oMEGACat. IV. Constraining the Ages of Omega Centauri Subgiant Branch Stars with HST and MUSE
We present age estimates for over 8100 subgiant branch (SGB) stars in Omega Centauri ( ω Cen) to study its star formation history. Our large data set, which combines multi-wavelength Hubble Space Telescope photometry with MUSE metallicities, provides an unprecedented opportunity to measure individua...
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IOP Publishing
2024-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad8621 |
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| author | C. Clontz A. C. Seth A. Dotter M. Häberle M. S. Nitschai N. Neumayer A. Feldmeier-Krause M. Latour Z. Wang S. O. Souza N. Kacharov A. Bellini M. Libralato R. Pechetti G. van de Ven M. Alfaro-Cuello |
| author_facet | C. Clontz A. C. Seth A. Dotter M. Häberle M. S. Nitschai N. Neumayer A. Feldmeier-Krause M. Latour Z. Wang S. O. Souza N. Kacharov A. Bellini M. Libralato R. Pechetti G. van de Ven M. Alfaro-Cuello |
| author_sort | C. Clontz |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We present age estimates for over 8100 subgiant branch (SGB) stars in Omega Centauri ( ω Cen) to study its star formation history. Our large data set, which combines multi-wavelength Hubble Space Telescope photometry with MUSE metallicities, provides an unprecedented opportunity to measure individual stellar ages. We do this by fitting each star’s photometry and metallicity with theoretical isochrones that are embedded with an empirical [C + N + O]–[Fe/H] relation specific to ω Cen. The bulk of the stars have ages between 13 and 10 Gyr, with the mean stellar age being 12.08 ± 0.01 Gyr and the median age uncertainty being 0.68 Gyr. From these ages we construct the most complete age–metallicity relation for ω Cen to date. We find that the mean age of stars decreases with increasing metallicity and find two distinct streams in the age–metallicity plane, hinting at different star formation pathways. We derive an intrinsic spread in the ages of 0.75 ± 0.01 Gyr for the whole cluster, with the age spread showing a clear increase with metallicity. We verify the robustness of our age estimations by varying isochrone parameters and constraining our systematics. We find the C + N + O relation to be the most critical consideration for constraining the age–metallicity relation. We also present an SGB chromosome map with age information. In the future these stellar ages could be combined with chemical abundances to study age differences in subpopulations and uncover the chemical evolution history of this massive nuclear star cluster. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-81fcf49a2295498c916b8d6062a1ee56 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astrophysical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-81fcf49a2295498c916b8d6062a1ee562024-11-28T09:06:47ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572024-01-0197711410.3847/1538-4357/ad8621oMEGACat. IV. Constraining the Ages of Omega Centauri Subgiant Branch Stars with HST and MUSEC. Clontz0https://orcid.org/0009-0005-8057-0031A. C. Seth1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0248-5470A. Dotter2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4442-5700M. Häberle3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5844-4443M. S. Nitschai4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2941-4480N. Neumayer5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6922-2598A. Feldmeier-Krause6https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0160-7221M. Latour7https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7547-6180Z. Wang8https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2512-6892S. O. Souza9https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8052-969XN. Kacharov10https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6072-6669A. Bellini11https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3858-637XM. Libralato12https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9673-7397R. Pechetti13https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1670-0808G. van de Ven14https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4546-7731M. Alfaro-Cuello15https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1212-2844Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Utah , Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA ; clontz@mpia.de; Max Planck Institute for Astronomy , Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg, GermanyDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of Utah , Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA ; clontz@mpia.deDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College , Hanover, NH 03755, USMax Planck Institute for Astronomy , Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg, GermanyMax Planck Institute for Astronomy , Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg, GermanyMax Planck Institute for Astronomy , Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg, GermanyMax Planck Institute for Astronomy , Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Astrophysics, University of Vienna , Türkenschanzstrasse 17, 1180 Wien, AustriaInstitut für Astrophysik und Geophysik, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen , Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1, 37077 Göttingen, GermanyDepartment of Physics and Astronomy, University of Utah , Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA ; clontz@mpia.deMax Planck Institute for Astronomy , Königstuhl 17, D-69117 Heidelberg, GermanyLeibniz Institute for Astrophysics (AIP) , An der Sternwarte 16, 14482 Potsdam, GermanySpace Telescope Science Institute , 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USAINAF, Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova , Vicolo dell’Osservatorio 5, Padova I-35122, ItalyAstrophysics Research Institute, Liverpool John Moores University , 146 Brownlow Hill, Liverpool L3 5RF, UKDepartment of Astrophysics, University of Vienna , Türkenschanzstrasse 17, 1180 Wien, AustriaFacultad de Ingeniería y Arquitectura, Universidad Central de Chile , Av. Francisco de Aguirre 0405, La Serena, Coquimbo, ChileWe present age estimates for over 8100 subgiant branch (SGB) stars in Omega Centauri ( ω Cen) to study its star formation history. Our large data set, which combines multi-wavelength Hubble Space Telescope photometry with MUSE metallicities, provides an unprecedented opportunity to measure individual stellar ages. We do this by fitting each star’s photometry and metallicity with theoretical isochrones that are embedded with an empirical [C + N + O]–[Fe/H] relation specific to ω Cen. The bulk of the stars have ages between 13 and 10 Gyr, with the mean stellar age being 12.08 ± 0.01 Gyr and the median age uncertainty being 0.68 Gyr. From these ages we construct the most complete age–metallicity relation for ω Cen to date. We find that the mean age of stars decreases with increasing metallicity and find two distinct streams in the age–metallicity plane, hinting at different star formation pathways. We derive an intrinsic spread in the ages of 0.75 ± 0.01 Gyr for the whole cluster, with the age spread showing a clear increase with metallicity. We verify the robustness of our age estimations by varying isochrone parameters and constraining our systematics. We find the C + N + O relation to be the most critical consideration for constraining the age–metallicity relation. We also present an SGB chromosome map with age information. In the future these stellar ages could be combined with chemical abundances to study age differences in subpopulations and uncover the chemical evolution history of this massive nuclear star cluster.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad8621Globular star clustersStar clustersStellar agesStellar populations |
| spellingShingle | C. Clontz A. C. Seth A. Dotter M. Häberle M. S. Nitschai N. Neumayer A. Feldmeier-Krause M. Latour Z. Wang S. O. Souza N. Kacharov A. Bellini M. Libralato R. Pechetti G. van de Ven M. Alfaro-Cuello oMEGACat. IV. Constraining the Ages of Omega Centauri Subgiant Branch Stars with HST and MUSE The Astrophysical Journal Globular star clusters Star clusters Stellar ages Stellar populations |
| title | oMEGACat. IV. Constraining the Ages of Omega Centauri Subgiant Branch Stars with HST and MUSE |
| title_full | oMEGACat. IV. Constraining the Ages of Omega Centauri Subgiant Branch Stars with HST and MUSE |
| title_fullStr | oMEGACat. IV. Constraining the Ages of Omega Centauri Subgiant Branch Stars with HST and MUSE |
| title_full_unstemmed | oMEGACat. IV. Constraining the Ages of Omega Centauri Subgiant Branch Stars with HST and MUSE |
| title_short | oMEGACat. IV. Constraining the Ages of Omega Centauri Subgiant Branch Stars with HST and MUSE |
| title_sort | omegacat iv constraining the ages of omega centauri subgiant branch stars with hst and muse |
| topic | Globular star clusters Star clusters Stellar ages Stellar populations |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ad8621 |
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