The ACS Survey of Galactic Globular Clusters. IX. Horizontal Branch Morphology and the Second Parameter Phenomenon

TL;DR

This study investigates the factors influencing horizontal branch (HB) morphology in globular clusters, finding that age is the primary second parameter after metallicity, with central density also playing a significant role.

Contribution

The paper demonstrates that age is the dominant second parameter affecting HB morphology, supported by homogeneous HST data analysis and expanded sample inclusion.

Findings

Age correlates strongly with HB morphology after metallicity removal.

Central density correlates with HB morphology in clusters with similar metallicities and ages.

Age is identified as the second parameter, and central density as the third, influencing HB characteristics.

Abstract

The horizontal branch (HB) morphology of globular clusters (GCs) is most strongly influenced by metallicity. The second parameter phenomenon acknowledges that metallicity alone is not enough to describe the HB morphology of all GCs. In particular, the outer Galactic halo contains GCs with redder HBs at a given metallicity than are found inside the Solar circle. Thus, at least a second parameter is required to characterize HB morphology. Here we analyze the median color difference between the HB and the red giant branch (RGB), d(V-I), measured from HST ACS photometry of 60 GCs within ~20 kpc of the Galactic Center. Analysis of this homogeneous data set reveals that, after the influence of metallicity has been removed, the correlation between d(V-I) and age is stronger than that of any other parameter considered. Expanding the sample to include HST photometry of the 6 most distant Galactic GCs lends additional support to the correlation between d(V-I) and age. This result is robust with respect to the adopted metallicity scale and the method of age determination, but must bear the caveat that high quality, detailed abundance information is not available for a significant fraction of the sample. When a subset of GCs with similar metallicities and ages are considered, a correlation between d(V-I) and central luminosity density is exposed. With respect to the existence of GCs with anomalously red HBs at a given metallicity, we conclude that age is the second parameter and central density is most likely the third. Important problems related to HB morphology in GCs, notably multi-modal distributions and faint blue tails, remain to be explained. (Abridged)