No Arabic abstract
We have conducted a deep ($15 la r la 23$), 20 night survey for transiting planets in the intermediate age open cluster M37 (NGC 2099) using the Megacam wide-field mosaic CCD camera on the 6.5m Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT). In this paper we describe the observations and data reduction procedures for the survey and analyze the stellar content and dynamical state of the cluster. By combining high resolution spectroscopy with existing $BVI_{C}K_{S}$ and new $gri$ color magnitude diagrams we determine the fundamental cluster parameters: $t = 485 pm 28$ Myr without overshooting ($t = 550 pm 30 {rm Myr}$ with overshooting), $E(B-V) = 0.227 pm 0.038$, $(m-M)_{V} = 11.57 pm 0.13$ and $[M/H] = +0.045 pm 0.044$ which are in good agreement with, though more precise than, previous measurements. We determine the mass function down to $0.3 M_{odot}$ and use this to estimate the total cluster mass of $3640 pm 170 M_{odot}$.
In the course of conducting a deep (14.5 ~< r ~< 23), 20 night survey for transiting planets in the rich ~550 Myr old open cluster M37 we have measured the rotation periods of 575 stars which lie near the cluster main sequence, with masses 0.2 Msun ~< M ~< 1.3 Msun. This is the largest sample of rotation periods for a cluster older than 500 Myr. Using this rich sample we investigate a number of relations between rotation period, color and the amplitude of photometric variability. Stars with M >~ 0.8 Msun show a tight correlation between period and mass with heavier stars rotating more rapidly. There is a group of 4 stars with P > 15 days that fall well above this relation, which, if real, would present a significant challenge to theories of stellar angular momentum evolution. Below 0.8 Msun the stars continue to follow the period-mass correlation but with a broad tail of rapid rotators that expands to shorter periods with decreasing mass. We combine these results with observations of other open clusters to test the standard theory of lower-main sequence stellar angular momentum evolution. We find that the model reproduces the observations for solar mass stars, but discrepancies are apparent for stars with 0.6 ~< M ~< 1.0 Msun. We also find that for late-K through early-M dwarf stars in this cluster rapid rotators tend to be bluer than slow rotators in B-V but redder than slow rotators in V-I_{C}. This result supports the hypothesis that the significant discrepancy between the observed and predicted temperatures and radii of low-mass main sequence stars is due to stellar activity.
We present the results of a deep (15 ~< r ~< 23), 20 night survey for transiting planets in the intermediate age open cluster M37 (NGC 2099) using the Megacam wide-field mosaic CCD camera on the 6.5m MMT. We do not detect any transiting planets among the ~1450 observed cluster members. We do, however, identify a ~ 1 R_J candidate planet transiting a ~ 0.8 Msun Galactic field star with a period of 0.77 days. The source is faint (V = 19.85 mag) and has an expected velocity semi-amplitude of K ~ 220 m/s (M/M_J). We conduct Monte Carlo transit injection and recovery simulations to calculate the 95% confidence upper limit on the fraction of cluster members and field stars with planets as a function of planetary radius and orbital period. Assuming a uniform logarithmic distribution in orbital period, we find that < 1.1%, < 2.7% and < 8.3% of cluster members have 1.0 R_J planets within Extremely Hot Jupiter (EHJ, 0.4 < T < 1.0 day), Very Hot Jupiter (VHJ, 1.0 < T < 3.0 days) and Hot Jupiter (HJ, 3.0 < T < 5.0 days) period ranges respectively. For 0.5 R_J planets the limits are < 3.2%, and < 21% for EHJ and VHJ period ranges, while for 0.35 R_J planets we can only place an upper limit of < 25% on the EHJ period range. For a sample of 7814 Galactic field stars, consisting primarily of FGKM dwarfs, we place 95% upper limits of < 0.3%, < 0.8% and < 2.7% on the fraction of stars with 1.0 R_J EHJ, VHJ and HJ assuming the candidate planet is not genuine. If the candidate is genuine, the frequency of ~ 1.0 R_J planets in the EHJ period range is 0.002% < f_EHJ < 0.5% with 95% confidence. We place limits of < 1.4%, < 8.8% and < 47% for 0.5 R_J planets, and a limit of < 16% on 0.3 R_J planets in the EHJ period range. This is the first transit survey to place limits on the fraction of stars with planets as small as Neptune.
