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At least 163 records · Page 9
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1991

Inhomogeneous halo collapse and early Galactic chemical evolution - Globular cluster metallicities

A new solution to the observed Galactic globular cluster metallicity distribution is proposed by considering inhomogeneous collapse of a centrally condensed proto-Galaxy. In contrast to the standard one-zone model, it is shown that, for inhomogeneous models, the metallicity distribution can be reproduced without the need to decrease the nucleosynthetic yield for metal-poor stars. Chemical evolution in free fall is calculated analytically. A hybrid hydroparticle code is developed to study the effect of supernova induced pressure.

Malinie, G.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Far-ultraviolet imaging of the globular cluster NGC 6681 with WFPC2

We have imagined the globular cluster NGC 6681 in the far-UV and visible with Wide Field/Planetary Camera-2 (WFPC2) on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Our far-UV images show a sparsely populated and fully resolved central region, and we detect 122 stars. The far-UV to visible color-magnitude diagram shows a well-defined horizontal branch with no evidence for hot, more evolved descendants. We find one hot horizontal-branch star significantly below the model zero-age horizontal branch, but the rest are consistent with evolutionary models within uncertainties in calibration, distance, and reddening. The center of the cluster harbors two luminous blue stragglers. Our far-UV images graphically confirm that there is no steep density gradient at small radii among the horizontal-branch stars of this post-core-collapse cluster and show no evidence for significant color gradients.

Watson, Alan M.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Radial velocities of stars in the globular cluster M4 and the cluster distance

The internal stellar velocity distribution of the globular cluster M4 is evaluated from nearly 200 new radial velocity measurements good to 1 km/s and a rederivation of existing proper motions. The mean radial velocity of the cluster is 70.9 +/- 0.6 km/s. The velocity dispersion is 3.5 +/- 0.3 km/s at the core, dropping marginally towards the outskirts. Such a low internal dispersion is somewhat at odds with the cluster's orbit, for which the perigalacticon is sufficiently close to the galactic center that the probability of cluster disruption is high; a tidal radius two-thirds the currently accepted value would eliminate the discrepancy. The cluster mass-to-light ratio is also small, M/L(sub V) = 1.0 +/- 0.4 in solar units. M4 thus joins M22 as a cluster of moderate and concentration with a mass-to-light ratio among the lowest known. The astrometric distance to the cluster is also smaller than expected, 1.72 +/- 0.14 kpc. This is only consistent with conventional estimates of the luminosity of horizontal branch stars provided an extinction law R = A(sub V)/E(B-V) approximately 4 is adopted, as has been suggested recently by several authors.

Peterson, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Disruption of the Globular Cluster Pal 5

Orbit calculations suggest that the sparse globular cluster, Pal 5, will pass within 7 kpc of the Galactic center the next time it crosses the plane, where it might be destroyed by tidal stresses. We study this problem, treating Pal 5 as a self-consistent dynamical system orbiting through an external potential that represents the Galaxy. The first part of the problem is to find suitable analytic approximations to the Galactic potential. They must be valid in all regions the cluster is likely to explore. Observed velocity and positional data for Pal 5 are used as initial conditions to determine the orbit. Methods we used for a different problem some 12 years ago have been adapted to this problem. Three experiments have been run, with M/L= 1, 3, and 10, for the cluster model. The cluster blew up shortly after passing through the Galactic plane (about 130 Myrs after the beginning of the run) with M/L=1. At M/L = 3 and 10 the cluster survived, although it got quite a kick in the fundamental mode on passing through the plane. But the fundamental mode oscillation died out in a couple of oscillation cycles at M/L=10. Pal 5 will probably be destroyed on its next crossing of the Galactic plane if M/L=1, but it can survive (albeit with fairly heavy damage) if NI/L=3. We haven't tried to trap the mass limits more closely than that. Pal 5 comes through pretty well unscathed at M/L=10. An interesting follow-up experiment would be to back the cluster up along its orbit to look at its previous passage through the Galactic plane, to see what kind of object it might have been at earlier times.

Miller, R. H.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Metal abundances of RR Lyrae stars in galactic globular clusters

Results are reported for image-tube scanner measurements of Preston's (1959) metal-abundance indicator and metallic-line absorption in the G-band region (4285 to 4317 A) of 47 RR Lyrae stars in 12 galactic globular clusters and 67 RR Lyrae field stars. The relationship (Fe/H) is defined and determined from curve-of-growth analyses of 13 RR Lyrae field stars, while a comparison of metal-abundance vs metallic-line absorption relationships derived for the field and cluster stars indicates that both groups can be calibrated in the same way. Based on this calibration, (Fe/H) values are deduced for the globular-cluster stars and the clusters themselves. It is found that the alpha-rich phenomenon is present in these stars and is confined to calcium and titanium.

