G. Beccari

STAR FORMATION IN 30 DORADUS

Using observations obtained with the Wide-Field Camera 3 on board the Hubble Space Telescope, we have studied the properties of the stellar populations in the central regions of 30 Dor in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The observations clearly reveal the presence of considerable differential extinction across the field. We characterize and quantify this effect using young massive main-sequence stars to derive a statistical reddening correction for most objects in the field. We then search for pre-main-sequence (PMS) stars by looking for objects with a strong (>4σ) Hα excess emission and find about 1150 of them over the entire field. Comparison of their location in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram with theoretical PMS evolutionary tracks for the appropriate metallicity reveals that about one-third of these objects are younger than ~4 Myr, compatible with the age of the massive stars in the central ionizing cluster R 136, whereas the rest have ages up to ~30 Myr, with a median age of ~12 Myr. This indicates that star formation has proceeded over an extended period of time, although we cannot discriminate between an extended episode and a series of short and frequent bursts that are not resolved in time. While the younger PMS population preferentially occupies the central regions of the cluster, older PMS objects are more uniformly distributed across the field and are remarkably few at the very center of the cluster. We attribute this latter effect to photo-evaporation of the older circumstellar disks caused by the massive ionizing members of R 136.

SPECTROSCOPY UNVEILS THE COMPLEX NATURE OF TERZAN 5

We present the chemical abundance analysis of 33 red giant stars belonging to the complex stellar system Terzan 5. We confirm the discovery of two stellar populations with distinct iron abundances: a relatively metal-poor component with [Fe/H] = –0.25 ± 0.07 rms and another component with [Fe/H] = +0.27 ± 0.04 rms, exceeding in metallicity any known Galactic globular cluster (GC). The two populations also show different [α/Fe] abundance ratios. The metal-poor component has an average [α/Fe] =+0.34 ± 0.06 rms, consistent with the canonical scenario for rapid enrichment by core collapse supernovae (SNe). The metal-rich component has [α/Fe] =+0.03 ± 0.04 rms, suggesting that the gas from which it formed was polluted by both type II and type Ia SNe on a longer timescale. Neither of the two populations shows evidence of the [Al/Fe] over [O/Fe] anti-correlation that is typically observed in Galactic GCs. Because these chemical abundance patterns are unique, we propose that Terzan 5 is not a true GC, but a stellar system with a much more complex history of star formation and chemical enrichment.

PROGRESSIVE STAR FORMATION IN THE YOUNG GALACTIC SUPER STAR CLUSTER NGC 3603

Early Release Science observations of the cluster NGC 3603 with the WFC3 on the refurbished Hubble Space Telescope allow us to study its recent star formation history. Our analysis focuses on stars with Hα excess emission, a robust indicator of their pre-main sequence (PMS) accreting status. The comparison with theoretical PMS isochrones shows that 2/3 of the objects with Hα excess emission have ages from 1 to 10 Myr, with a median value of 3 Myr, while a surprising 1/3 of them are older than 10 Myr. The study of the spatial distribution of these PMS stars allows us to confirm their cluster membership and to statistically separate them from field stars. This result establishes unambiguously for the first time that star formation in and around the cluster has been ongoing for at least 10-20 Myr, at an apparently increasing rate.

Dwarfs walking in a row - The filamentary nature of the NGC 3109 association

We re-consider the association of dwarf galaxies around NGC 3109, whose known members were NGC 3109, Antlia, Sextans A, and Sextans B, based on a new updated list of nearby galaxies and the most recent data. We find that the original members of the NGC 3109 association, together with the recently discovered and adjacent dwarf irregular Leo P, form a very tight and elongated configuration in space. All these galaxies lie within ~100 kpc of a line that is ≃1070 kpc long, from one extreme (NGC 3109) to the other (Leo P), and they show a gradient in the Local Group standard of rest velocity with a total amplitude of 43 km s-1 Mpc-1, and a rms scatter of just 16.8 km s-1. It is shown that the reported configuration is exceptional given the known dwarf galaxies in the Local Group and its surroundings. We conclude that (a) Leo P is very likely an additional member of the NGC 3109 association, and (b) the association is highly ordered in space and velocity, and it is very elongated, suggesting that it was created by a tidal interaction or it was accreted as a filamentary substructure.

Accurate determination of accretion and photospheric parameters in young stellar objects: The case of two candidate old disks in the Orion Nebula Cluster

