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Title:
White dwarfs and mass segregation in the core of 47 Tucanae
Authors:
Paresce, Francesco; de Marchi, Guido; Jedrzejewski, Robert
Affiliation:
AA(Space Telescope Science Inst., Baltimore, MD, US), AB(Space Telescope Science Inst., Baltimore, MD, US), AC(Space Telescope Science Inst., Baltimore, MD, US)
Publication:
Astrophysical Journal, Part 2 - Letters (ISSN 0004-637X), vol. 442, no. 2, p. L57-L60 (ApJL Homepage)
Publication Date:
04/1995
Category:
Astronomy
Origin:
STI
NASA/STI Keywords:
Globular Clusters, Main Sequence Stars, Mass Distribution, Spaceborne Astronomy, Stellar Luminosity, Ultraviolet Astronomy, White Dwarf Stars, Faint Object Camera, Hubble Space Telescope, Milky Way Galaxy, Stellar Mass
DOI:
10.1086/187815
Bibliographic Code:
1995ApJ...442L..57P

Abstract

The core of the galactic globular cluster (GC) 47 Tucanae was observed by the Faint Object Camera (FOC) on the refurbished Hubble Space Telescope (HST) for the first time through medium-band F253M and F346M filters centered at 255 and 348 nm. A total of 442 stars down to the detection limit at m346 approximately equal to 24 in the 7 sec x 7 sec field were accurately placed on a m346 versus m253 - M346 magnitude diagram to characterize the stellar populations in the core. Approximately 100 objects above and to the right of the main-sequence (MS) turnoff (TO) are the same as those classified earlier with the aberrated HST, but the rest below it are new objects seen now for the first time thanks to the substantial improvement in sensitivity. The new objects form a well-defined main sequence whose luminosity function (LF) turns over dramatically at m346 approximately equal to 19 well before the completeness limit and well before the end of the slowly increasing luminosity function for the outer fields measured from the ground by Hesser et al. We interpret this premature drop in the number of stars below approximately 0.8 solar masses in the core as the effect of mass segregation due to two-body relaxation. The position of nine objects in the range 20 less than m346 less than 24 and -1.5 less than m253 - m346 less than 0 is consistent with the expected location of a approx. a half solar mass white dwarf cooling sequence and luminosity function.

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