The Horizontal Branch of NGC 1851: Constraints from its RR Lyrae Variables

TL;DR

This study uses pulsational properties of RR Lyrae stars in NGC 1851 to constrain its multiple stellar populations, revealing helium variation effects on their periods and amplitudes, and linking these to sub-population origins.

Contribution

It demonstrates that RR Lyrae pulsational properties can effectively trace sub-populations and constrain helium variations in globular clusters with multiple stellar populations.

Findings

Minor helium variations reproduce observed RR Lyrae properties.

RR Lyrae periods correlate with helium content, resembling Oosterhoff types.

RR Lyrae origins linked to bright subgiant branch progeny.

Abstract

We use the pulsational properties of the RR Lyrae variables in the globular cluster NGC 1851 to obtain detailed constraints of the various sub-stellar populations present along its horizontal branch. On the basis of detailed synthetic horizontal branch modeling, we find that minor helium variations (Y~0.248-0.280) are able to reproduce the observed periods and amplitudes of the RR Lyrae variables, as well as the frequency of fundamental and first-overtone RR Lyrae stars. Comparison of number ratios amongst the blue and red horizontal branch components and the two observed subgiant branches also suggest that the RR Lyrae variables originated from the progeny of the bright subgiant branch. The RR Lyrae variables with a slightly enhanced helium (Y~0.270-0.280) have longer periods at a given amplitude, as is seen with Oosterhoff II (OoII) RR Lyrae variables, whereas the RR Lyrae variables with Y~0.248-0.270 have shorter periods, exhibiting properties of Oosterhoff I (OoI) variables. This correlation does suggest that the pulsational properties of RR Lyrae stars can be very useful for tracing the various sub-populations and can provide suitable constraints on the multiple population phenomenon. It appears of great interest to explore whether this conclusion can be generalized to other globular clusters hosting multiple populations.