ>0.5 = Q(M,Te, L) used with the observed periods, temperatures, and masses of field and of cluster RR Lyraes gives the very steep luminosity-metallicity dependence of dMv(RR)/d[Fe/H] = 0.42. Main sequence fitting of the color-magnitude diagrams of clusters which have modern main-sequence photometry gives a confirming steep slope of 0.39. A summary of Baade-Wesselink MV(RR) values for field stars determined in four independent recent studies also shows a luminosity-metallicity dependence, but less steep with a slope of dMV(RR)/d[Fe/H] = 0.21.Observations show that the magnitude difference between the main sequence turn-off point and the ZAHB in a number of well observed globular clusters is independent of [Fe/H], and has a stable value of dV = 3.54 with a disperion of only 0.1 magnitudes. Using this fact, the absolute magnitude of the main sequence turn-off is determined in any given globular cluster from the observed apparent magnitude of the ZAHB by adopting any particular MV(RR) = f([Fe/H]) calibration.Ages of the clusters are shown to vary with [Fe/H] by amounts that depend upon the slopes of the MV(RR) = f([Fe/H]) calibrations. The calibrations show that there would be a steep dependence of the age on [Fe/H] if MV(RR) does not depend on [Fe/H]. No dependence of age on metallicity exists if the RR Lyrae luminosities depend on [Fe/H] as dMV(RR)/d[Fe/H] = 0.37. If Oxygen is not enhanced as [Fe/H] decreases, the absolute average age of the globular cluster system is 16 Gyr, independent of [Fe/H], using the steep MV(RR)/[Fe/H] calibration that is favored. If Oxygen is enhanced by [O/Fe] = – 0.14 [Fe/H] + 0.40 for [Fe/H] < –1.0, as suggested from the observations of field subdwarfs, then the age of the globular cluster system decreases to 13 Gyr, again independent of [Fe/H], if the RR Lyrae ZAHB luminosities have a metallicity dependence of dMV(RR)/d[Fe/H] = 0.37.


1988 ◽  
Vol 126 ◽  
pp. 635-636
Author(s):  
F. Buonanno ◽  
C. E. Corsi ◽  
F. Fusi Pecci

The way to arrive at (even relative) ages for globular clusters involves the determination of their (relative) distances. We would like to see a theory which would fit the absolute magnitudes of RR Lyrae stars as determined from observations (Sandage effect). We have examined a sample of 17 CM diagrams of galactic globular clusters, 11 of which were observed at ESO and reduced with the program, ROMAFOT and 6 of which were taken from the literature. In Fig. 1 the difference in bolometric magnitude between the turnoff point and the location of the zero-age horizontal branch (ZAHB), δV RRTO (bo1) is plotted versus [Fe/H]. It turns out that δV RRTO ≃ δ RRTO (bo1) + 0.1 = 3.56 ±0.15. We are faced with the problem of determining how the horizontal branch scales with metallicity in order to understand the constant value of 3.56 in this relation.


2004 ◽  
Vol 193 ◽  
pp. 525-529 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.H. McNamara ◽  
M.B. Rose ◽  
P.J. Brown ◽  
D.I. Ketcheson ◽  
J.E. Maxwell ◽  
...  

AbstractWe have utilized the latest stellar models of the Y2 (Yonsei-Yale) collaborators and color-magnitude diagrams of globular clusters to infer ages and absolute magnitudes of their horizontal branches (HB). The intrinsic (B – V) color indices of the turn-offs, of the globular clusters were used to find ages. For 47 clusters that appear to be coeval (within ±0.7 Gyr), we find an average age of 12.5 Gyr. We adopt this age and infer the absolute magnitudes of the turn-offs, from the clusters [Fe/H] values. The absolute magnitude of the horizontal branches or RR Lyrae stars are then determined from the difference between the apparent magnitudes of the horizontal branches (or RR Lyrae stars) and the apparent magnitude of the turn-offs, VTO. We conclude: 1) The slope of the MV(HB), [Fe/H] relation is ~0.3 for clusters with [Fe/H] values between —0.5 to —1.5. The relation has zero slope for [Fe/H] values smaller than −1.5. 2) For [Fe/H] < -1.3, the MV(HB) or MV values of RRLyrae stars are not only a function of [Fe/H], but the horizontal-branch type in the sense that the clusters with the blue horizontal branches have more luminous horizontal branches than clusters with red horizontal branches. The same results are found by inferring the luminosities of the HBs from pulsating blue stragglers.


