Relative and absolute ages of Galactic globular clusters

Abstract

AbstractWe present a review of the latest work concerned with the relative and absolute ages of the Galactic globular clusters (GCs). Relative age-dating techniques generally divide into two types - those that measure a magnitude difference between two features in the color-magnitude diagram (i.e. Vertical Methods) and those that rely on color differences in the color-magnitude diagram (i.e. Horizontal Methods). Both types of diagnostics have been successfully applied and generally reach the same conclusions. Galactic GCs exhibit a mean age range of ~3 Gyr, smaller (or nonexistent) for metal-poor clusters and larger (as much as 6 Gyr) for metal-rich ones. Generally speaking, the inner-halo GCs are older and more uniform in age as compared with those outside of the solar circle. Furthermore, the tendency of GCs with predominantly red horizontal branches (HBs) located in the outer halo to be preferentially younger than those with bluer HBs closer to the Galactic center suggests that age is the second parameter which, in addition to metal abundance, controls the HB morphology. In particular, we present additional compelling evidence supporting this assertion using a detailed examination of new photometry for the classic second-parameter cluster pair NGC 288 and NGC 362. Moving on to the absolute ages, we note that the absolute ages of the most metal-poor Galactic GCs sets a lower limit on the age of the Universe. The preferred age indicator for absolute ages is the luminosity of the main-sequence turnoff because most theoretical models agree on the onset of hydrogen exhaustion in the cores of low-mass stars. Based on the technique of main-sequence fitting to field subdwarfs with Hipparcos parallaxes, we find an age of 11.6+1.4−1.1 Gyr for four metal-poor GCs with deep color-magnitude diagrams on a consistent photometric scale; this age is consistent with the results of a number of previous investigations.