Browsing by Author "Stetson, Peter B."

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    Deep HST photometry of NGC 6388
    (2006) Catelan, M.; Stetson, Peter B.; Pritzl, Barton J.; Smith, Horace A.; Kinemuchi, Karen; Layden, Andrew C.; Sweigart, Allen V.; Rich, R. M.
    Using the Hubble Space Telescope, we have obtained the first color-magnitude diagram (CMD) to reach the main-sequence turnoff of the Galactic globular cluster NGC 6388. From a comparison between the cluster CMD and that of 47 Tucanae, we find that the bulk of the stars in these two clusters have nearly the same age and chemical composition. On the other hand, our results indicate that the blue horizontal branch and RR Lyrae components in NGC 6388 are intrinsically overluminous, which must be due to one or more, still undetermined, noncanonical second parameter(s) affecting a relatively minor fraction of the stars in NGC 6388.
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    Detection of a White Dwarf Companion to a Blue Straggler Star in the Outskirts of Globular Cluster NGC 5466 with the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT)
    (2019) Sahu, Snehalata; Subramaniam, Annapurni; Simunovic, Mirko; Postma, J.; Cote, Patrick; Rao, N. Kameswera; Geller, Aaron M.; Leigh, Nathan; Shara, Michael; Puzia, Thomas H.; Stetson, Peter B.
    We report the discovery of a hot white dwarf (WD) companion to a blue straggler star (BSS) in the globular cluster (GC) NGC 5466, based on observations from the Ultra-Violet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) on board AstroSat. The Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) of the Far-UV detected BSS NH 84 was constructed by combining the flux measurements from four filters of UVIT, with GALEX, GALA, and other ground-based observations. The SED of NH 84 reveals the presence of a hot companion to the BSS. The temperature and radius of the BSS (T-eff = 8000(-250)(+1000) K, R/R-circle dot = 1.44 +/- 0.05) derived from Gemini spectra and SED fitting using Kurucz atmospheric models are consistent with each other. The temperature and radius of the hotter companion of NH 84 (T-eff = 32,000 +/- 2000 K, R/R-circle dot = 0.021 +/- 0.007) derived by fitting Koester WD models to the SED suggest that it is likely to be a hot WD. The radial velocity derived from the spectra along with the proper motion from GALA DR2 confirms NH 84 to be a kinematic member of the cluster. This is the second detection of a BSS-WD candidate in a GC, and the first in the outskirts of a low-density GC. The location of this BSS in NGC 5466 along with its dynamical age supports the mass-transfer pathway for BSS formation in low-density environments.
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    Globular Cluster UVIT Legacy Survey (GlobULeS) - I. FUV-optical colour-magnitude diagrams for eight globular clusters
    (2022) Sahu, Snehalata; Subramaniam, Annapurni; Singh, Gaurav; Yadav, Ramakant; Valcarce, Aldo R.; Choudhury, Samyaday; Rani, Sharmila; Prabhu, Deepthi S.; Chung, Chul; Cote, Patrick; Leigh, Nathan; Geller, Aaron M.; Chatterjee, Sourav; Rao, N. Kameswara; Bandyopadhyay, Avrajit; Shara, Michael; Dalessandro, Emanuele; Pandey, Gajendra; Postma, Joesph E.; Hutchings, John; Simunovic, Mirko; Stetson, Peter B.; Thirupathi, Sivarani; Puzia, Thomas; Sohn, Young-Jong
    We present the first results of eight globular clusters (GCs) from the AstroSat/UVIT Legacy Survey programme GlobULeS based on the observations carried out in two far-ultraviolet (FUV) filters (F148W and F169M). The FUV-optical and FUV-FUV colour-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) of GCs with the proper motion membership were constructed by combining the Ultra-Violet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) data with Hubble Space Telescope (HST) UV Globular Cluster Survey data for inner regions and Gaia Early Data Release for regions outside the HST's field. We detect sources as faint as F148W similar to 23.5 mag, which are classified based on their locations in CMDs by overlaying stellar evolutionary models. The CMDs of eight GCs are combined with the previous UVIT studies of three GCs to create stacked FUV-optical CMDs to highlight the features/peculiarities found in the different evolutionary sequences. The FUV (F148W) detected stellar populations of 11 GCs comprise 2816 horizontal branch (HB) stars [190 extreme HB (EHB) candidates], 46 post-HB (pHB), 221 blue straggler stars (BSSs), and 107 white dwarf (WD) candidates. We note that the blue HB colour extension obtained from F148W - G colour and the number of FUV detected EHB candidates are strongly correlated with the maximum internal helium (He) variation within each GC, suggesting that the FUV-optical plane is the most sensitive to He abundance variations in the HB. We discuss the potential science cases that will be addressed using these catalogues including HB morphologies, BSSs, pHB, and WD stars.
