A Precision Age Determination Technique for Globular Clusters

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dc.creatorChaboyer, Brian
dc.creatorDemarque, Pierre
dc.creatorKernan, Peter
dc.creatorKrauss, Lawrence M.
dc.creatorSarajedini, Ata
dc.date1996-04-20
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T02:21:10Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T02:21:10Z
dc.descriptionGlobular cluster age estimates based on the absolute magnitude of the main sequence turn-off (\mvto) are generally considered to be the most reliable from a theoretical viewpoint. However, the difficulty in determining \mvto\ in observed colour-magnitude diagrams leads to a large error in the derived age. In this paper, we advocate the use of the absolute magnitude of the point which is brighter than the turn-off and 0.05 mag redder (\mvb) as a precision age indicator. It is easy to measure this point on observed colour-magnitude diagrams, leading to small observational error bars. Furthermore, an extensive Monte Carlo calculation indicates that the theoretical uncertainty in \mvb\ is similar to \mvto. As a result, ages derived using \mvb\ are at least a factor of 2 more precise than those derived using \mvto. This technique is applied to the globular cluster M68 and an age of $12.8\pm 0.3\,$Gyr is derived (assuming $\mvrr = 0.20\,\feh + 0.98$), indicating that M68 is a `young' globular cluster. A homogeneous set of globular cluster age estimates with this precision would provide unprecedented insight into the formation of the Galactic halo.
dc.description6 pages, latex file must be processed using mn.sty file also included. 2 postscript figures included which will be embedded in text when Tex'd
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/9604122
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/9604122
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/10454
dc.subjectAstrophysics
dc.titleA Precision Age Determination Technique for Globular Clusters
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