Search

Models of stellar structure and evolution can be constrained using accurate measurements of the parameters of eclipsing binary members of open clusters. Multiple binary stars provide the means to tighten the constraints and, in turn, to improve the precision and accuracy of the age estimate of the host cluster. In the previous two papers of this series, we have demonstrated the use of measurements of multiple eclipsing binaries in the old open cluster NGC6791 to set tighter constraints on the properties of stellar models than was previously possible, thereby improving both the accuracy and precision of the cluster age. We identify and measure the properties of a non-eclipsing cluster member, V56, in NGC\,6791 and demonstrate how this provides additional model constraints that support and strengthen our previous findings. We analyse multi-epoch spectra of V56 from FLAMES in conjunction with the existing photometry and measurements of eclipsing binaries in NGC6971. The parameters of the V56 components are found to be $M_{\rm p}=1.103\pm 0.008 M_{\odot}$ and $M_{\rm s}=0.974\pm 0.007 M_{\odot}$, $R_{\rm p}=1.764\pm0.099 R_{\odot}$ and $R_{\rm s}=1.045\pm0.057 R_{\odot}$, $T_{\rm eff,p}=5447\pm125$ K and $T_{\rm eff,s}=5552\pm125$ K, and surface [Fe/H]=$+0.29\pm0.06$ assuming that they have the same abundance. The derived properties strengthen our previous best estimate of the cluster age of $8.3\pm0.3$ Gyr and the mass of stars on the lower red giant branch (RGB), which is $M_{\rm RGB} = 1.15\pm0.02M_{\odot}$ for NGC6791. These numbers therefore continue to serve as verification points for other methods of age and mass measures, such as asteroseismology., Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in A&A

Ancient ($>$10 Gyr) globular clusters (GCs) show chemical abundance variations in the form of patterns among certain elements, e.g. N correlates with Na and anti-correlates with O. Recently, N abundance spreads have also been observed in massive star clusters that are significantly younger than old GCs, down to an age of $\sim$2 Gyr. However, so far N has been the only element found to vary in such young objects. We report here the presence of Na abundance variations in the intermediate age massive star clusters NGC 416 ($\sim$6.5 Gyr old) and Lindsay 1 ($\sim$7.5 Gyr old) in the Small Magellanic Cloud, by combining HST and ESO-VLT MUSE observations. Using HST photometry we were able to construct ''chromosome maps'' and separate sub-populations with different N content, in the red giant branch of each cluster. MUSE spectra of individual stars belonging to each population were combined, resulting in high signal-to-noise spectra representative of each population, which were compared to search for mean differences in Na. We find a mean abundance variation of $\Delta$[Na/Fe]$=0.18\pm0.04$ dex for NGC 416 and $\Delta$[Na/Fe]$=0.24\pm0.05$ dex for Lindsay 1. In both clusters we find that the population that is enhanced in N is also enhanced in Na, which is the same pattern to the one observed in ancient GCs. Furthermore, we detect a bimodal distribution of core-helium burning Red Clump (RC) giants in the UV colour magnitude diagram of NGC 416. A comparison of the stacked MUSE spectra of the two RCs shows the same mean Na abundance difference between the two populations. The results reported in this work are a crucial hint that star clusters of a large age range share the same origin: they are the same types of objects, but only separated in age., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 14 pages, 8 figures

Recent studies have revealed that the Multiple Populations (MPs) phenomenon does not occur only in ancient and massive Galactic globular clusters (GCs), but it is also observed in external galaxies, where GCs sample a wide age range with respect to the Milky Way. However, for a long time, it was unclear whether we were looking at the same phenomenon in different environments or not. The first evidence that the MPs phenomenon is the same regardless of cluster age and host galaxy came out recently when an intermediate-age cluster from the Small Magellanic Cloud, Lindsay 1, and a Galactic GC have been directly compared. By complementing those data with new images from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), we extend the comparison to two clusters of different ages: NGC 2121 ($\sim$2.5Gyr) and NGC 1783 ($\sim$1.5Gyr), from the Large Magellanic Cloud. We find a clear correlation between the RGB width in the pseudo-colour $C_{F275W,F343N,F438W}$ and the age of the cluster itself, with the older cluster having larger $\sigma(C_{F275W,F343N,F438W})^{RGB}$ and vice-versa. Unfortunately, the $\sigma$ values cannot be directly linked to the N-abundance variations within the clusters before properly taking account the effect of the first dredge-up. Such HST data also allow us to explore whether multiple star-formation episodes occurred within NGC 2121. The two populations are indistinguishable, with an age difference of only 6$\pm$12 Myr and an initial Helium spread of 0.02 or lower. This confirms our previous results, putting serious constraints on any model proposed to explain the origin of the chemical anomalies in GCs., Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

The discovery of star-to-star abundance variations (a.k.a. multiple populations - MPs) within globular clusters (GCs), which are generally not found in the field or in lower mass open clusters, has led to a search for the unique property of GCs that allow them to host this phenomenon. Recent studies have shown that MPs are not limited to the ancient GCs but are also found in massive clusters with ages down to (at least) 2 Gyr. This finding is important for understanding the physics of the MP phenomenon, as these young clusters can provide much stronger constraints (e.g. on potential age spreads within the clusters) than older ones. However, a direct comparison between ancient GCs and intermediate clusters has not yet been possible due to the different filters adopted in their studies. Here we present new HST UV photometry of the 7.5 Gyr, massive SMC cluster, Lindsay 1, in order to compare its pseudo colour-colour diagram to that of Galactic GCs. We find that they are almost identical and conclude that the MPs phenomenon is the same, regardless of cluster age and host galaxy., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS Letters