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    New Variable Stars in CMa Globular Cluster Candidates
    (2011) Amigo, Pía; Catelan, Márcio; Stetson, Peter B.; Smith, Horace A.; Cacciari, Carla; Zoccali, Manuela
    We present the preliminary results of an image-subtraction analysis of the Galactic globular cluster M79 (NGC 1904), as well as a new investigation of the variable star population in NGC 1851. Both M79 and NGC 1851 have been previously associated with the Canis Major overdensity, which has been suggested to have an extragalactic origin. We found 6 new RR Lyrae in M79, and also recovered 3 previously known RR Lyrae. The average period of the 5 ab-type RR Lyrae is 0.68 d, corresponding to an Oosterhoff II classification -- which is unusual, though not unprecedented, for systems of extragalactic origin. We also report on the discovery of at least 4 previously unknown variables in NGC 1851....
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    PERIOD CHANGE SIMILARITIES AMONG THE RR LYRAE VARIABLES IN OOSTERHOFF I AND OOSTERHOFF II GLOBULAR SYSTEMS
    (2011) Kunder, Andrea; Walker, Alistair; Stetson, Peter B.; Bono, Giuseppe; Nemec, James M.; de Propris, Roberto; Monelli, Matteo; Cassisi, Santi; Andreuzzi, Gloria; Dall'Ora, Massimo; Di Cecco, Alessandra; Zoccali, Manuela
    We present period change rates (dP/dt) for 42 RR Lyrae variables in the globular cluster IC 4499. Despite clear evidence of these period increases or decreases, the observed period change rates are an order of magnitude larger than predicted from theoretical models of this cluster. We find that there is a preference for increasing periods, a phenomenon observed in most RR Lyrae stars in Milky Way globular clusters. The period change rates as a function of position in the period-amplitude plane are used to examine possible evolutionary effects in OoI clusters, OoII clusters, field RR Lyrae stars, and the mixed-population cluster. Centauri. It is found that there is no correlation between the period change rate and the typical definition of Oosterhoff groups. If the RR Lyrae period changes correspond with evolutionary effects, this would be in contrast to the hypothesis that RR Lyrae variables in OoII systems are evolved horizontal-branch stars that spent their zero-age horizontal-branch phase on the blue side of the instability strip. This may suggest that age may not be the primary explanation for the Oosterhoff types.
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    RR Lyrae Variables in NGC 2808
    (2011) Kunder, Andrea; Stetson, Peter B.; Catelan, Marcio; Amigo, Pía; de Propris, Roberto
    NGC 2808 is a unique globular cluster with not only a bimodal-horizontal branch (HB) but also with gaps on the blue horizontal branch. Adequate interpretation of the nature of the detected peculiarities in "bimodal" and "gap" clusters is of paramount importance for understanding the nature of the second parameter phenomenon and scenarios for the formation of the Galaxy. Although RR Lyrae variables are HB stars that can provide powerful constraints to models on the origin of bimodal HBs, unfortunately, until recently, only one RR Lyrae variable was known in this cluster. Here we present the first calibrated time-series CCD photometry for newly discovered fundamental mode RR Lyrae variables in NGC 2808, with observations over a range of twenty years. Investigations of RR Lyrae variable stars in this peculiar, bimodal-horizontal branch globular cluster are carried out to account for its formation, and the effects of helium enrichment and differential reddening. The Oosterhoff classification of NGC 2808, which has recently been associated with a previously unknown dwarf galaxy in Canis Major, is also discussed....
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    The GeMS/GSAOI galactic globular cluster survey (G4CS). I. A pilot study of the stellar populations in NGC 2298 and NGC 3201
    (2018) Monty, Stephanie; Puzia, Thomas H.; Miller, Bryan W.; Carrasco, Eleazar R.; Simunovic, Mirko; Schirmer, Mischa; Stetson, Peter B.; Cassisi, Santi; Venn, Kim A.; Dotter, Aaron