A Precision Age Determination Technique for Globular Clusters
  Globular cluster age estimates based on the absolute magnitude of the main sequence turn-off (\mvto) are generally considered to be the most reliable from a theoretical viewpoint. However, the difficulty in determining \mvto\ in observed colour-magnitude diagrams leads to a large error in the derived age. In this paper, we advocate the use of the absolute magnitude of the point which is brighter than the turn-off and 0.05 mag redder (\mvb) as a precision age indicator. It is easy to measure this point on observed colour-magnitude diagrams, leading to small observational error bars. Furthermore, an extensive Monte Carlo calculation indicates that the theoretical uncertainty in \mvb\ is similar to \mvto. As a result, ages derived using \mvb\ are at least a factor of 2 more precise than those derived using \mvto. This technique is applied to the globular cluster M68 and an age of $12.8\pm 0.3\,$Gyr is derived (assuming $\mvrr = 0.20\,\feh + 0.98$), indicating that M68 is a `young' globular cluster. A homogeneous set of globular cluster age estimates with this precision would provide unprecedented insight into the formation of the Galactic halo. 
Brian Chaboyer (1), Pierre Demarque (2), Peter Kernan (3), Lawrence M.   Krauss(3), Ata Sarajedini(4) ((1) CITA, (2) Yale, (...