No Arabic abstract
We performed the photometric analysis of M2 and M92 globular clusters in g and r bands of SLOAN photometric system. We transformed these g and r bands into BV bands of Johnson-Cousins photometric system and built the color magnitude diagram (CMD). We estimated the age, and metallicity of both the clusters, by fitting Padova isochrones of different age and metallicities onto the CMD. We studied Einstein and de Sitter model, bench mark model, the cosmological parameters by WMAP and Planck surveys. Finally, we compared estimated age of globular clusters to the ages from the cosmological models and cosmological parameters values of WMAP and Planck surveys.
We present an estimate of the absolute age of 68 galactic globular clusters obtained by exploiting the distribution of stars in the full color-magnitude diagram. In particular, we jointly estimate the absolute age, distance, reddening, metallicity ([Fe/H]) and [$alpha$/Fe] of each cluster, imposing priors motivated by independent observations; we also estimate possible systematics from stellar modeling. Our derived distances for the globular cluster sample are in agreement with those obtained from GAIA using main-sequence dwarf stars (where available), and the inferred ages are in good agreement with those previously published. The novelty of our approach is that, with the adopted priors, we are able to estimate robustly these parameters from the globular cluster color-magnitude diagram. We find that the average age of the oldest globular clusters is $t_{rm GC}=13.32 pm 0.1 {rm (stat.)} pm 0.5 {rm (sys.)}$, at 68% confidence level, including systematic uncertainties from stellar modeling. These measurements can be used to infer the age of the Universe, largely independently of the cosmological parameters: we find an age of the Universe $t_{rm U}=13.5^{+0.16}_{-0.14} {rm (stat.)} pm 0.5 ({rm sys.})$ at 68% confidence level, accounting for the formation time of globular clusters and its uncertainty. This value is compatible with $13.8 pm 0.02$ Gyr, the cosmological model-dependent value inferred by the Planck mission assuming the $Lambda$CDM model.
This paper supplements Jiang et al. (2003), who studied 172 M31 globular clusters (GCs) and globular cluster candidates from Battistini et al. (1987) on the basis of integrated photometric measurements in the Beijing-Arizona-Taiwan-Connecticut (BATC) photometric system. Here, we present multicolor photometric CCD data (in the BATC system) for the remaining 39 M31 GCs and candidates. In addition, the ages of 35 GCs are constrained by comparing our accurate photometry with updated theoretical stellar synthesis models. We use photometric measurements from GALEX in the far- and near-ultraviolet and 2MASS infrared $JHK_s$ data, in combination with optical photometry. Except for two clusters, the ages of the other sample GCs are all older than 1 Gyr. Their age distribution shows that most sample clusters are younger than 6 Gyr, with a peak at ~3 Gyr, although the `usual complement of well-known old GCs (i.e., GCs of similar age as the majority of the Galactic GCs) is present as well.
We present photometry of 104 M31 globular clusters (GCs) and GC candidates in 15 intermediate-band filters of the Beijing-Arizona-Taiwan-Connecticut (BATC) photometric system. The GCs and GC candidates were selected from the Revised Bologna Catalog (v.3.5). We obtain the cluster ages by comparing the photometric data with up-to-date theoretical synthesis models. The photometric data used are {sl GALEX} far- and near-ultraviolet and 2MASS near-infrared $JHK_{rm s}$ magnitudes, combined with optical photometry. The ages of our sample clusters cover a large range, although most clusters are younger than 10 Gyr. Combined with the ages obtained in our series of previous papers focusing on the M31 GC system, we present the full M31 GC age distribution. The M31 GC system contains populations of young and intermediate-age GCs, as well as the `usual complement of well-known old GCs, i.e., GCs of similar age as the majority of the Galactic GCs. In addition, young GCs (and GC candidates) are distributed nearly uniformly in radial distance from the center of M31, while most old GCs (and GC candidates) are more strongly concentrated.
The large majority of extragalactic star cluster studies performed to date essentially use multi-colour photometry, combined with theoretical stellar synthesis models, to derive ages, masses, extinction estimates, and metallicities. M31 offers a unique laboratory for studies of globular cluster (GC) systems. In this paper, we obtain new age estimates for 91 M31 globular clusters, based on improved photometric data, updated theoretical stellar synthesis models and sophisticated new fitting methods. In particular, we used photometric measurements from the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS), which, in combination with optical photometry, can partially break the well-known age-metallicity degeneracy operating at ages in excess of a few Gyr. We show robustly that previous age determinations based on photometric data were affected significantly by this age-metallicity degeneracy. Except for one cluster, the ages of our other sample GCs are all older than 1 Gyr. Their age distribution shows populations of young and intermediate-age GCs, peaking at $sim3$ and 8 Gyr respectively, as well as the usual complement of well-known old GCs, i.e., GCs of similar age as the majority of the Galactic GCs. Our results also show that although there is significant scatter in metallicity at any age, there is a noticeable lack of young metal-poor and old metal-rich GCs, which might be indicative of an underlying age-metallicity relationship among the M31 GC population.
The dominant systematic uncertainty in the age determination of galactic globular clusters is the depth of the convection envelope of the stars. This parameter is partially degenerate with metallicity which is in turn degenerate with age. However, if the metal content, distance and extinction are known, the position and morphology of the red giant branch in a color-magnitude diagram are mostly sensitive to the value of the depth of the convective envelope. Therefore, using external, precise metallicity determinations this degeneracy and thus the systematic error in age, can be reduced. Alternatively, the morphology of the red giant branch of globular clusters color magnitude diagram can also be used to achieve the same. We demonstrate that globular cluster red giant branches are well fitted by values of the depth of the convection envelope consistent with those obtained for the Sun and this finding is robust to the adopted treatment of the stellar physics. With these findings, the uncertainty in the depth of the convection envelope is no longer the dominant contribution to the systematic error in the age determination of the oldest globular clusters, reducing it from $0.5$ to $0.23$ or $0.33$ Gyr, depending on the methodology adopted: i.e., whether resorting to external data (spectroscopic metallicity determinations) or relying solely on the morphology of the clusterss color-magnitude diagrams. This results in an age of the Universe $t_{rm U}=13.5^{+0.16}_{-0.14} {rm (stat.)} pm 0.23(0.33) ({rm sys.})$ at 68% confidence level, accounting for the formation time of globular clusters and its uncertainty. An uncertainty of 0.27(0.36) Gyr if added in quadrature. This agrees well with $13.8 pm 0.02$ Gyr, the cosmological model-dependent value inferred by the Planck mission assuming the $Lambda$CDM model.