In our HST photometric survey, we have been searching for multiple stellar populations (MPs) in Magellanic Clouds (MCs) massive star clusters which span a significant range of ages ($\sim 1.5-11$ Gyr). In the previous papers of the series, we have shown that the age of the cluster represents one of the key factors in shaping the origin of the chemical anomalies. Here we present the analysis of four additional clusters in the MCs, namely Lindsay 38, Lindsay 113, NGC 2121 and NGC 2155, for which we recently obtained new UV HST observations. These clusters are more massive than $\sim 10^4M_{\odot}$ and have ages between $\sim 2.5-6$ Gyr, i.e. located in a previously unexplored region of the cluster age/mass diagram. We found chemical anomalies, in the form of N spreads, in three out of four clusters in the sample, namely in NGC 2121, NGC 2155 and Lindsay 113. By combining data from our survey and HST photometry for 3 additional clusters in the Milky Way (namely 47 Tuc, M15 and NGC 2419), we show that the extent of the MPs in the form of N spread is a strong function of age, with older clusters having larger N spreads with respect to the younger ones. Hence, we confirm that cluster age plays a significant role in the onset of MPs., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 12 pages, 9 figures

How very massive stars form is still an open question in astrophysics. VFTS682 is among the most massive stars known, with an inferred initial mass of $\sim$150 $M_\odot$ . It is located in 30 Doradus at a projected distance of 29 pc from the central cluster R136. Its apparent isolation led to two hypotheses: either it formed in relative isolation or it was ejected dynamically from the cluster. We investigate the kinematics of VFTS682 as obtained by Gaia and Hubble Space Telescope astrometry. We derive a projected velocity relative to the cluster of $38 \pm 17 \mathrm{km \ s^{-1}}$ (1$\sigma$ confidence interval). Although the error bars are substantial, two independent measures suggest that VFTS682 is a runaway ejected from the central cluster. This hypothesis is further supported by a variety of circumstantial clues. The central cluster is known to harbor other stars more massive than 150 $M_\odot$ of similar spectral type and recent astrometric studies on VFTS16 and VFTS72 provide direct evidence that the cluster can eject some of its most massive members, in agreement with theoretical predictions. If future data confirm the runaway nature, this would make VFTS682 the most massive runaway star known to date., Comment: accepted for publication in MNRAS Letters, author's version with larger figures

In this paper we present the astro-photometric catalogues of 56 globular clusters and one open cluster. Astrometry and photometry are mainly based on images collected within the "HST Legacy Survey of Galactic Globular Clusters: Shedding UV Light on Their Populations and Formation" (GO-13297, PI:~Piotto), and the "ACS Survey of Galactic Globular Clusters" (GO-10775, PI:~Sarajedini). For each source in the catalogues for which we have reliable proper motion we also publish a membership probability for separation of field and cluster stars. These new catalogues, which we make public in Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes, replace previous catalogues by Paper VIII of this series., Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, 4 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRAS on September 11, 2018. Astro-photometric catalogues, stacked and RGB images of the clusters are publicly available at MAST as High Level Science Product at https://archive.stsci.edu/prepds/hugs/

We determine the properties of the binary star V106 in the old open cluster NGC6791. We identify the system to be a blue straggler cluster member by using a combination of ground-based and Kepler photometry and multi-epoch spectroscopy. The properties of the primary component are found to be $M_{\rm p}\sim1.67 \rm M_{\odot}$, more massive than the cluster turn-off, with $R_{\rm p}\sim1.91 \rm R_{\odot}$ and $T_{\rm eff}=7110\pm100$ K. The secondary component is highly oversized and overluminous for its low mass with $M_{\rm s}\sim0.182 \rm M_{\odot}$, $R_{\rm s}\sim0.864 \rm R_{\odot}$ and $T_{\rm eff}=6875\pm200$ K. We identify this secondary star as a bloated (proto) extremely low-mass helium white dwarf. These properties of V106 suggest that it represents a typical Algol-paradox system and that it evolved through a mass-transfer phase which provides insight into its past evolution. We present a detailed binary stellar evolution model for the formation of V106 using the MESA code and find that the mass-transfer phase only ceased about 40 Myr ago. Due to the short orbital period (P=1.4463 d) another mass-transfer phase is unavoidable once the current primary star evolves towards the red giant phase. We argue that V106 will evolve through a common-envelope phase within the next 100 Myr and merge to become a single over-massive giant. The high mass will make it appear young for its true age, which is revealed by the cluster properties. Therefore, V106 is potentially a prototype progenitor of old field giants masquerading as young., Comment: 12 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

A previous spectroscopic study identified the very massive O2 III star VFTS 16 in the Tarantula Nebula as a runaway star based on its peculiar line-of-sight velocity. We use the Gaia DR2 catalog to measure the relative proper motion of VFTS 16 and nearby bright stars to test if this star might have been ejected from the central cluster, R136, via dynamical ejection. We find that the position angle and magnitude of the relative proper motion (0.338 +/- 0.046 mas/yr, or approximately 80 +\- 11 km/s) of VFTS 16 are consistent with ejection from R136 approximately 1.5 +/- 0.2 Myr ago, very soon after the cluster was formed. There is some tension with the presumed age of VFTS 16 that, from published stellar parameters, cannot be greater than 0.9 +0.3/-0.2 Myr. Older ages for this star would appear to be prohibited due to the absence of He I lines in its optical spectrum, since this sets a firm lower limit on its effective temperature. The dynamical constraints may imply an unusual evolutionary history for this object, perhaps indicating it is a merger product. Gaia DR2 also confirms that another very massive star in the Tarantula Nebula, VFTS 72 (alias BI253; O2 III-V(n)((f*)), is also a runaway on the basis of its proper motion as measured by Gaia. While its tangential proper motion (0.392 +/-0.062 mas/yr or 93 +/-15 km/s) would be consistent with dynamical ejection from R136 approximately 1 Myr ago, its position angle is discrepant with this direction at the 2$\sigma$ level. From their Gaia DR2 proper motions we conclude that the two ~100 solar mass O2 stars, VFTS 16 and VFTS72, are fast runaway stars, with space velocities of around 100 km/s relative to R136 and the local massive star population. The dynamics of VFTS16 are consistent with it having been ejected from R136, and this star therefore sets a robust lower limit on the age of the central cluster of ~1.3 Myr., Comment: Version 2 is now accepted by A&A with minor updates from V1

