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The Astrophysical Journal
Article . 1995 . Peer-reviewed
Data sources: Crossref
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https://dx.doi.org/10.48550/ar...
Article . 1994
License: arXiv Non-Exclusive Distribution
Data sources: Datacite
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Absolute ages of globular clusters and the age of the universe

Authors: Chaboyer, Brian;

Absolute ages of globular clusters and the age of the universe

Abstract

The main sequence turnoff luminosity is the best stellar `clock' which can be used to determine the absolute ages of globular clusters. This is due to the fact that it is generally assumed that the luminosity and lifetimes of main sequence globular cluster stars are independent of the properties of stellar convection and atmospheres, two areas of stellar evolution which are poorly understood. Several possible sources of error in this stellar clock are discussed, and isochrones are constructed using a variety of different physical assumptions. The mean age of the oldest globular clusters are determined from these isochrones and it is found that the uncertainties in the input physics can lead to changes in the derived age of $\pm 15\%$. Surprisingly the largest source of error is the mixing length theory of convection. It is well known that uncertainties in the distance scale and chemical composition of globular cluster stars lead to changes of order $\sim 22\%$ in the determination of absolute ages. Combining the various sources of error, the absolute age of the oldest globular clusters are found to lie in the range 11 --- 21 Gyr. This is meant to be a total theoretical range. For the standard inflationary model ($��= 1, ��= 0$), a minimum age of the universe of 11 Gyr requires $H_o \la 60~\kmsmpc$.

7 pages, AAS LaTeX, postscript file available from: ftp://ftp.cita.utoronto.ca/cita/brian/papers/gcage.ps

Keywords

Astrophysics (astro-ph), FOS: Physical sciences, Astrophysics

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
74
Top 10%
Top 1%
Top 10%
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