Context. Current planet formation models are largely based on the observational constraint that protoplanetary disks have a lifetime of ~3 Myr. Recent studies, however, report the existence of pre-main-sequence stars with signatures of accretion (strictly connected with the presence of circumstellar disks) and photometrically determined ages of 30 Myr or more. Aims. Here, we present a spectroscopic study of two major age outliers in the Orion Nebula Cluster. We use broadband, intermediate resolution VLT/X-shooter spectra combined with an accurate method to determine the stellar parameters and the related age of the targets to confirm their peculiar age estimates and the presence of ongoing accretion. Methods. The analysis is based on a multicomponent fitting technique, which derives simultaneously spectral type, extinction, and accretion properties of the objects. With this method, we confirm and quantify the ongoing accretion. From the photospheric parameters of the stars, we derive their position on the H-R diagram and the age given by evolutionary models. With other age indicators like the lithium-equivalent width, we estimate the age of the objects with high accuracy. Results. Our study shows that the two objects analyzed are not older than the typical population of the Orion Nebula Cluster. While photometric determination of the photospheric parameters are an accurate method to estimate the parameters of the bulk of young stellar populations, our results show that those of individual objects with high accretion rates and extinction may be affected by large uncertainties. Broadband spectroscopic determinations should thus be used to confirm the nature of individual objects. Conclusions. The analysis carried out shows that this method allows us to obtain an accurate determination of the photospheric parameters of accreting young stellar objects in any nearby star-forming region. We suggest that our detailed, broadband spectroscopy method should be used to derive accurate properties of candidate old and accreting young stellar objects in star-forming regions. We also discuss how a similarly accurate determination of stellar properties can be obtained through a combination of photometric and spectroscopic data.

THE NON-SEGREGATED POPULATION OF BLUE STRAGGLER STARS IN THE REMOTE GLOBULAR CLUSTER PALOMAR 14

We used deep wide-field observations obtained with the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope to study the blue straggler star (BSS) population in the innermost 5 arcmin of the remote Galactic globular cluster Palomar 14. The BSS radial distribution is found to be consistent with that of the normal cluster stars, showing no evidence of central segregation. Palomar 14 is the third system in the Galaxy (in addition to {omega} Centauri and NGC 2419) showing a population of BSS not centrally segregated. This is the most direct evidence that in Palomar 14 two-body relaxation has not fully established energy equipartition yet, even in the central regions (in agreement with the estimated half-mass relaxation time, which is significantly larger than the cluster age). These observational facts have important implications for the interpretation of the shape of the mass function and the existence of the tidal tails recently discovered in this cluster.

THE BINARY FRACTION IN THE GLOBULAR CLUSTER M10 (NGC 6254): COMPARING CORE AND OUTER REGIONS*

We study the binary fraction of the globular cluster M10 (NGC 6254) as a function of the radius from the cluster core to the outskirts, by means of a quantitative analysis of the color distribution of stars relative to the fiducial main sequence. By taking advantage of two data sets, acquired with the Advanced Camera for Survey and the Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 on board the Hubble Space Telescope, we have studied both the core and the external regions of the cluster. The binary fraction is found to decrease from ~14% within the core, to ~1.5% in a region between 1 and 2 half-mass radii from the cluster center. Such a trend and the derived values are in agreement with previous results obtained in clusters of comparable total magnitude. The estimated binary fraction is sufficient to account for the suppression of mass segregation observed in M10, without any need to invoke the presence of an intermediate-mass black hole in its center.

A super lithium-rich red-clump star in the open cluster Trumpler 5 ?

Context. The existence of lithium-rich low-mass red giant stars still represents a challenge for stellar evolution models. Stellar clusters are privileged environments for this kind of investigation. Aims. To investigate the chemical abundance pattern of the old open cluster Trumpler 5, we observed a sample of four red-clump stars with high-resolution optical spectrographs. One of them (#3416) reveals extremely strong lithium lines in its spectrum. Methods. One-dimensional, local thermodynamic equilibrium analysis was performed on the spectra of the observed stars. A 3DNLTE analysis was performed to derive the lithium abundance of star #3416. Results. Star #3416 is super Li-rich with A(Li) = 3.75 dex. The lack of 6 Li enrichment ( 6 Li/ 7 Li < 2%), the low carbon isotopic ratio ( 12 C/ 13 C = 14 3), and the lack of evidence for radial velocity variation or enhanced rotational velocity (v sini = 2:8 km s 1 ) all suggest that lithium production has occurred in this star through the Cameron & Fowler mechanism. Conclusions. We identified a super Li-rich core helium-burning, red-clump star in an open cluster. Internal production is the most likely cause of the observed enrichment. Given the expected short duration of a star’s Li-rich phase, enrichment is likely to have occurred at the red clump or in the immediately preceding phases, namely during the He-flash at the tip of the red giant branch (RGB) or while ascending the brightest portion of the RGB.

Evidence for multiple populations in the massive globular cluster NGC 2419 from deep uVI LBT photometry

We present accurate wide-field uVI photometry of the remote and massive Galactic globular cluster NGC 2419, aimed at searching for the u-V color spread along the Red Giant Branch (RGB) that is generally interpreted as the photometric signature of the presence of multiple populations in globular clusters. Focusing on the RGB stars in the magnitude range 19.8 0.0 lie preferentially on the blue side.

THE OPTICAL COUNTERPART TO THE X-RAY TRANSIENT IGR J1824–24525 IN THE GLOBULAR CLUSTER M28*

We report on the identification of the optical counterpart to the recently detected INTEGRAL transient IGR J1824–24525 in the Galactic globular cluster M28. From analysis of a multi-epoch Hubble Space Telescope data set, we have identified a strongly variable star positionally coincident with the radio and Chandra X-ray sources associated with the INTEGRAL transient. The star has been detected during both a quiescent and an outburst state. In the former case it appears as a faint, unperturbed main-sequence star, while in the latter state it is about two magnitudes brighter and slightly bluer than main-sequence stars. We also detected Hα excess during the outburst state, suggestive of active accretion processes by the neutron star.