We present a catalog of relative proper motions for 368,787 stars in the 30 Doradus region of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), based on a dedicated two-epoch survey with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and supplemented with proper motions from our pilot archival study. We demonstrate that a relatively short epoch difference of 3 years is sufficient to reach a $\sim$0.1 mas yr$^{-1}$ level of precision or better. A number of stars have relative proper motions exceeding a 3-sigma error threshold, representing a mixture of Milky Way denizens and 17 potential LMC runaway stars. Based upon 183 VFTS OB-stars with the best proper motions, we conclude that none of them move faster than $\sim$0.3 mas yr$^{-1}$ in each coordinate -- equivalent to $\sim$70 km s$^{-1}$. Among the remaining 351 VFTS stars with less accurate proper motions, only one candidate OB runaway can be identified. We rule out any OB star in our sample moving at a tangential velocity exceeding $\sim$120 km s$^{-1}$. The most significant result of this study is finding 10 stars over wide range of masses, which appear to be ejected from the massive star cluster R136 in the tangential plane to angular distances from $35^{\prime\prime}$ out to $407^{\prime\prime}$, equivalent to 8-98 pc. The tangential velocities of these runaways appear to be correlated with apparent magnitude, indicating a possible dependence on the stellar mass., Comment: 45 pages (in referee format), 12 figures, 3 tables. Submitted to AJ. Comments are welcome

We have recently shown that the $\sim2$ Gyr old Large Magellanic Cloud star cluster NGC 1978 hosts multiple populations in terms of star-to-star abundance variations in [N/Fe]. These can be seen as a splitting or spread in the sub-giant and red giant branches (SGB and RGB) when certain photometric filter combinations are used. Due to its relative youth, NGC 1978 can be used to place stringent limits on whether multiple bursts of star-formation have taken place within the cluster, as predicted by some models for the origin of multiple populations. We carry out two distinct analyses to test whether multiple star-formation epochs have occurred within NGC 1978. First, we use UV CMDs to select stars from the first and second population along the SGB, and then compare their positions in optical CMDs, where the morphology is dominantly controlled by age as opposed to multiple population effects. We find that the two populations are indistinguishable, with age differences of $1\pm20$ Myr between them. This is in tension with predictions from the AGB scenario for the origin of multiple populations. Second, we estimate the broadness of the main sequence turnoff (MSTO) of NGC 1978 and we report that it is consistent with the observational errors. We find an upper limit of $\sim$65 Myr on the age spread in the MSTO of NGC 1978. This finding is in conflict with the age spread scenario as origin of the extended MSTO in intermediate age clusters, while it fully supports predictions from the stellar rotation model., Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication on MNRAS

It is now well established that globular clusters (GCs) exhibit star-to-star light-element abundance variations (known as multiple stellar populations, MPs). Such chemical anomalies have been found in (nearly) all the ancient GCs (more than 10 Gyr old) of our Galaxy and its close companions, but so far no model for the origin of MPs is able to reproduce all the relevant observations. To gain new insights into this phenomenon, we have undertaken a photometric Hubble Space Telescope survey to study clusters with masses comparable to that of old GCs, where MPs have been identified, but with significantly younger ages. Nine clusters in the Magellanic Clouds with ages between $\sim$ 1.5-11 Gyr have been targeted in this survey. We confirm the presence of multiple populations in all clusters older than 6 Gyr and we add NGC 1978 to the group of clusters for which MPs have been identified. With an age of $\sim$ 2 Gyr, NGC 1978 is the youngest cluster known to host chemical abundance spreads found to date. We do not detect evident star-to-star variations for slightly younger massive clusters ($\sim$ 1.7 Gyr), thus pointing towards an unexpected age dependence for the onset of multiple populations. This discovery suggests that the formation of MPs is not restricted to the early Universe and that GCs and young massive clusters share common formation and evolutionary processes., Comment: 14 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

We have measured astrometry for members of the Orion Nebula Cluster with images obtained in 2015 with the Wide Field Camera 3 on board the Hubble Space Telescope. By comparing those data to previous measurements with NICMOS on Hubble in 1998, we have discovered that a star in the Kleinmann-Low Nebula, source x from Lonsdale et al. (1982), is moving with an unusually high proper motion of 29 mas/yr, which corresponds to 55 km/s at the distance of Orion. Previous radio observations have found that three other stars in the Kleinmann-Low Nebula (BN and sources I and n) have high proper motions (5-14 mas/yr) and were near a single location ~540 years ago, and thus may have been members of a multiple system that dynamically decayed. The proper motion of source x is consistent with ejection from that same location 540 years ago, which provides strong evidence that the dynamical decay did occur and that the runaway star BN originated in the Kleinmann-Low Nebula rather than the nearby Trapezium cluster. However, our constraint on the motion of source n is significantly smaller than the most recent radio measurement, which indicates that it did not participate in the event that ejected the other three stars., Comment: Astrophysical Journal Letters, in press

We present the third paper about our ongoing HST survey for the search for multiple stellar populations (MPs) within Magellanic Cloud clusters. We report here the analysis of NGC 419, a $\sim 1.5$ Gyr old, massive ($\gtrsim 2 \times 10^5 \, {\rm M_{\odot}}$) star cluster in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). By comparing our photometric data with stellar isochrones, we set a limit on [N/Fe] enhancement of $\lesssim$+0.5 dex and hence we find that no MPs are detected in this cluster. This is surprising because, in the first two papers of this series, we found evidence for MPs in 4 other SMC clusters (NGC 121; Lindsay 1, NGC 339, NGC 416), aged from 6 Gyr up to $\sim 10-11$ Gyr. This finding raises the question whether age could play a major role in the MPs phenomenon. Additionally, our results appear to exclude mass or environment as the only key factors regulating the existence of a chemical enrichment, since all clusters studied so far in this survey are equally massive ($\sim 1-2 \times 10^5 \, {\rm M_{\odot}}$) and no particular patterns are found when looking at their spatial distribution in the SMC., Comment: MNRAS, accepted. 9 pages, 7 figures

