Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2008-01-18
Astrophys.J.724:649-656,2010
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
30 pages, 9 figures
Scientific paper
10.1088/0004-637X/724/1/649
We use high-resolution {\sl Hubble Space Telescope} imaging observations of the young ($\sim 15-25$ Myr-old) star cluster NGC 1818 in the Large Magellanic Cloud to derive an estimate for the binary fraction of F stars ($1.3 < M_\star/M_\odot < 1.6$). This study provides the strongest constraints yet on the binary fraction in a young star cluster in a low-metallicity environment (${[Fe/H]} \sim -0.4$ dex). Employing artificial-star tests, we develop a simple method that can efficiently measure the probabilities of stellar blends and superpositions from the observed stellar catalog. We create synthetic color-magnitude diagrams matching the fundamental parameters of NGC 1818, with different binary fractions and mass-ratio distributions. We find that this method is sensitive to binaries with mass ratios, $q \ga 0.4$. For binaries with F-star primaries and mass ratios $q > 0.4$, the binary fraction is $\sim 0.35$. This suggests a total binary fraction for F stars of 0.55 to unity, depending on assumptions about the form of the mass-ratio distribution at low $q$.
deGrijs Richard
Deng Licai
Goodwin Simon P.
Hu Yi
Liu Qiaohong
No associations
LandOfFree
The binary fraction of the young cluster NGC 1818 in the Large Magellanic Cloud 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 The binary fraction of the young cluster NGC 1818 in the Large Magellanic Cloud, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and The binary fraction of the young cluster NGC 1818 in the Large Magellanic Cloud will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-690647