Butler, D.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Discovery of intense X-ray bursts from the globular cluster NGC 6624

A new type of time variation of cosmic X-ray sources has been found from the Astronomical Netherlands Satellite (ANS) observations of the source 3U 1820-30, associated with the globular cluster NGC 6624. Two bursts in the 1-30 keV X-ray intensity of this source are reported. Each displayed a rapid rise in flux (no more than 1 s) by a factor of 20-30 followed by an approximately 8-s exponential decay. These bursts appear to be qualitatively different from short time variations previously reported for X-ray sources. Analysis for further source variability, energy spectra, and position is presented. The characteristics of these events may imply the existence of a collapsed core in the globular cluster.

Grindlay, J.↗
DOE OSTI2022

The Global Dynamical Atlas of the Milky Way Mergers: Constraints from Gaia EDR3–based Orbits of Globular Clusters, Stellar Streams, and Satellite Galaxies

The Milky Way halo was predominantly formed by the merging of numerous progenitor galaxies. However, our knowledge of this process is still incomplete, especially in regard to the total number of mergers, their global dynamical properties and their contribution to the stellar population of the Galactic halo. Here, we uncover the Milky Way mergers by detecting groupings of globular clusters, stellar streams, and satellite galaxies in action (J) space. While actions fully characterize the orbits, we additionally use the redundant information on their energy (E) to enhance the contrast between the groupings. For this endeavor, we use Gaia EDR3–based measurements of 170 globular clusters, 41 streams, and 46 satellites to derive their J and E. To detect groups, we use the ENLINK software, coupled with a statistical procedure that accounts for the observed phase-space uncertainties of these objects. We detect a total of N = 6 groups, including the previously known mergers Sagittarius, Cetus, Gaia–Sausage/Enceladus, LMS-1/Wukong, Arjuna/Sequoia/I'itoi, and one new merger that we call Pontus. All of these mergers, together, comprise 62 objects (≈25% of our sample). We discuss their members, orbital properties, and metallicity distributions. We find that the three most-metal-poor streams of our galaxy—"C-19" ([Fe/H] = –3.4 dex), "Sylgr" ([Fe/H] = –2.9 dex), and "Phoenix" ([Fe/H] = –2.7 dex)—are associated with LMS-1/Wukong, showing it to be the most-metal-poor merger. The global dynamical atlas of Milky Way mergers that we present here provides a present-day reference for galaxy formation models.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1990

New bound on neutrino dipole moments from globular-cluster stars

Neutrino dipole moments mu(nu) would increase the core mass of red giants at the helium flash by delta(Mc) = 0.015 solar mass x mu(nu)/10 to the -12th muB (where muB is the Bohr magneton) because of enhanced neutrino losses. Existing measurements of the bolometric magnitudes of the brightest red giants in 26 globular clusters, number counts of horizontal-branch stars and red giants in 15 globular clusters, and statistical parallax determinations of field RR Lyr luminosities yield delta(Mc) = 0.009 + or - 0.012 solar mass, so that conservatively mu(nu) is less than 3 x 10 to the -12th muB.

Raffelt, Georg G.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Estimated number of field stars toward Galactic globular clusters and Local Group Galaxies

Field star densities are estimated for 89 fields with /b/ greater than 10 degrees based on the Galaxy model of Bahcall and Soneira (1980, 1984; Bahcall et al. 1985). Calculated tables are presented for 76 of the fields toward Galactic globular clusters, and 16 Local Group Galaxies in 13 fields. The estimates can be used as an initial guide for planning both ground-based and Space Telescope observations of globular clusters at intermediate-to-high Galactic latitudes.

Ratnatunga, K. U.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Synthetic horizontal branch models for globular clusters - The luminosity of the horizontal branch and the Oosterhoff effect

The variation of horizontal-branch (HB) luminosities with metal abundances is analyzed on the basis of HB models synthesized from theoretical HB evolutionary tracks. The focus is on the Oosterhoff effect, as related to period shifts in globular-cluster RR Lyr variables. The construction of the models and the Oosterhoff period groups is explained in detail, and the implications for globular-cluster ages are considered. The ratio of Delta M(bol) (RR) to Delta Fe/H for the HB is calculated as 0.24, slightly steeper than that found by Sandage (1981 and 1982).

