Bayesian calibration of the mixing length parameter ${\alpha }_{ML}$ and of the helium-to-metal enrichment ratio $\Delta Y/\Delta Z$ with open clusters: the Hyades test-bed

Abstract

We tested the capability of a Bayesian procedure to calibrate both the helium abundance and the mixing length parameter (${\alpha }_{ML}$), using precise photometric data for main-sequence (MS) stars in a cluster with negligible reddening and well-determined distance. The method has been applied first to a mock data set generated to mimic Hyades MS stars and then to the real Hyades cluster. We tested the impact on the results of varying the number of stars in the sample, the photometric errors, and the estimated [Fe/H]. The analysis of the synthetic data set shows that ${\alpha }_{ML}$ is recovered with a very good precision in all the analysed cases (with an error of few percent), while [Fe/H] and the helium-to-metal enrichment ratio $\Delta Y/\Delta Z$ are more problematic. If spectroscopic determinations of [Fe/H] are not available and thus [Fe/H] has to be recovered alongside with $\Delta Y/\Delta Z$ and ${\alpha }_{ML}$, the well-known degeneracy between [Fe/H]-$\Delta Y/\Delta Z$-${\alpha }_{ML}$ could result in a large uncertainty on the recovered parameters, depending on the portion of the MS used for the analysis. On the other hand, the prior knowledge of an accurate [Fe/H] value puts a strong constraint on the models, leading to a more precise parameters recovery. Using the current set of PISA models, the most recent [Fe/H] value and the Gaia photometry and parallaxes for the Hyades cluster, we obtained the average values $<{\alpha }_{ML}>=2.01\pm 0.05$ and $<\Delta Y/\Delta Z>=2.03\pm 0.33$, sensitively reducing the uncertainty in these important parameters.

Accepted for publication in MNRAS

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