When does the onset of multiple stellar populations in star clusters occur? Detection of enriched stellar populations in NGC 2121

• Published in: arXiv.org
• Main Authors: Li, Chengyuan, de Grijs, Richard
• Format: Paper Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ithaca Cornell University Library, arXiv.org 31.03.2019
• Subjects: Abundance; Astronomical models; Globular clusters; Hubble Space Telescope; Magellanic clouds; Organic chemistry; Parameters; Phase transitions; Physics - Astrophysics of Galaxies; Physics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics; Space telescopes; Star clusters; Stellar age; Stellar populations
• ISSN: 2331-8422
• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.1904.00508

Star-to-star light-element abundance variations, know as multiple stellar populations (MPs), are common in almost all Galactic globular clusters. Recently, MPs have also been detected in a number of massive clusters with ages in excess of 2 Gyr in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), thus indicating that age is likely a control parameter for the presence of MPs. However, to conclusively confirm this notion, additional studies of star clusters in the LMC's `age gap' of 3--6 Gyr are required. Here, we use {\sl Hubble Space Telescope} observations to study the 3 Gyr-old cluster NGC 2121. Compared with so-called `simple' stellar population models, the cluster's red-giant branch exhibits an apparent spread in a specific color index that is sensitive to intrinsic chemical spreads. The observed spread can be explained by an intrinsic spread in nitrogen abundance of \(\sim\)0.5--1.0 dex}. NGC 2121 has a comparable mass to its younger counterparts without MPs, indicating that cluster mass might not be the dominant parameter controlling the presence of MPs. The transition phase between the occurrence of clusters with or without MPs seems to occur at ages of 2--3 Gyr, indicating that cluster age may play a dominant role in the establishment of MPs.