Search

Globular clusters trace the formation history of the spheroidal components of both our Galaxy and others, which represent the bulk of star formation over the history of the universe. They also exhibit a range of metallicities, with metal-poor clusters dominating the stellar halo of the Galaxy, and higher metallicity clusters found within the inner Galaxy, associated with the stellar bulge, or the thick disk. Age differences between these clusters can indicate the sequence in which the components of the Galaxy formed, and in particular which clusters were formed outside the Galaxy and later swallowed along with their original host galaxies, and which were formed in situ. Here we present an age determination of the metal-rich globular cluster 47 Tucanae by fitting the properties of the cluster white dwarf population, which implies an absolute age of 9.9 (0.7) Gyr at 95% confidence. This is about 2.0 Gyr younger than inferred for the metal-poor cluster NGC 6397 from the same models, and provides quantitative evidence that metal-rich clusters like 47 Tucanae formed later than the metal-poor halo clusters like NGC 6397., Comment: Main Article: 10 pages, 4 figures; Supplementary Info 15 pages, 5 figures. Nature, Aug 1, 2013

The nearby star GJ 1214 hosts a planet intermediate in radius and mass between Earth and Neptune, resulting in some uncertainty as to its nature. We have observed this planet, GJ 1214b, during transit with the high-resolution, near-infrared NIRSPEC spectrograph on the Keck II telescope, in order to characterize the planet's atmosphere. By cross-correlating the spectral changes through transit with a suite of theoretical atmosphere models, we search for variations associated with absorption in the planet atmosphere. Our observations are sufficient to rule out tested model atmospheres with wavelength-dependent transit depth variations >5e-4 over the wavelength range 2.1 - 2.4 micron. Our sensitivity is limited by variable slit loss and telluric transmission effects. We find no positive signatures but successfully rule out a number of plausible atmospheric models, including the default assumption of a gaseous, H-dominated atmosphere in chemical equilibrium. Such an atmosphere can be made consistent if the absorption due to methane is reduced. Clouds can also render such an atmosphere consistent with our observations, but only if they lie higher in the atmosphere than indicated by recent optical and infrared measurements. When taken in concert with constraints from other groups, our results support a consensus model in which the atmosphere of GJ 1214b contains significant H and He, but where methane is depleted. If this depletion is the result of photochemical processes, it may also produce a haze that suppresses spectral features in the optical., Comment: 32 pages, 15 figures, preprint, accepted to ApJ, responded to referee's comments. Comments welcome

The evidence is mounting that star formation necessarily involves planet formation. We clearly have a vested interest in finding other Earths but a true understanding of planet formation requires completing the census and mapping planetary architecture in all its grandeur and diversity. Here, we show that a 2000-star survey undertaken with SIM Lite will uniquely probe planets around B-A-F stars, bright and binary stars and white dwarfs. In addition, we show that the high precision of SIM Lite allows us to gain unique insights into planet formation via accurate measurements of mutual inclinations., Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, submitted to The Astronomy and Astrophysics Decadal Survey

We discuss atmosphere models of HD209458b in light of the recent day-side flux measurement of HD209458b's secondary eclipse by Spitzer-MIPS at 24 microns. In addition, we present a revised secondary eclipse IRTF upper limit at 2.2 microns which places a stringent constraint on the adjacent H2O absorption band depths. These two measurements are complementary because they are both shaped by H2O absorption and because the former is on the Wien tail of the planet's thermal emission spectrum and the latter is near the thermal emission peak. A wide range of models fit the observational data, confirming our basic understanding of hot Jupiter atmospheric physics. Although a range of models are viable, some models at the hot and cold end of the plausible temperature range can be ruled out. One class of previously unconsidered hot Jupiter atmospheric models that fit the data are those with C/O >~ 1 (as Jupiter may have), which have a significant paucity of H2O compared to solar abundance models with C/O = 0.5. The models indicate that HD209458b is in a situation intermediate between pure in situ reradiation and very efficient redistribution of heat; one which will require a careful treatment of atmospheric circulation. We discuss how future wavelength-dependent and phase-dependent observations will further constrain the atmospheric circulation regime. In the shorter term, additional planned measurements for HD209458b, especially Spitzer IRAC photometry, should lift many of the model degeneracies. Multiwavelength IR observations constrain the atmospheric structure and circulation properties of hot Jupiters and thus open a new chapter in quantitative extrasolar planetology., Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, submitted to ApJ

