A new histogram-free likelihood method applied to simulated JWST observations of brown dwarfs shows that globular cluster ages can be determined with formal errors under 0.2 Gyr.
The White Dwarf Cooling Sequence of the Globular Cluster Messier 4
1 Pith paper cite this work. Polarity classification is still indexing.
1
Pith paper citing it
abstract
We present the white dwarf sequence of the globular cluster M4, based on a 123 orbit Hubble Space Telescope exposure, with limiting magnitude V = 30, I = 28. The white dwarf luminosity function rises sharply for I >25.5, consistent with the behaviour expected for a burst population. The white dwarfs of M4 extend to approximately 2.5 magnitudes fainter than the peak of the local Galactic disk white dwarf luminosity function. This demonstrates a clear and significant age difference between the Galactic disk and the halo globular cluster M4. Using the same standard white dwarf models (Hansen 1999) to fit each luminosity function yields ages of 7.3 +/- 1.5 Gyr for the disk and 12.7 +/- 0.7 Gyr for M4 (2-sigma statistical errors).
citation-role summary
background 1
citation-polarity summary
fields
astro-ph.SR 1years
2026 1verdicts
UNVERDICTED 1roles
background 1polarities
background 1representative citing papers
citing papers explorer
-
New Way to Date Globular Clusters: Brown Dwarf Cooling Sequences
A new histogram-free likelihood method applied to simulated JWST observations of brown dwarfs shows that globular cluster ages can be determined with formal errors under 0.2 Gyr.