New Techniques to Determine Ages of Open Clusters Using White Dwarfs

Abstract

Currently there are two main techniques for independently determining the ages of stellar populations: main sequence evolution theory (via cluster isochrones) and white dwarf cooling theory. Open clusters provide the ideal environment for the calibration of these two clocks. Because current techniques to derive cluster ages from white dwarfs are observationally challenging, we discuss the feasibility of determining white dwarf ages from the brighter white dwarfs alone. This would eliminate the requirement of observing the coolest (i.e., faintest) white dwarfs. We discuss our method for testing this new idea, as well as the required photometric precision and prior constraints on metallicity, distance, and reddening. We employ a new Bayesian statistical technique to obtain and interpret results.

15 pages, 5 figures. accepted to Astrophysical Journal

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Cited by in corpus (9)

• The Ages of Stars
• White Dwarf Luminosity and Mass Functions from Sloan Digital Sky Survey Spectra
• A new detailed examination of white dwarfs in NGC3532 and NGC2287
• The White Dwarf Age of NGC 2477
• Statistical analysis of stellar evolution
• Bayesian isochrone fitting and stellar ages
• A massive white dwarf member of the Coma Berenices Open Cluster
• The Power of Principled Bayesian Methods in the Study of Stellar Evolution
• The Luminosity Function for White Dwarfs in the SuperCOSMOS Sky Survey