This is the second paper in our series about the search for multiple populations in Magellanic Cloud star clusters using the Hubble Space Telescope. Here we report the detection of multiple stellar populations in the colour-magnitude diagrams of the intermediate-age clusters Lindsay 1, NGC 416 and NGC 339. With ages between 6.0 and 7.5 Gyr, these clusters are the youngest ones in which chemical abundance spreads have been detected so far. This confirms that the appearance of multiple populations is not restricted to only ancient globular clusters, but may also be a common feature in clusters as young as 6 Gyr. Our results are in agreement with a recent spectroscopic study of Lindsay 1. We found that the fraction of enriched stars in NGC 416 is ~45% whereas it is ~25% in NGC 339 and ~36% in Lindsay 1. Similar to NGC 121, these fractions are lower than the average value for globular clusters in the Milky Way., Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

We started a photometric survey using the WFC3/UVIS instrument onboard the Hubble Space Telescope to search for multiple populations within Magellanic Cloud star clusters at various ages. In this paper, we introduce this survey. As first results of this programme, we also present multi-band photometric observations of NGC 121 in different filters taken with the WFC3/UVIS and ACS/WFC instruments. We analyze the colour-magnitude diagram (CMD) of NGC 121, which is the only "classical" globular cluster within the Small Magellanic Cloud. Thereby, we use the pseudo-colour C_(F336W,F438W,F343N)=(F336W-F438W)-(F438W-F343N) to separate populations with different C and N abundances. We show that the red giant branch splits up in two distinct populations when using this colour combination. NGC 121 thus appears to be similar to Galactic globular clusters in hosting multiple populations. The fraction of enriched stars (N rich, C poor) in NGC 121 is about 32% +/- 3%, which is lower than the median fraction found in Milky Way globular clusters. The enriched population seems to be more centrally concentrated compared to the primordial one. These results are consistent with the recent results by Dalessandro et al. (2016). The morphology of the Horizontal Branch in a CMD using the optical filters F555W and F814W is best produced by a population with a spread in Helium of Delta(Y) =0.025+/-0.005., Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

We present Hubble Space Telescope photometry of NGC1850, a ~100 Myr, ~10^5 Msun cluster in the Large Magellanic Cloud. The colour magnitude diagram clearly shows the presence of an extended main sequence turnoff (eMSTO). The use of non-rotating stellar isochrones leads to an age spread of ~40 Myr. This is in good agreement with the age range expected when the effects of rotation in MSTO stars are wrongly interpreted in terms of age spread. We also do not find evidence for multiple, isolated episodes of star-formation bursts within the cluster, in contradiction to scenarios that invoke actual age spreads to explain the eMSTO phenomenon. NGC 1850 therefore continues the trend of eMSTO clusters where the inferred age spread is proportional to the age of the cluster. While our results confirm a key prediction of the scenario where stellar rotation causes the eMSTO feature, direct measurements of the rotational rate of MSTO stars is required to definitively confirm or refute whether stellar rotation is the origin of the eMSTO phenomenon or if it is due to an as yet undiscovered effect., Comment: MNRAS letters, in press

We present measurements of positions and relative proper motions in the 30 Doradus region of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). We detail the construction of a single-epoch astrometric reference frame, based on specially-designed observations obtained with the two main imaging instruments ACS/WFC and WFC3/UVIS onboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Internal comparisons indicate a sub milli-arc-second (mas) precision in the positions and the presence of semi-periodic systematics with a mean amplitude of ~0.8 mas. We combined these observations with numerous archival images taken with WFPC2 and spanning 17 years. The precision of the resulting proper motions for well-measured stars around the massive cluster R 136 can be as good as ~20 microarcsec/yr, although the true accuracy of proper motions is generally lower due to the residual systematic errors. The observed proper-motion dispersion for our highest-quality measurements is ~0.1 mas/yr. Our catalog of positions and proper motions contains 86,590 stars down to V~25 and over a total area of ~70 square arcmin. We examined the proper motions of 105 relatively bright stars and identified a total of 6 candidate runaway stars. We are able to tentatively confirm the runaway status of star VFTS 285, consistent with the findings from line-of-sight velocities, and to show that this star has likely been ejected from R 136. This study demonstrates that with HST it is now possible to reliably measure proper motions of individual stars in the nearest dwarf galaxies such as the LMC., Comment: 33 pages, 19 figures (1 in low-res), 3 tables. Accepted for publication in AJ

We present a new reduction pipeline for the VIRCAM@VISTA detector and describe the method developed to obtain high-precision astrometry with the VISTA Variables in the V\'ia L\'actea (VVV) data set. We derive an accurate geometric-distortion correction using as calibration field the globular cluster NGC 5139, and showed that we are able to reach a relative astrometric precision of about 8 mas per coordinate per exposure for well-measured stars over a field of view of more than 1 square degree. This geometric-distortion correction is made available to the community. As a test bed, we chose a field centered around the globular cluster NGC 6656 from the VVV archive and computed proper motions for the stars within. With 45 epochs spread over four years, we show that we are able to achieve a precision of 1.4 mas/yr and to isolate each population observed in the field (cluster, Bulge and Disk) using proper motions. We used proper-motion-selected field stars to measure the motion difference between Galactic disk and bulge stars. Our proper-motion measurements are consistent with UCAC4 and PPMXL, though our errors are much smaller. Models have still difficulties in reproducing the observations in this highly-reddened Galactic regions., Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures (some in low res), 1 table. Accepted for publication in MNRAS on March 25, 2015. The FORTRAN routine will be soon made available at http://groups.dfa.unipd.it/ESPG/ , and via email request to the first author

