Issue |
A&A
Volume 431, Number 1, February III 2005
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 73 - 85 | |
Section | Extragalactic astronomy | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20041057 | |
Published online | 02 February 2005 |
Constraints on the star formation history of the Large Magellanic Cloud
Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, IF, CP 15051, Porto Alegre 91501–970, RS, Brazil e-mail: basagran@if.ufrgs.br
Received:
7
April
2004
Accepted:
1
October
2004
We present the analysis of deep colour–magnitude diagrams (CMDs) of
6 stellar fields in the LMC. The data were obtained using HST/WFPC2 in the
(~I) and
(~V) filters, reaching
. We discuss and apply a method of correcting CMDs for
photometric incompleteness. A method to generate artificial
CMDs based on a model star formation history is also developed.
This method incorporates photometric error effects, unresolved binaries,
reddening and allows use of different forms of the initial mass function
and of the SFH itself. We use the Partial Models Method, as presented
by Gallart and others, for CMD
modelling, and include control experiments to prove its validity in a
search for constraints on the Large Magellanic Cloud star formation history
in different regions. Reliable star formation histories for
each field are recovered by this method. In all fields, a gap in
star formation with
Myr is observed. Field-to-field
variations have also been observed. The two fields
near the LMC bar present some significant
star forming events, having formed both young (
Gyr)
and old (
Gyr) stars, with a clear gap from
Gyr. Two other fields display quite similar SFHs, with increased star
formation having taken place at
Gyr and
Gyr. The remaining two fields present star formation histories
closer to uniform, with no clear event of enhanced star formation.
Key words: galaxies: formation / galaxies: evolution / stars: statistics / stars: luminosity function, mass function / galaxies: stellar content / stars: Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) and C-M
© ESO, 2005
Current usage metrics show cumulative count of Article Views (full-text article views including HTML views, PDF and ePub downloads, according to the available data) and Abstracts Views on Vision4Press platform.
Data correspond to usage on the plateform after 2015. The current usage metrics is available 48-96 hours after online publication and is updated daily on week days.
Initial download of the metrics may take a while.