Lee, Young-Wook↗
DOE OSTI2023

Timing of pulsars in the globular cluster omega centauri

We present the timing of the first five millisecond pulsars discovered in the globular cluster Omega Centauri and the discovery of a pulsar with a spin period of 3.68 ms. With a timing baseline of ~3.5 yr we are able to measure the derivative of the spin frequency ($\dot{\nu }$) for the first five pulsars. Upper limits on the pulsar line-of-sight acceleration are estimated and compared with predictions based on analytical models of the cluster. We find that PSRs J1326-4728B and D show large negative accelerations, which are in tension with the minimum acceleration predicted by analytical models. We searched for pulsed γ-ray signals using 14.3 yr of data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope. Although we found no evidence for γ-ray pulsations, PSRs J1326-4728A, B, C, and E are associated with X-ray sources. This suggests that the observed γ-ray emission from Omega Centauri is likely caused by the emission of the ensemble of MSPs. Finally, the linearly polarized emission from PSR J1326-4728A yields a rotation measure of -18 ± 8 rad m -2 .

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1992

Would a Galactic bar destroy the globular cluster system?

Five different dynamical Galaxy models are presented for the Galactic potential which satisfy the observed rotation curve but contain a central bar so that the 3-kpc nonintersecting streamlines have a radial velocity of 50 km/s when viewed at 45 deg to the bar axis. The effect of the central bars on the destruction rates of globular clusters in the Galaxy is investigated. The method of Aguilar et al. (1988) is applied to these barred Galaxy models. The unknown tangential velocity components of each observed cluster are drawn randomly from an assumed distribution function. The cluster's orbit is integrated, and the bulge shocking rate is calculated. The median destruction rate of the cluster is computed by sampling a large number of such orbits. The addition of the rotating bar does not strongly affect the destruction rates of globular clusters. There is a small increase in the destruction rate for those clusters within about 2.5 kpc. Thus it is not possible to rule out the existence of a rotating bar on these grounds.

Long, Kevin↗
NASA NTRS1993

TeV gamma rays from millisecond pulsars and the detectability of globular clusters

I investigate the detectability of TeV gamma rays from millisecond pulsars, assuming the energy source that powers this emission is the loss of rotational energy of the spinning neutron star. I show that although individual sources may be too weak to detect, the contribution of many (about 1000) active millisecond pulsars may lead to currently detectable TeV gamma-ray emissions from globular clusters, provided the average pulsar converts about 0.1 percent of its spin-down energy into TeV gamma rays. Future detections of TeV gamma rays from globular clusters (or more restrictive upper limits on the fluxes) will lead to better estimates of the number of active millisecond pulsars the clusters contain, and to a better understanding of the pulsar emission mechanism. I also derive flux estimates for the following sources: (1) the Crab Nebula, (2) PSR 19374-21, PSR 1953 4-29, and PSR 1855 4-09, and (3) nearby millisecond pulsars in the galactic disk.

Smith, I. A.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Observations of the Bright Star in the Globular Cluster 47 Tucanae (NGC 104)

The Bright Star in the globular cluster 47 Tucanae (NGC 104) is a post-asymptotic giant branch (post-AGB) star of spectral type B8 III. The ultraviolet spectra of late-B stars exhibit myriad absorption features, many due to species unobservable from the ground. The Bright Star thus represents a unique window into the chemistry of 47 Tuc. We have analyzed observations obtained with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer, the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph aboard the Hubble Space Telescope, and the Magellan Inamori Kyocera Echelle Spectrograph on the Magellan Telescope. By fitting these data with synthetic spectra, we determine various stellar parameters (T {sub eff} = 10,850 ± 250 K, logg=2.20±0.13) and the photospheric abundances of 26 elements, including Ne, P, Cl, Ga, Pd, In, Sn, Hg, and Pb, which have not previously been published for this cluster. Abundances of intermediate-mass elements (Mg through Ga) generally scale with Fe, while the heaviest elements (Pd through Pb) have roughly solar abundances. Its low C/O ratio indicates that the star did not undergo third dredge-up and suggests that its heavy elements were made by a previous generation of stars. If so, this pattern should be present throughout the cluster, not just in this star. Stellar-evolution models suggest that the Bright Star is powered by a He-burning shell, having left the AGB during or immediately after a thermal pulse. Its mass (0.54 ± 0.16M {sub ⊙}) implies that single stars in 47 Tuc lose 0.1–0.2 M {sub ⊙} on the AGB, only slightly less than they lose on the red giant branch.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
NASA NTRS1983

Discovery of a nitrogen-rich UV-bright star in the globular cluster M5

Observations of a UV bright source in the globular cluster M5 using instrumentation on the Black Brant rocket are reported. Imagery was obtained by two cameras operating at 1540 A and 2360 A and bandpasses of 350 A and 880 A. The instruments are prototypes for cameras to be flown with the Spacelab. The UV-emitting object in the cluster was located off-center. Comparison of the data with data from the IUE for short-wavelength radiation indicated a temperature in the range 25,000-50,000 K, with a dereddened flux for the continuum near 1550 A of 4.2 x 10 to the -13th ergs/sq cm per sec per A. The object is concluded to be a post-AGB star with an envelope which has experienced CNO processing.

Bohlin, R. C.↗