WIYN Open Cluster Study: Inverting Color-Magnitude Diagrams to dAccess Precise Star Cluster Parameters: The Hyades as Test Case

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy

Scientific paper

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

Scientific paper

We demonstrate a Bayesian technique to invert color-magnitude diagrams of main-sequence and white dwarf stars to reveal the underlying cluster properties of age, distance, metallicity, and line-of-sight absorption, as well as individual stellar masses. The advantages our technique has over traditional analyses of color-magnitude diagrams are objectivity, precision, and explicit dependence on prior knowledge of cluster parameters. Within the confines of a given set of often-used models of stellar evolution, the initial-final mass relation, and white dwarf cooling, and assuming photometric errors that one could reasonably achieve with the Hubble Space Telescope, our technique yields exceptional precision for even modest numbers of cluster stars. To test the accuracy of our method, we apply our technique to a large set of data on the well-studied Hyades open cluster. We explore the dependence of our results on the choice of priors for cluster parameters, the number of stars included, and the particular main-sequence and white dwarf cooling models used. We find results generally in agreement with accepted values for the Hyades, even in cases with unrestrictive priors. Further, we find that our technique is limited in large measure by the lack of agreement between theory and observation for the low mass main-sequence models.

No associations

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for scientists and scientific papers. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

WIYN Open Cluster Study: Inverting Color-Magnitude Diagrams to dAccess Precise Star Cluster Parameters: The Hyades as Test Case does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with WIYN Open Cluster Study: Inverting Color-Magnitude Diagrams to dAccess Precise Star Cluster Parameters: The Hyades as Test Case, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and WIYN Open Cluster Study: Inverting Color-Magnitude Diagrams to dAccess Precise Star Cluster Parameters: The Hyades as Test Case will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1478036

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.