Submitting Campus

Daytona Beach

Department

Physical Sciences

Document Type

Article

Publication/Presentation Date

5-1-2009

Abstract/Description

We have extended our Bayesian modeling of stellar clusters—which uses main-sequence stellar evolution models, a mapping between initial masses and white dwarf (WD) masses, WD cooling models, and WD atmospheres—to include binary stars, field stars, and two additional main-sequence stellar evolution models. As a critical test of our Bayesian modeling technique, we apply it to Hyades UBV photometry, with membership priors based on proper motions and radial velocities, where available. Under the assumption of a particular set of WD cooling models and atmosphere models, we estimate the age of the Hyades based on cooling WDs to be 648 ± 45 Myr, consistent with the best prior analysis of the cluster main-sequence turnoff (MSTO) age by Perryman et al. Since the faintest WDs have most likely evaporated from the Hyades, prior work provided only a lower limit to the cluster's WD age. Our result demonstrates the power of the bright WD technique for deriving ages and further demonstrates complete age consistency between WD cooling and MSTO ages for seven out of seven clusters analyzed to date, ranging from 150 Myr to 4 Gyr.

Publication Title

The Astrophysical Journal

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/696/1/12

Publisher

Institute of Physics Publishing, Inc.

Grant or Award Name

NASA grant No. NAG5- 13070 and National Science Foundation grant AST 06-07480.

Additional Information

Dr. von Hippel was not affiliated with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University at the time this paper was published.

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