Massive star archeology in globular clusters

TL;DR

This paper explores how studying multiple stellar populations in globular clusters reveals insights into their early history when they hosted massive stars, using spectroscopic and photometric data.

Contribution

It demonstrates how the analysis of multiple populations in globular clusters can be used for massive star archeology, revealing details of their early gaseous and stellar phases.

Findings

Multiple populations bear nucleosynthetic fingerprints of early massive stars

Spectroscopy and photometry unveil details of globular clusters' early epochs

Massive star archeology is feasible through current observational techniques

Abstract

Globular clusters are among the oldest structures in the Universe and they host today low-mass stars and no gas. However, there has been a time when they formed as gaseous objects hosting a large number of short-lived, massive stars. Many details on this early epoch have been depicted recently through unprecedented dissection of low-mass globular cluster stars via spectroscopy and photometry. In particular, multiple populations have been identified, which bear the nucleosynthetic fingerprints of the massive hot stars long disappeared. Here we discuss how massive star archeology can been done through the lens of these multiple populations.