We investigate aluminum abundance variations in the stellar populations of globular clusters using both literature measurements of sodium and aluminum and APOGEE measurements of nitrogen and aluminum ...abundances. For the latter, we show that the Payne is the most suitable of the five available abundance pipelines for our purposes. Our combined sample of 42 globular clusters spans approximately 2 dex in Fe/H and 1.5 dex in . We find no fewer than five globular clusters with significant internal variations in nitrogen and/or sodium with little to no corresponding variation in aluminum, and that the minimum present-day cluster mass for aluminum enrichment in metal-rich systems is . We demonstrate that the slopes of the Al/Fe versus Na/Fe and Al/Fe versus N/Fe relations for stars without field-like abundances are approximately log-linearly dependent on both the metallicity and the stellar mass of the globular clusters. In contrast, the relationship between Na/Fe and N/Fe shows no evidence of such dependencies. This suggests that there were (at least) two classes of non-supernova chemical polluters that were common in the early universe, and that their relative contributions within globular clusters somehow scaled with the metallicity and mass of globular clusters. The first of these classes is predominantly responsible for the CNO and NeNa abundance variations, and likewise the second for the MgAl abundance variations. Particularly striking examples of this dichotomy include 47 Tuc and M4. As an auxiliary finding, we argue that abundance variations among Terzan 5 stars are consistent with it being a normal globular cluster.
Abstract
It is likely that a number of Galactic globular clusters remain to be discovered, especially toward the Galactic bulge. High stellar density combined with high and differential interstellar ...reddening are the two major problems for finding globular clusters located toward the bulge. We use the deep near-IR photometry of the VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) Survey to search for globular clusters projected toward the Galactic bulge, and hereby report the discovery of 22 new candidate globular clusters. These objects, detected as high density regions in our maps of bulge red giants, are confirmed as globular cluster candidates by their color–magnitude diagrams. We provide their coordinates as well as their near-IR color–magnitude diagrams, from which some basic parameters are derived, such as reddenings and heliocentric distances. The color–magnitude diagrams reveal well defined red giant branches in all cases, often including a prominent red clump. The new globular cluster candidates exhibit a variety of extinctions (0.06 <
A
Ks
< 2.77) and distances (5.3 <
D
< 9.5 kpc). We also classify the globular cluster candidates into 10 metal-poor and 12 metal-rich clusters, based on the comparison of their color–magnitude diagrams with those of known globular clusters also observed by the VVV Survey. Finally, we argue that the census for Galactic globular clusters still remains incomplete, and that many more candidate globular clusters (particularly the low luminosity ones) await to be found and studied in detail in the central regions of the Milky Way.
We use deep multi-epoch near-IR images of the VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) Survey to search for RR Lyrae stars toward the Southern Galactic plane. Here, we report the discovery of a group ...of RR Lyrae stars close together in VVV tile d025. Inspection of the VVV images and PSF photometry reveals that most of these stars are likely to belong to a globular cluster that matches the position of the previously known star cluster FSR 1716. The stellar density map of the field yields a >100 detection for this candidate globular cluster that is centered at equatorial coordinates R.A.J2000 = 16:10:30.0, decl.J2000 = −53:44:56 and galactic coordinates l = 329.77812, b = −1.59227. The color-magnitude diagram of this object reveals a well-populated red giant branch, with a prominent red clump at Ks = 13.35 0.05, and J − Ks = 1.30 0.05. We present the cluster RR Lyrae positions, magnitudes, colors, periods, and amplitudes. The presence of RR Lyrae indicates an old globular cluster, with an age >10 Gyr. We classify this object as an Oosterhoff type I globular cluster, based on the mean period of its RR Lyrae type ab, days, and argue that this is a relatively metal-poor cluster with Fe/H = −1.5 0.4 dex. The mean extinction and reddening for this cluster are and E(J − Ks) = 0.72 0.02 mag, respectively, as measured from the RR Lyrae colors and the near-IR color-magnitude diagram. We also measure the cluster distance using the RR Lyrae type ab stars. The cluster mean distance modulus is (m − M)0 = 14.38 0.03 mag, implying a distance D = 7.5 0.2 kpc and a Galactocentric distance RG = 4.3 kpc.
