The Correlation Between Kinematical Properties and Ages of Stellar Populations (original) (raw)

We use the method of statistical parallax to constrain the distance-scale zero points and analyze the kinematics of extensive samples of Galactic classical Cepheids, RR Lyrae type variables, and blue horizontal branch stars, which serve as standard candles/kinematic tracers of various Galactic populations. We obtain three consistent estimates for the local circular velocity based on the mean velocities of halo RR Lyrae variables, BHB stars, and Galactic rotation curve inferred from Cepheid data with an average value of 210+/-6 km/s, which is close to the average circular velocity in the 5-40 kpc interval of Galactocentric distances inferred from BHB star data (195+/-5 km/s), thereby providing further supporting evidence for the practically flat shape of the Galactic rotation curve beyond ~5 kpc from the center. The inferred distance-scale corrections imply a solar Galactocentric distance of 7.7+/-0.4 kpc, an LMC distance modulus of 18.42+/-0.06, and a Hubble constant of 73-85 km/s/Mpc.

New observational data (Spinrad, 1970; Van den Bergh, 1970; Rubin and Ford, 1970) are used to determine structural and kinematic parameters of the nucleus, the subsystem of globular clusters, and interstellar hydrogen in M31.The mass derived for the nucleus from the new spectrophotometric data is in good agreement with the virial mass 6 × 108M⊙. Model calculations show that there is no appreciable exchange of stars between the nucleus and the bulge. The rotation energy of the nucleus is only 7.5% of the total kinetic energy; the central density is 2 × 106M⊙ pc−3.The mean radius of the subsystem of globular clusters is 4.5 kpc. This indicates that the subsystem of old stars is not identical with the spheroidal component of the galaxy, whose mean radius is only 1 kpc. Radial velocity dispersion of globular clusters is only half of that of the nucleus. This shows a strong dependence of the velocity dispersion on distance to the center of the galaxy and a bias in mass determination of a...

New calibrations of spectrophotometric indices of elliptical galaxies as functions of spectrophotometric indices are presented, permitting estimates of mean stellar population ages and metallicities. These calibrations are based on evolutionary models including a two-phase interstellar medium, infall and a galactic wind. Free parameters were fixed by requiring that models reproduce the mean trend of data in the colour-magnitude diagram as well as in the plane of indices Hbeta-Mg2 and Mg2-. To improve the location of faint ellipticals (MB > -20) in the Hbeta-Mg2 diagram, downsizing was introduced. An application of our calibrations to a sample of ellipticals and a comparison with results derived from single stellar population models are given. Our models indicate that mean population ages span an interval of 7-12 Gyr and are correlated with metallicities, which range from approximately half up to three times solar.

A new procedure is described to derive homogeneous relative ages from the Color-Magnitude Diagrams (CMDs) of Galactic globular clusters (GGCs). It is based on the use of a new observable, Delta V(0.05) , namely the difference in magnitude between an arbitrary point on the upper main sequence (V_{+0.05} -the V magnitude of the MS-ridge, 0.05 mag redder than the Main Sequence (MS) Turn-off, (TO)) and the horizontal branch (HB). The observational error associated to Delta V(0.05) is substantially smaller than that of previous age-indicators, keeping the property of being strictly independent of distance and reddening and of being based on theoretical luminosities rather than on still uncertain theoretical temperatures. As an additional bonus, the theoretical models show that Delta V(0.05) has a low dependence on metallicity. Moreover, the estimates of the relative age so obtained are also sufficiently invariant (to within ~ +/- 1 Gyr) with varying adopted models and transformations. Si...