We present deep CCD photometry of the very rich, intermediate aged (similar to the Hyades) open star cluster NGC 2099 (M37). The V, B-V color-magnitude diagram (CMD) for the cluster shows an extremely well populated and very tightly constrained main-sequence extending over 12 magnitudes from the turn-off. The CFH12K photometry for this cluster is faint enough (V ~ 24.5) to detect the remnants of the most massive progenitor cluster stars under the Type I SNe limit. Therefore, the CMD of the cluster also exhibits a well defined white dwarf `clump caused by the decreased rate of cooling of these stars as they age, and a subsequent gap with very few objects. The termination point (Mv = 11.95 +/- 0.30) of the white dwarf luminosity function gives a white dwarf cooling age of 566 +/- 154/176 Myrs which is in excellent agreement with the main-sequence turn-off isochrone age (520 Myrs). By carefully accounting for errors, we show that the cooling age confirms that models including convective core overshooting are preferred for young-intermediate aged clusters. We also derive the reddening (E(B-V) = 0.21 +/- 0.03) and distance ((m-M)v = 11.55 +/- 0.13) to NGC 2099 by matching main-sequence features in the cluster to a new fiducial main-sequence for the Hyades. As a continuing part of the goals of the CFHT Open Star Cluster Survey to better understand dynamical processes of open clusters, we also fit a King model to the cluster density distribution and investigate the cluster main-sequence luminosity and mass functions in increasing concentric annuli. We find some evidence for mass segregation within the boundary of NGC 2099 as expected given the clusters age relative to the dynamical age. The present global mass function for the cluster is found to be shallower than a Salpeter IMF.
We introduce new methods for robust high-precision photometry from well-sampled images of a non-crowded field with a strongly varying point-spread function. For this work, we used archival imaging data of the open cluster M37 taken by MMT 6.5m telescope. We find that the archival light curves from the original image subtraction procedure exhibit many unusual outliers, and more than 20% of data get rejected by the simple filtering algorithm adopted by early analysis. In order to achieve better photometric precisions and also to utilize all available data, the entire imaging database was re-analyzed with our time-series photometry technique (Multi-aperture Indexing Photometry) and a set of sophisticated calibration procedures. The merit of this approach is as follows: we find an optimal aperture for each star with a maximum signal-to-noise ratio, and also treat peculiar situations where photometry returns misleading information with more optimal photometric index. We also adopt photometric de-trending based on a hierarchical clustering method, which is a very useful tool in removing systematics from light curves. Our method removes systematic variations that are shared by light curves of nearby stars, while true variabilities are preserved. Consequently, our method utilizes nearly 100% of available data and reduce the rms scatter several times smaller than archival light curves for brighter stars. This new data set gives a rare opportunity to explore different types of variability of short (~minutes) and long (~1 month) time scales in open cluster stars.
Rotation and solar-type magnetic activity are closely related to each other in stars of G or later spectral types. Presence and level of magnetic activity depend on stars rotation and rotation itself is strongly influenced by strength and topology of the magnetic fields. Open clusters represent especially useful targets to investigate the connection between rotation and activity. The open cluster NGC2099 has been studied as a part of the RACE-OC project, which is aimed at exploring the evolution of rotation and magnetic activity in the late-type members of open clusters of different ages. Time series CCD photometric observations of this cluster were collected during January 2004. The relations between activity manifestations, such as the light curve amplitude, and global stellar parameters are investigated. We have discovered 135 periodic variables, 122 of which are candidate cluster members. Determination of rotation periods of G- and K-type stars has allowed us to better explore evolution of angular momentum at an age of about 500 Myr. A comparison with the older Hyades cluster (~625 Myr) shows that the newly determined distribution of rotation periods is consistent with the scenario of rotational braking of main-sequence spotted stars as they age. However, a comparison with the younger M34 cluster (~200 Myr) shows that the G8-K5 members of these clusters have the same rotation period distribution, that is G8-K5 members in NGC2099 seem to have experienced no significant braking in the age range from ~200 to ~500 Myr. Finally, NGC2099 members have a level of photospheric magnetic activity, as measured by light curve amplitude, smaller than in younger stars of same mass and rotation, suggesting that the activity level also depends on some other age-dependent parameters.