Abstract
We present the physical characterization of FSR 1758, a new large, massive object very recently discovered in the Galactic Bulge. The combination of optical data from the 2nd
Gaia
Data ...Release and the DECam Plane Survey and near-IR data from the VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea Extended Survey led to a clean sample of likely members. Based on this integrated data set, position, distance, reddening, size, metallicity, absolute magnitude, and proper motion (PM) of this object are measured. We estimate the following parameters:
α
= 17:31:12,
δ
= −39:48:30 (J2000),
D
= 11.5 ± 1.0 kpc,
mag,
R
c
= 10 pc,
R
t
= 150 pc,
dex,
M
i
< −8.6 ± 1.0,
μ
α
= −2.85 mas yr
−1
, and
μ
δ
= 2.55 mas yr
−1
. The nature of this object is discussed. If FRS 1758 is a genuine globular cluster (GC), it is one of the largest in the Milky Way, with a size comparable or even larger than that of
ω
Cen, being also an extreme outlier in the size versus Galactocentric distance diagram. The presence of a concentration of long-period RR Lyrae variable stars and blue horizontal branch stars suggests that it is a typical metal-poor GC of Oosterhoff type II. Further exploration of a larger surrounding field reveals common PM stars, suggesting either tidal debris or that FRS 1758 is actually the central part of a larger extended structure such as a new dwarf galaxy, tentatively named Scorpius. In either case, this object is remarkable, and its discovery graphically illustrates the possibility of finding other large objects hidden in the Galactic Bulge using future surveys.
We find two chemically distinct populations separated relatively cleanly in the Fe/H-Mg/Fe plane, but also distinguished in other chemical planes, among metal-poor stars (primarily with metallicities ...) observed by the Apache Point Observatory Galactic Evolution Experiment (APOGEE) and analyzed for Data Release 13 (DR13) of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. These two stellar populations show the most significant differences in their X/Fe ratios for the -elements, C+N, Al, and Ni. In addition to these populations having differing chemistry, the low metallicity high-Mg population (which we denote "the HMg population") exhibits a significant net Galactic rotation, whereas the low-Mg population (or "the LMg population") has halo-like kinematics with little to no net rotation. Based on its properties, the origin of the LMg population is likely an accreted population of stars. The HMg population shows chemistry (and to an extent kinematics) similar to the thick disk, and is likely associated with in situ formation. The distinction between the LMg and HMg populations mimics the differences between the populations of low- and high- halo stars found in previous studies, suggesting that these are samples of the same two populations.
ABSTRACT We present new deep photometry of the rich globular cluster (GC) systems around the Brightest Cluster Galaxies UGC 9799 (Abell 2052) and UGC 10143 (Abell 2147), obtained with the Hubble ...Space Telescope (HST) ACS and WFC3 cameras. For comparison, we also present new reductions of similar HST/ACS data for the Coma supergiants NGC 4874 and 4889. All four of these galaxies have huge cluster populations (to the radial limits of our data, comprising from 12,000 to 23,000 clusters per galaxy). The metallicity distribution functions (MDFs) of the GCs can still be matched by a bimodal-Gaussian form where the metal-rich and metal-poor modes are separated by dex, but the internal dispersions of each mode are so large that the total MDF becomes very broad and nearly continuous from Fe/H −2.4 to solar. There are, however, significant differences between galaxies in the relative numbers of metal-rich clusters, suggesting that they underwent significantly different histories of mergers with massive gas-rich halos. Last, the proportion of metal-poor GCs rises especially rapidly outside projected radii , suggesting the importance of accreted dwarf satellites in the outer halo. Comprehensive models for the formation of GCs as part of the hierarchical formation of their parent galaxies will be needed to trace the systematic change in structure of the MDF with galaxy mass, from the distinctly bimodal form in smaller galaxies up to the broad continuum that we see in the very largest systems.
