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Issue A&A
Volume 390, Number 3, August II 2002
Page(s) 917 - 929
Section Galactic structure and dynamics
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20020334



A&A 390, 917-929 (2002)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20020334

An inverse method to interpret colour-magnitude diagrams

J.-L. Vergely1, J. Köppen1, 2, 3, D. Egret1 and O. Bienaymé1

1  Observatoire Astronomique de Strasbourg, UMR 7550, Université Louis Pasteur, 67000 Strasbourg, France
2  Institut für Theoretische Physik und Astrophysik der Universität, 24098 Kiel, Germany
3  International Space University, Parc d'Innovation, 67400 Illkirch, France

(Received 13 November 2000 / Accepted 20 February 2002)

Abstract
An inverse method is developed to determine the star formation history, the age-metallicity relation, and the IMF slope from a colour-magnitude diagram. The method is applied to the Hipparcos HR diagram. We found that the thin disk of our Galaxy shows a peak of stellar formation 1.6 Gyr ago. The stars close to the Sun have a solar metallicity and a mean IMF index equal to 3.2. However, the model and the evolutionary tracks do not correctly reproduce the horizontal giant branch.


Key words: methods: statistical -- stars: formation -- stars: luminosity function, mass function -- galaxy: formation

Offprint request: D. Egret, Daniel.Egret@astro.u-strasbg.fr




© ESO 2002


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