The Ophiuchus stream is a recently discovered stellar tidal stream in the Milky Way. We present high-quality spectroscopic data for 14 stream member stars obtained using the Keck and MMT telescopes. We confirm the stream as a fast moving ($v_{los}\sim290$ km s$^{-1}$), kinematically cold group ($\sigma_{v_{los}}\lesssim1$ km s$^{-1}$) of $\alpha$-enhanced and metal-poor stars (${\rm [\alpha/Fe]\sim0.4}$ dex, ${\rm [Fe/H]\sim-2.0}$ dex). Using a probabilistic technique, we model the stream simultaneously in line-of-sight velocity, color-magnitude, coordinate, and proper motion space, and so determine its distribution in 6D phase-space. We find that that the stream extends in distance from 7.5 to 9 kpc from the Sun; it is 50 times longer than wide, merely appearing highly foreshortened in projection. The analysis of the stellar population contained in the stream suggests that it is $\sim12$ Gyr old, and that its initial stellar mass was $\sim2\times10^4$ $M_{\odot}$ (or at least $\gtrsim7\times10^3$ $M_{\odot}$). Assuming a fiducial Milky Way potential, we fit an orbit to the stream which matches the observed phase-space distribution, except for some tension in the proper motions: the stream has an orbital period of $\sim350$ Myr, and is on a fairly eccentric orbit ($e\sim0.66$) with a pericenter of $\sim3.5$ kpc and an apocenter of $\sim17$ kpc. The phase-space structure and stellar population of the stream show that its progenitor must have been a globular cluster that was disrupted only $\sim240$ Myr ago. We do not detect any significant overdensity of stars along the stream that would indicate the presence of a progenitor, and conclude that the stream is all that is left of the progenitor., Comment: ApJ in press

High-precision astrometry requires accurate point-spread function modeling and accurate geometric-distortion corrections. This paper demonstrates that it is possible to achieve both requirements with data collected at the high acuity wide-field K-band imager (HAWK-I), a wide-field imager installed at the Nasmyth focus of UT4/VLT ESO 8m telescope. Our final astrometric precision reaches ~3 mas per coordinate for a well-exposed star in a single image with a systematic error less than 0.1 mas. We constructed calibrated astro-photometric catalogs and atlases of seven fields: the Baade's Window, NGC 6656, NGC 6121, NGC 6822, NGC 6388, NGC 104, and the James Webb Space Telescope calibration field in the Large Magellanic Cloud. We make these catalogs and images electronically available to the community. Furthermore, as a demonstration of the efficacy of our approach, we combined archival material taken with the optical wide-field imager at the MPI/ESO 2.2m with HAWK-I observations. We showed that we are able to achieve an excellent separation between cluster members and field objects for NGC 6656 and NGC 6121 with a time base-line of about 8 years. Using both HST and HAWK-I data, we also study the radial distribution of the SGB populations in NGC 6656 and conclude that the radial trend is flat within our uncertainty. We also provide membership probabilities for most of the stars in NGC 6656 and NGC 6121 catalogs and estimate membership for the published variable stars in these two fields., Comment: 36 pages (included appendix), 13 tables, 35 figures (26 in low resolution), accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Online materials will be soon available on CDS. Meanwhile, online materials can be requested directly to the first author

The Hyades cluster is an ideal target to study the dynamical evolution of a star cluster over the entire mass range due to its intermediate age and proximity to the Sun. We wanted to extend the Hyades mass function towards lower masses down to 0.1 Msol and to use the full three-dimensional spatial information to characterize the dynamical evolution of the cluster. We performed a kinematic and photometric selection using the PPMXL and Pan-STARRS1 sky surveys, to search for cluster members up to 30 pc from the cluster centre. We determined our detection efficiency and field star contamination rate to derive the cluster luminosity and mass functions down to masses of 0.1 Msol. The thorough astrometric and photometric constraints minimized the contamination. A minimum spanning tree algorithm was used to quantify the mass segregation. We discovered 43 new Hyades member candidates with velocity perpendicular to the Hyades motion up to 2 km/s. They have mass estimates between 0.43 and 0.09 Msol, for a total mass of 10 Msol. This doubles the number of Hyades candidates with masses smaller than 0.15 Msol. We provide an additional list of 11 possible candidates with velocity perpendicular to the Hyades motion up to 4 km/s. The cluster is significantly mass segregated. The extension of the mass function towards lower masses provided an even clearer signature than estimated in the past. We also identified as likely Hyades member an L0 dwarf previously assumed to be a field dwarf. Finally we question the membership of a number of previously published candidates, including a L2.5-type dwarf., Comment: 19 pages, 16 figures, 6 tables, including a table describing all Hyades candidates available only as file table6.csv and at CDS, and a table describing the new candidates in the text and as table5.tex; accepted by A&A

We present a detailed analysis of the upper main sequence of the 1.3 Gyr old open cluster Trumpler 20. High accuracy BV photometry combined with the Very Large Telescope/FLAMES medium-resolution spectroscopy of 954 stars is essential to understanding the unusual appearance of the color-magnitude diagram (CMD), initially suggesting multiple populations in Trumpler 20. We show that differential reddening is a dominant contributor to the apparent splitting/widening of the main-sequence turnoff region. At its extreme, the excess differential reddening reaches Delta(B-V)=0.1 while the adopted minimum reddening for the cluster is E(B-V)=0.36. A unique sample of measured projected rotational velocities indicates that stellar rotation is high near the main-sequence turnoff, reaching vsin i=180 km/s. By dividing the upper main-sequence stars into equal groups of slow and fast rotators, we find that fast rotators have a marginal blueshift of delta(V-I)=-0.01, corresponding to a difference in the median vsin i of 60 km/s between these subsamples. We conclude that stellar rotation has an insignificant effect on the morphology of the upper main sequence of this intermediate-age open cluster. Trumpler 20 appears to contain a single coeval population of stars but there is evidence that the red clump is extended., Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in ApJL

We present comprehensive cluster membership and g'r' photometry of the prototypical old, metal-rich Galactic star cluster NGC 6791. The proper-motion catalog contains 58,901 objects down to g'=24, limited to a circular area of radius 30 arcmin. The highest precision of the proper motions is 0.08 mas/yr. Our proper motions confirm cluster membership of all main and also some rare constituents of NGC 6791. The total number of probable cluster members down to g'=22 (M_V=+8) is 4800, corresponding to M_tot=5000 M_solar. New findings include an extended horizontal branch in this cluster. The angular radius of NGC 6791 is at least 15 arcmin (the effective radius is R_h=4.4 arcmin while the tidal radius is r_t=23 arcmin). The luminosity function of the cluster peaks at M_g'=+4.5 and then steadily declines toward fainter magnitudes. Our data provide evidence that differential reddening may not be ignored in NGC 6791., Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, published in ApJL

