G2C2-IV.A novel approach to study the radial distributions of multiple populations in Galactic globular clusters




Vanderbeke J, De Propris R, De Rijcke S, Baes M, West M, Alonso-Garcia J, Kunder A

PublisherOXFORD UNIV PRESS

2015

 Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society

MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY

MON NOT R ASTRON SOC

451

1

275

281

7

0035-8711

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stv928



We use the horizontal branch (HB) morphology of 48 Galactic globular clusters (GCs) to study the radial distributions of the different stellar populations known to exist in GCs. Assuming that the (extremely) blue HB stars correspond to stars enriched in helium and light elements, we compare the radial distributions of stars selected according to colour on the HB to trace the distribution of the secondary stellar populations in GCs. Unlike other cases, our data show that the populations are well mixed in 80 per cent of the cases studied. This provides some constraints on the mechanisms proposed to pollute the interstellar medium in young GCs.




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