Bibcode
DOI
Siegel, Michael H.; Dotter, Aaron; Majewski, Steven R.; Sarajedini, Ata; Chaboyer, Brian; Nidever, David L.; Anderson, Jay; Marín-Franch, Antonio; Rosenberg, Alfred; Bedin, Luigi R.; Aparicio, Antonio; King, Ivan; Piotto, Giampaolo; Reid, I. Neill
Bibliographical reference
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 667, Issue 1, pp. L57-L60.
Advertised on:
9
2007
Journal
Citations
194
Refereed citations
171
Description
As part of the ACS Survey of Galactic Globular Clusters, we present new
Hubble Space Telescope photometry of the massive globular cluster M54
(NGC 6715) and the superposed core of the tidally disrupted Sagittarius
(Sgr) dSph galaxy. Our deep (F606W ~ 26.5), high-precision photometry
yields an unprecedentedly detailed color-magnitude diagram showing the
extended blue horizontal branch and multiple main sequences of the
M54+Sgr system. The distance and reddening to M54 are revised using both
isochrone and main-sequence fitting to (m-M)0=17.27 and
E(B-V)=0.15. Preliminary assessment finds the M54+Sgr field to be
dominated by the old metal-poor populations of Sgr and the globular
cluster. Multiple turnoffs indicate the presence of at least two
intermediate-aged star formation epochs with 4 and 6 Gyr ages and
[Fe/H]=-0.4 to -0.6. We also clearly show, for the first time, a
prominent, ~2.3 Gyr old Sgr population of near-solar abundance. A trace
population of even younger (~0.1-0.8 Gyr old), more metal-rich
([Fe/H]~0.6) stars is also indicated. The Sgr age-metallicity relation
is consistent with a closed-box model and multiple (4-5) star formation
bursts over the entire life of the satellite, including the time since
Sgr began disrupting.
This is the fourth paper in the series based on observations with the
NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science
Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for
Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555, under
program GO-10775 (PI: A. Sarajedini).