We respond to the paper by De Marchi, Paresce, Straniero and Moroni (2003) on the white dwarf cooling age of M4. The authors question the data analysis and interpretation that led to the conclusions in Hansen et al. (2002). In their paper, De Marchi et al. are unable to obtain photometry as deep as ours from the same data set and therefore assert that only a lower limit to the white dwarf cooling age for this cluster of approximately 9 Gyr can be obtained. In this short contribution we show that shortcomings in the data analysis and reduction techniques of De Marchi et al. are responsible for their inability to reach the photometry limits that our study reports. In a forthcoming paper in which the complete techniques for age determination with white dwarfs are laid out, we demonstrate that their method of fitting the luminosity function gives a spuriously low white dwarf cooling age., Comment: 14 pages, 5 figures, AJ in press

This paper presents new results from a photometric study of the main-sequence stars in M4, the closest globular cluster to the sun. Multi-field, multi-epoch observations at approximately 1, 2, and 6 core-radii were obtained with the WFPC2 camera on the HST. The multi-epoch observations allowed us to clean the data on the basis of proper motion. In all the fields the cluster main sequence can be traced to at least V = 27.0 but there remains a trail of stars to the limit of the data near V = 30 in the deepest outer field. There is no evidence that we have reached the end of the hydrogen burning main sequence in any of our fields, however, there is some indication that very few stars remain to be detected in the deepest data. The scatter about the cluster main sequence yields a surprisingly small and variable binary fraction; f_b = 2% in the inner parts of the cluster falling to the 1% range outside. For the currently visible main sequence stars, the cluster mass function is very flat (alpha =0.1) in the outer field and flattens further in the inner fields suggesting well developed mass segregation. The observed variation in the mass function is broadly consistent with isotropic, multi-mass Michie-King models. Because we have a large sample of white dwarfs in the outer field we are able to show that the cluster IMF above 0.8Msun was considerably steeper than the present day mass function for low mass stars. Two appendicies are included in this contribution; a detailed discussion of the techniques used to reduce the data and a direct comparison between the cluster stars and those belonging to the inner spheroid of the Galaxy yielding a Galactocentric distance of 7.5+/-0.6 kpc., Comment: 37 pages, 14 figures, submitted to AJ

Early data taken during commissioning of the SDSS have resulted in the discovery of a very cool white dwarf. It appears to have stronger collision induced absorption from molecular hydrogen than any other known white dwarf, suggesting it has a cooler temperature than any other. While its distance is presently unknown, it has a surprisingly small proper motion, making it unlikely to be a halo star. An analysis of white dwarf cooling times suggests that this object may be a low-mass star with a helium core. The SDSS imaging and spectroscopy also recovered LHS 3250, the coolest previously known white dwarf, indicating that the SDSS will be an effective tool for identifying these extreme objects., Comment: 15 pages, including 5 figures. Accepted for Astrophysical Journal Letters

Most plausible scenarios for the formation of planets around pulsars end with a disk of gas around the pulsar. The supplicant author then points to the solar system to bolster faith in the miraculous transfiguration of gas into planets. We here investigate this process of transfiguration. We derive analytic sequences of quasi-static disks which give good approximations to exact solutions of the disk diffusion equation with realistic opacity tables. These allow quick and efficient surveys of parameter space. We discuss the outward transfer of mass in accretion disks and the resulting timescale constraints, the effects of illumination by the central source on the disk and dust within it, and the effects of the widely different elemental compositions of the disks in the various scenarios, and their extensions to globular clusters. We point out where significant uncertainties exist in the appropriate grain opacities, and in the effect of illumination and winds from the neutron star.