Possible Diploma-, Master, and PhD projects

The nature of the "globular cluster" NGC 2419

Diploma or Master project
Possible start date: 01.10.2012
Contact: akoch (at) lsw.uni-heidelberg.de
Aim: NGC 2419 is a loose, extended stellar system in the outermost Milky Way halo. It is still under debate, whether it is a regular globular cluster or the core of a, now disrupted, dwarf galaxy. We wish to obtain clues on its actual nature by studying deep color-magnitude diagrams and by measuring its overall, chemical properties.
Methods: In collaboration with the Observatory in Lund (Sweden), the student will obtain narrow-band photometry of NGC 2419 from images taken at the INT in Feb 2012. These data are sensitive to the presence of multiple stellar populations, the age, and the 'metallicity' of the cluster, from all of which we can derive important properties of this object.
Further reading: Cohen et al. 2011, ApJ, 740, 60

Analysis of a super-Lithium rich globular cluster star

Master project
Possible start date: 01.10.2012
Contact: akoch (at) lsw.uni-heidelberg.de
Aim: Some stars show a high overabundance in the light element lithium. We aim to investigate the, yet unknown, origin of these large amounts of Li in a particular star in the metal poor globular cluster NGC 6397 to further understand the chemical history of this star and the entire cluster.
Methods: Abundances for many chemical elements will be measured from existing spectra. These will help us to distinguish between different scenarios for the Li-overproduction.
Further reading: Koch et al. 2011, ApJL, 738, 29