2000 ◽  
Vol 176 ◽  
pp. 263-263
Author(s):  
Vincenzo Ripepi ◽  
Filippina Caputo ◽  
Vittorio Castellani ◽  
Marcella Marconi

AbstractWe applied the pulsational method (Caputo 1997) to derive the distances to a sample of galactic globular clusters with well-observed RR Lyrae populations. To apply the method we calculated a set of pulsational theoretical boundaries of the instability strip for the range of masses and chemical compositions spanned by the analysed clusters. In this way we were able to fix simultaneously the apparent distance modulus and the absolute visual magnitude of the RR Lyrae population of each cluster in the sample. As a result we derived the following relations:


1989 ◽  
Vol 111 ◽  
pp. 255-255
Author(s):  
G. Clementini ◽  
C. Cacciari

AbstractThe surface brightness version of the Baade-Wesselink method, has been applied to 7 field RR Lyrae stars with metallicity ranging from [Fe/H]= −0.2 to −1.5. V magnitudes, V-R and V-I colors and CORAVEL radial velocities were used, and the analysis was performed over a restricted phase range in order to avoid the complications caused by the pulsating atmospheres. The combination with previous results of the B-W method, which used comparable criteria (Jones, Carney, & Latham, 1988, preprint; Jameson, Fernley, & Longmore 1987, in press M.N.R.A.S; Cohen & Gordon 1987, Ap.J., 318, 215) leads to the following relation between the absolute luminosity and metallicity:Mv = (1.0 ± 0.05) + (0.17 ± 0.05) [Fe/H]This relation is in very good agreement with the preliminary results found by Liu and Janes (this volume). The application of the above relation to the RR Lyraes in M31 and the Magellanic Clouds leads to distance moduli of (m–M)o= 24.21 ± 0.20 for M31, (m–M)o = 18.26 ± 0.20 for the LMC, and (m–M)o =18.85 ± 0.20 for the SMC, and the distance to the galactic center turns out to be approximately 7.2 kpc. From the absolute magnitude of the RR Lyraes and adopting a constant visual magnitude difference between the RR Lyraes and the turn-off ΔV = 3.55 (Buonanno 1986, Mem.S.A.It., 57, 333), we estimate ages of 18.8 and 15.7 Gyr for globular clusters of metallicity [Fe/H] = −2.2 (e.g. M92) and [Fe/H] = −0.8 (e.g. 47 Tuc) respectively, using the age-turnoff luminosity relation derived by Sandage (1982, Ap.J., 252, 553) or 20.9 and 16.9 Gyr using Buonanno’s relation.


1973 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 187-195
Author(s):  
Pierre Demarque

Traditionally, cluster variables have been used as distance indicators and have in this sense played an important role in our understanding of stellar evolution. In particular, the determination of the distance moduli of globular clusters and of the absolute magnitude of the main sequence turnoff, thus yielding the ages of the cluster, have relied heavily in the past on observations of RR Lyrae stars.


1998 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 566-566
Author(s):  
C. Jaschek ◽  
A.E. Gómez

We have analysed the standards of the MK system in the B0-F5 spectral region with the help of Hipparcos parallaxes, using only stars for which the error on the absolute magnitude is ≤ 0.3 mag. The sample stars (about one hundred) were scrutinized for companions and for interstellar extinction. We find that the main sequence is a wide band and that, although in general giants and dwarfs have different absolute magnitudes, the separation between luminosity class V and III is not clear. We conclude that there is no strict relation between luminosity class and absolute magnitude. The relation is only a statistical one and has a large intrinsic dispersion. We have analysed similarly the system of standards defined by Garrison and Gray (1994) separating low and high rotational velocity standards. We find similar effects as in the original MK system.


1995 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 399-402
Author(s):  
A.E. Gómez ◽  
C. Turon

The Hertzprung-Russel (HR) diagram luminosity calibration relies basically on three kinds of data: trigonometric parallaxes, kinematical data (proper motions and radial velocities) and cluster distances obtained by the zero-age main sequence fitting procedure. The most fundamental method to calculate the absolute magnitude is the use of trigonometric parallaxes, but up to now, accurate data only exist for stars contained in a small volume around the sun. Individual absolute magnitudes are obtained using trigonometric parallaxes or photometric and spectroscopic calibrations. In these calibrations the accuracy on the absolute magnitude determination ranges from ±0.m2 in the main sequence to ±0m5 in the giant branch. On the other hand, trigonometric parallaxes, kinematical data or cluster distances have been used to make statistical calibrations of the absolute magnitude. The standard error on the mean absolute magnitude calibrations ranges from ±0m3 to ±0m6 on the mean sequence, from ±0m5 to ±0m7 on thegiant branch and is of about 1mfor supergiants.Future improvements in the absolute magnitude determination will depend on the improvement of the basic data from the ground and space. A brief overview of the new available data is presented. In particular, the analysis of the first 30 months data of the Hipparcos mission (H30) (from the 37 months data of the whole mission) allows to perform a statistical evaluation of the improvements expected in the luminosity determination.


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