In this paper, we present for the first time a proper-motion-selected white dwarf (WD) sample of the old Galactic open cluster M 67, down to the bottom of the WD cooling sequence (CS). The color-magnitude diagram is based on data collected with the LBC-Blue camera at the prime focus of LBT. As first epoch data, we used CFHT-archive images collected 10 years before LBC data. We measured proper motions of all the identified sources. Proper motions are then used to separate foreground and background objects from the cluster stars, including WDs. Finally, the field-object cleaned WD CS in the V vs. B-I color-magnitude diagram is compared with the models. We confirm that the age derived from the location of the bottom of the WD CS is consistent with the turn off age., Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics on January 20, 2010

Context. We present a photometric and astrometric catalog of 187963 stars located in the field around the old super-metal-rich Galactic open cluster NGC 6253. The total field-of-view covered by the catalog is 34' x 33'. In this field, we provide CCD BVRI photometry. For a smaller region close to the cluster's center, we also provide near-infrared JHK photometry. Aims. We analyze the properties of NGC 6253 by using our new photometric data and astrometric membership. Methods. In June 2004, we targeted the cluster during a 10 day multi-site campaign, which involved the MPG/ESO 2.2m telescope with its wide-field imager and the Anglo-Australian 3.9m telescope, equipped with the IRIS2 near-infrared imager. Archival CCD images of NGC 6253 were used to derive relative proper motions and to calculate the cluster membership probabilities. Results. We have refined the cluster's fundamental parameters, deriving (V_0-M_v)=11.15, E(B - V)=0.15, E(V - I)=0.25, E(V - J)=0.50, and E(V - H)=0.55. The color excess ratios obtained using both the optical and near infrared colors indicate a normal reddening law in the direction of NGC 6253. The age of NGC 6253 at 3.5 Gyr, determined from our best-fitting isochrone appears to be slightly older than the previous estimates. Finally, we estimated the binary fraction among the cluster members to be \sim20%-30% and identified 11 blue straggler candidates., Comment: 16 pages, 13 figures, 11 tables. Accepted for publication in A&A. Catalog avaiable via CDS

We perform a new analysis of the extant ROSAT and XMM-Newton X-ray surveys of the southern open cluster Blanco 1, utilizing new BVIc photometric and proper motion data sets. In our study, we match optical counterparts to 47 X-ray sources associated with Blanco 1 cluster members, 6 of which were listed in previous X-ray studies as cluster nonmembers. Our new catalog of optical counterparts to X-ray sources clearly traces out the Blanco 1 main sequence in a CMD, extending from early G to mid-M spectral types. Additionally, we derive new Lx as well as Lx/Lbol ratios for confirmed cluster members. We compare these X-ray properties to other young open clusters, including the coeval Pleiades cluster, to investigate the relationship between age and X-ray activity. We find that stars in Blanco 1 generally exhibit X-ray properties similar to those of other open clusters, namely increasing Lx/Lbol with reducing mass for earlier-type stars, and a saturation limit of Lx/Lbol at a magnitude of 10^-3 for stars with V-Ic > 1.25. More generally, the X-ray detected stars in Blanco 1 have X-ray emission magnitudes that agree with the overall trends seen in the other young clusters. In a direct comparison of Blanco 1 to the Pleiades open cluster, members of both clusters have similar X-ray characteristics; however, there does appear to be some discrepancies in the distribution of Lx/Lbol as a function of color that may be related to scatter seen in the Pleiades CMD. Moreover, previous comparisons of this nature for Blanco 1 were not possible due to the reliance on photographic photometry. This is where the power of precise, homogeneous, and standardized CCD photometry allows for a high fidelity, detailed study of the X-ray properties of stars in Blanco 1. [abridged], Comment: 16 Pages, 11 Figures, 4 Tables, accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal

Omega Centauri is the most well studied Globular Cluster because of its numerous puzzling features. Intensive spectroscopic follow-up observing campaigns targeting stars at different positions on the color-magnitude diagram promises to clarify some of these peculiarities. To able to target cluster members reliably during spectroscopic surveys and both spatial and radial distributions in the cluster outskirts without including field stars, a high quality proper-motion catalog of omega Cen and membership probability determination are required. The only available wide field proper-motion catalog of omega Cen is derived from photographic plates, and only for stars brighter than B~16. Using ESO archive data, we create a new, CCD-based, proper-motion catalog for this cluster, extending to B~20. We used the high precision astrometric software developed specifically for data acquired by WFI@2.2m telescope and presented in the first paper of this series. We achieved a good cluster-field separation with a temporal base-line of only four years. We corrected our photometry for sky-concentration effects. We provide calibrated photometry for UBVRI wide-band data plus narrow-band filter data centered on H_alpha for almost 360 000 stars. We can confirm that the omega Cen metal-poor and the metal-rich components have the same proper motion, and demonstrate that the metal-intermediate component in addition exhibits the same mean motion as the other RGB stars. We provided membership probability determination for published omega Cen variable star catalogs. Our catalog extends the proper-motion measurements to fainter than the cluster turn-off luminosity, and covers a wide area (~33'x33') around the center of omega Cen. Our catalog is now electronically available to the astronomical community., Comment: 21 pages, 15 figures (8 in low resolution), shortened abstract, revised version, accepted (October 3rd, 2008) for publication in A&A

We show that the open cluster Trumpler 20, contrary to the earlier findings, is actually an old Galactic open cluster. New CCD photometry and high-resolution spectroscopy are used to derive the main parameters of this cluster. At [Fe/H]=-0.11 for a single red giant star, the metallicity is slightly subsolar. The best fit to the color-magnitude diagrams is achieved using a 1.3 Gyr isochrone with convective overshoot. The cluster appears to have a significant reddening at E(B-V)=0.46 (for B0 spectral type), although for red giants this high reddening yields the color temperature exceeding the spectroscopic T_eff by about 200 K. Trumpler 20 is a very rich open cluster, containing at least 700 members brighter than M_V=+4. It may extend over the field-of-view available in our study at 20'x20'., Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures; accepted for publication in MNRAS