We present wide-field JHKS photometry of 16 Galactic globular clusters located towards the Galactic bulge, calibrated on the Two Micron All-Sky Survey photometric system. Differential reddening ...corrections and statistical field star decontamination are employed for all of these clusters before fitting fiducial sequences to the cluster red giant branches (RGBs). Observed values and uncertainties are reported for several photometric features, including the magnitude of the RGB bump, tip, the horizontal branch (HB) and the slope of the upper RGB. The latest spectroscopically determined chemical abundances are used to build distance- and reddening-independent relations between observed photometric features and cluster metallicity, optimizing the sample size and metallicity baseline of these relations by supplementing our sample with results from the literature. We find that the magnitude difference between the HB and the RGB bump can be used to predict metallicities, in terms of both iron abundance Fe/H and global metallicity M/H, with a precision of better than 0.1 dex in all three near-IR bandpasses for relatively metal-rich (M/H ... -1) clusters. Meanwhile, both the slope of the upper RGB and the magnitude difference between the RGB tip and bump are useful metallicity indicators over the entire sampled metallicity range (-2 ... M/H ... 0) with a precision of 0.2 dex or better, despite model predictions that the RGB slope may become unreliable at high (near-solar) metallicities. Our results agree with previous calibrations in light of the relevant uncertainties, and we discuss implications for clusters with controversial metallicities as well as directions for further investigation. (ProQuest: ... denotes formulae/symbols omitted.)
Interesting chemically peculiar field stars may reflect their stellar evolution history and their possible origin in a different environment from where they are found now; this is one of the most ...important research fields in Galactic archeology. To explore this further, we have used the CN-CH bands around 4000 to identify N-rich metal-poor field stars in LAMOST DR3. Here we expand our N-rich, metal-poor field star sample to ∼100 stars in LAMOST DR5, where 53 of them are newly found in this work. We investigate light elements of common stars between our sample and APOGEE DR14. While Mg, Al, and Si abundances generally agree with the hypothesis that N-rich metal-poor field stars come from enriched populations in globular clusters, it is still inconclusive for C, N, and O. After integrating the orbits of our N-rich field stars and a control sample of normal metal-poor field stars, we find that N-rich field stars have different orbital parameter distributions compared to the control sample-specifically, apocentric distances, maximum vertical amplitude (Zmax), orbital energy, and z-direction angular momentum (Lz). The orbital parameters of N-rich field stars indicate that most of them are inner-halo stars. The kinematics of N-rich field stars support their possible GC origin. The spatial and velocity distributions of our bona fide N-rich field star sample are important observational evidence to constrain simulations of the origin of these interesting objects.
ABSTRACT We present new deep photometry of the globular cluster system (GCS) around NGC 6166, the central supergiant galaxy in Abell 2199. Hubble Space Telescope data from the Advanced Camera for ...Surveys and WFC3 cameras in F475W and F814W are used to determine the spatial distribution of the GCS, its metallicity distribution function (MDF), and the dependence of the MDF on galactocentric radius and on GC luminosity. The MDF is extremely broad, with the classic red and blue subpopulations heavily overlapped, but a double-Gaussian model can still formally match the MDF closely. The spatial distribution follows a Sérsic-like profile detectably to a projected radius of at least Rgc = 250 kpc. To that radius, the total number of clusters in the system is NGC = 39000 2000, the global specific frequency is SN = 11.2 0.6, and 57% of the total are blue, metal-poor clusters. The GCS may fade smoothly into the intracluster medium (ICM) of A2199; we see no clear transition from the core of the galaxy to the cD halo or the ICM. The radial distribution, projected ellipticity, and mean metallicity of the red (metal-richer) clusters match the halo light extremely well for , both of them varying as . By comparison, the blue (metal-poor) GC component has a much shallower falloff and a more nearly spherical distribution. This strong difference in their density distributions produces a net metallicity gradient in the GCS as a whole that is primarily generated by the population gradient. With NGC 6166 we appear to be penetrating into a regime of high enough galaxy mass and rich enough environment that the bimodal two-phase description of GC formation is no longer as clear or effective as it has been in smaller galaxies.
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