On the membership of variable stars in galactic globular clusters: The Oosterhoff gap

TL;DR

This study critically re-evaluates variable star memberships in globular clusters using Gaia data, confirming the Oosterhoff gap and its association with dwarf galaxy clusters and past merger events.

Contribution

It provides a revised list of cluster members based on Gaia proper motions, clarifying the Oosterhoff dichotomy and its relation to galactic accretion history.

Findings

Many variable stars previously associated with clusters are field stars.

The Oosterhoff gap is confirmed and linked to dwarf galaxy clusters.

Clusters in the gap are often associated with past merger events.

Abstract

We have performed a critical evaluation of the membership status of all variable stars in globular clusters recorded in the Catalogue of Variable Stars in Globular Clusters (CVSGC) curated by Christine Clement. To this end, we employed the systematic and bulky membership analysis performed by E. Vasiliev and H. Baumgardt based on the proper motions and parallaxes given in Gaia-EDR3. We found numerous variables in the CVSGC which are in fact field stars, which is particularly the case for globular clusters located in the Galactic bulge. Using the newly acquired list of reliable cluster members we examine the Oosterhoff dichotomy present among the Milky Way (MW) globular clusters using their RR Lyrae stars content. We confirm the presence of the Oosterhoff gap, separating both Oosterhoff groups. The Oosterhoff gap is mostly populated by globular clusters associated with MW dwarf galaxies and globular clusters with a low number of fundamental mode RR Lyrae variables. Several of the clusters in the Oosterhoff gap were previously linked to past merger events (e.g. Kraken/Heracles).