The solar-age open cluster M67 (C0847+120, NGC2682) is a touchstone in studies of the old Galactic disk. Despite its outstanding role, the census of cluster membership for M67 at fainter magnitudes and their properties are not well-established. Using the proprietary and archival ESO data, we have obtained astrometric, photometric, and radial velocities of stars in a 34'x 33' field centered on the old open cluster M67. The two-epoch archival observations separated by 4 years and acquired with the Wide Field Imager at the 2.2m MPG/ESO telescope have been reduced with our new astrometric techniques, as described in the first paper of this series. The same observations served to derive calibrated BVI photometry in M67. Radial velocities were measured using the archival and new spectroscopic data obtained at VLT. We have determined relative proper motions and membership probabilities for ~2,400 stars. The precision of proper motions for optimally exposed stars is ~2 mas/yr, gradually degrading down to ~5 mas/yr at V= 20. Our relatively precise proper motions at V>16 are first obtained in this magnitude range for M67. Radial velocities are measured for 211 stars in the same field. We also present a detailed comparison with recent theoretical isochrones from several independent groups. For M67 area we provide positions, calibrated BVI photometry, relative proper motions, membership probabilities, and radial velocities. We demonstrate that the ground-based CCD mosaic observations just a few years apart are producing proper motions, allowing a reliable membership determination. We produced a catalogue that is made electronically available to the astronomical community., Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures, 5 table. Accepted (2008 February 25) on A&A

[Abridged] Contex. Young open clusters provide important clues to the interface between the main sequence and pre-main-sequence phases of stellar evolution. The young and nearby open cluster IC 2391 is well-suited to studies of these two evolutionary phases. Aims. We establish a bona fide set of cluster members and then analyze this set in terms of binary frequency, projected rotational velocities, [Fe/H], and lithium abundance. In the wake of the Hipparcos distance controversy for the Pleiades, we compare the main-sequence fitting distance modulus to the Hipparcos mean parallax for IC 2391. Results. The proper-motion survey covers a 6 times larger sky area than the prior targeted searches for cluster members in IC 2391. A total of 66 stars are considered bona fide cluster members down to a mass equivalent to 0.5M_sun. A quarter of them have been newly identified with many in the F2-K5 spectral range, which is crucial for a main-sequence fit. We find a mean [Fe/H] value of +0.06+/-0.06, when a solar abundance of log epsilon (Fe)=7.45 is adopted. The main sequence fitting yields a distance modulus that is 0.19 mag larger than that derived from Hipparcos parallaxes; thus this offset nearly has the size of a similar offset found for the Pleiades. The Li abundance pattern is similar to the earlier findings and is typical for a 40 Myr old open cluster., Comment: 18 pages, 11 figures, Astronomy & Astrophysics, in press

The advent of next-generation imaging telescopes such as LSST and Pan-STARRS has revitalized the need for deep and precise reference frames. The proposed weak-lensing observations with these facilities put the highest demands on image quality over wide angles on the sky. It is particularly difficult to achieve a sub-arcsecond PSF on stacked images, where precise astrometry plays a key role. Current astrometric standards are insufficient to achieve the science goals of these facilities. We thus propose the establishing of a few selected deep (V=25) astrometric standards (DAS). These will enable a reliable geometric calibration of solid-state mosaic detectors in the focal plane of large ground-based telescopes and make a substantial contribution to our understanding of stellar populations in the Milky Way. In this paper we motivate the need for such standards and discuss the strategy of their selection and acquisition and reduction techniques. The feasibility of DAS is demonstrated by a pilot study around the open cluster NGC 188, using the KPNO 4m CCD Mosaic camera, and by Subaru Suprime-Cam observations. The goal of reaching an accuracy of 5-10 mas in positions and obtaining absolute proper motions good to 2 mas/yr over a several square-degree area is challenging, but reachable with the NOAO 4m telescopes and CCD mosaic imagers or a similar set-up. Our proposed DAS aims to establish four fields near the Galactic plane, at widely separated coordinates. In addition to their utilitarian purpose for DAS, the data we will obtain in these fields will enable fundamental Galactic science in their own right. The positions, proper motions, and VI photometry of faint stars will address outstanding questions of Galactic disk formation and evolution, stellar buildup and mass assembly via merger events., Comment: 41 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in PASP

We present the third installment of the Yale/San Juan Southern Proper Motion Catalog, SPM3. Absolute proper motions, positions, and photographic B,V photometry are given for roughly 10.7 million objects, primarily stars, down to a magnitude of V=17.5. The Catalog covers an irregular area of 3700 square degrees, between the declinations of -20 and -45 degrees, excluding the Galactic plane. The proper-motion precision, for well-measured stars, is estimated to be 4.0 mas/yr. Unlike previous releases of the SPM Catalog, the proper motions are on the International Celestial Reference System by way of Hipparcos Catalog stars, and have an estimated systematic uncertainty of 0.4 mas/yr. The SPM3 Catalog is available via electronic transfer,(http://www.astro.yale.edu/astrom/) As an example of the potential of the SPM3 proper motions, we examine the Galactocentric velocities of a group of metal-poor, main-sequence A stars. The majority of these exhibit thick-disk kinematics, lending support to their interpretation as thick-disk blue stragglers, as opposed to being an accreted component., Comment: 23 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomical Journal

We present techniques for obtaining presision astrometry using old photographic plates from assorted large-aperture reflectors in combination with recent CCD Mosaic Imager frames. At the core of this approach is a transformation of plate/CCD coordinates into a previously constructed astrometric reference frame around the open cluster NGC 188. Our primary result is a new catalog of proper motions and positions for 7812 objects down to V=21 in the 0.75 square degree area around NGC 188. The precision for well-measured stars is 0.15 mas/yr for proper motions and 2 mas for positions on the system of the Tycho-2 catalog. The sum of membership probabilities indicates that NGC 188 contains 1050 stars down to V=21. Comprehensive lists of the candidate blue stragglers and red giants substantially enlarge the number of such stars known in NGC 188. We have also obtained a small correction to the proper motions from the mean `motion' of background galaxies. (Abridged), Comment: 37 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal

We analyze the K band luminosities of a sample of galactic long-period variables using parallaxes measured by the Hipparcos mission. The parallaxes are in most cases re-computed from the Hipparcos Intermediate Astrometric Data using improved astrometric fits and chromaticity corrections. The K band magnitudes are taken from the literature and from measurements by COBE, and are corrected for interstellar and circumstellar extinction. The sample contains stars of several spectral types: M, S and C, and of several variability classes: Mira, semiregular SRa, and SRb. We find that the distribution of stars in the period-luminosity plane is independent of circumstellar chemistry, but that the different variability types have different P-L distributions. Both the Mira variables and the SRb variables have reasonably well-defined period-luminosity relationships, but with very different slopes. The SRa variables are distributed between the two classes, suggesting that they are a mixture of Miras and SRb, rather than a separate class of stars. New period-luminosity relationships are derived based on our revised Hipparcos parallaxes. The Miras show a similar period-luminosity relationship to that found for Large Magellanic Cloud Miras by Feast et al. (1989). The maximum absolute K magnitude of the sample is about -8.2 for both Miras and semi-regular stars, only a little fainter than the expected AGB limit. We show that the stars with the longest periods (P>400d) have high mass loss rates and are almost all Mira variables., Comment: Comments welcome. Submitted to A&A 11 pages, 7 figs, 3 tables

Hipparcos observations of some variable stars, and especially of long-period (e.g. Mira) variables, reveal a motion of the photocenter correlated with the brightness variation ({variability-induced mover -- VIM), suggesting the presence of a binary companion. A re-analysis of the Hipparcos photometric and astrometric data does not confirm the VIM solution for 62 among the 288 VIM objects (21%) in the Hipparcos catalogue. Most of these 288 VIMs are long-period (e.g. Mira) variables (LPV). The effect of a revised chromaticity correction, which accounts for the color variations along the light cycle, was then investigated. It is based on `instantaneous' $V-I$ color indices derived from Hipparcos and Tycho-2 epoch photometry. Among the 188 LPVs flagged as VIM in the Hipparcos catalogue, 89 (47%) are not confirmed as VIM after this improved chromaticity correction is applied. This dramatic decrease in the number of VIM solutions is not surprising, since the chromaticity correction applied by the Hipparcos reduction consortia was based on a fixed $V-I$ color. Astrophysical considerations lead us to adopt a more stringent criterion for accepting a VIM solution (first-kind risk of 0.27% instead of 10% as in the Hipparcos catalogue). With this more severe criterion, only 27 LPV stars remain VIM, thus rejecting 161 of the 188 (86%) of the LPVs defined as VIMs in the Hipparcos catalogue., Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, accepted in A&A

For Hipparcos M, S, and C spectral type stars, we provide calibrated instantaneous (epoch) Cousins $V-I$ color indices using newly derived $HpV_{T2}$ photometry. Three new sets of ground-based Cousins $VI$ data have been obtained for more than 170 carbon and red M giants. These datasets in combination with the published sources of $VI$ photometry served to obtain the calibration curves linking Hipparcos/Tycho $Hp-V_{T2}$ with the Cousins $V-I$ index. In total, 321 carbon stars and 4464 M- and S-type stars have new $V-I$ indices. The standard error of the mean $V-I$ is about 0.1 mag or better down to $Hp\approx9$ although it deteriorates rapidly at fainter magnitudes. These $V-I$ indices can be used to verify the published Hipparcos $V-I$ color indices. Thus, we have identified a handful of new cases where, instead of the real target, a random field star has been observed. A considerable fraction of the DMSA/C and DMSA/V solutions for red stars appear not to be warranted. Most likely such spurious solutions may originate from usage of a heavily biased color in the astrometric processing., Comment: 10 figures, 1 electronic table, accepted in A&A

We present a revised catalog of 2106 Galactic stars, selected without kinematic bias, and with available radial velocities, distance estimates, and metal abundances in the range 0.0 <= [Fe/H] <= -4.0. This update of the Beers and Sommer-Larsen (1995) catalog includes newly-derived homogeneous photometric distance estimates, revised radial velocities for a number of stars with recently obtained high-resolution spectra, and refined metallicities for stars originally identified in the HK objective-prism survey (which account for nearly half of the catalog) based on a recent re-calibration. A subset of 1258 stars in this catalog have available proper motions, based on measurements obtained with the Hipparcos astrometry satellite, or taken from the updated Astrographic Catalogue (AC 2000; second epoch positions from either the Hubble Space Telescope Guide Star Catalog or the Tycho Catalogue), the Yale/San Juan Southern Proper Motion (SPM) Catalog 2.0, and the Lick Northern Proper Motion (NPM1) Catalog. Our present catalog includes 388 RR Lyrae variables (182 of which are newly added), 38 variables of other types, and 1680 non-variables, with distances in the range 0.1 to 40 kpc., Comment: 31 pages, including 8 figures, to appear in AJ (June 2000), full paper with all figures embedded available at http://pluto.mtk.nao.ac.jp/people/chiba/preprint/halo4/

We report the discovery of five T Tauri star systems, two of which are resolved binaries, in the vicinity of the nearest known region of recent star formation, the TW Hydrae Association. The newly discovered systems display the same signatures of youth (namely high X-ray flux, large Li abundance and strong chromospheric activity) and the same proper motion as the original five members. These similarities firmly establish the group as a bona fide T Tauri association, unique in its proximity to Earth and its complete isolation from any known molecular clouds. At an age of ~10 Myr and a distance of ~50 pc, the association members are excellent candidates for future studies of circumstellar disk dissipation and the formation of brown dwarfs and planets. Indeed, as an example, our speckle imaging revealed a faint, very likely companion 2" north of CoD-33 7795 (TWA 5). Its color and brightness suggest a spectral type ~M8.5 which, at an age of ~10^7 years, implies a mass ~20 M(Jupiter)., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures and 1 table. AAS LaTeX aas2pp4.sty. To be published in ApJ