# HST Observations of the Central-Cusp Globular Cluster NGC 6752. The Effect of Binary Stars on the Luminosity Function in the Core

## 1 Introduction

The study of a globular cluster’s luminosity function (LF) provides insight into its present dynamical state and the stellar populations of which it is comprised. However, the presence of binary stars can alter the appearance of the luminosity function. A LF constructed from a population containing a significant fraction of binary stars is not a single star LF at all, but rather an amalgam of single stars and binaries. Because of mass segregation, the binary fraction in a cluster is likely to vary with magnitude and radial distance to the cluster center. Thus we expect in general that the presence of binaries may make the single star LF different from the observed main-sequence LF, which includes stars on the binary sequence.

Here we attempt to quantify this effect using our HST data of NGC 6752, in which we have previously discovered a large, centrally concentrated population of main-sequence binary stars in the core (Rubenstein & Bailyn, 1997 hereafter Paper II). Data reduction and calibration procedures are discussed in Paper II. Here we discuss the implication of the binary sequence we discovered for the cluster LF.

## 2 Determining The Luminosity Function and the Effects of Mass Segregation

To disentangle the true LF from an uncorrected LF it is necessary to perform artificial star tests. In Paper II we describe the procedure we employed to digitally add nearly $`10^7`$ artificial stars to the images. We demonstrated that the artificial stars had photometric errors which were very similar to the real stars, and should therefore have the same recovery probabilities as real stars. The artificial stars were added with a flat LF which was similar to the observed LF. We calculated the recovery rate of artificial stars in a fashion similar to Bolte (1994), although we used magnitude bins of 0.5 mag. Briefly, the fraction of artificial stars recovered in the $`i^{th}`$ magnitude bin, $`f_i`$, is the number of stars recovered within that magnitude bin, divided by the number of stars added to the data in that magnitude bin.

We calculated the incompleteness correction factor by inverting the recovery fraction, 1/$`f_i`$. Since we have only split the data into “inner” and “outer” regions, we did not construct a two-dimensional completeness look-up table as did Bolte. Rather, we separately calculated the incompleteness corrections for each region. We then smoothed the results by performing a least-squares fit to the recovery fraction values as a function of magnitude. We did not fit the data beyond V=23 since at this point the completeness drops suddenly by more than a factor of 2 to below 50%. Due to the large saturated regions near a few extremely bright stars, where no objects are recovered at all, even relatively bright stars are only about 75% complete. However, only the relative completeness from magnitude bin to magnitude bin is relevant to a discussion of the LF of the cluster stars.

To construct the LFs, we bin the stars into 0.5 mag bins. Each star receives a weight equal to the inverse of its recovery probability. The results, and our interpolation, are shown in Figure 1. We have scaled the LF of the inner regions by an arbitrary factor so that the inner and outer regions have the same values along the sub-giant branch and at the main-sequence turn-off (MSTO). In the inner region ($`1r_{core}12\mathrm{}=0.2`$pc; Djorgovski 1993), the V-band LF is flat for 5 magnitudes below the MSTO, which is located at V$`16.5`$. Beyond 5 magnitudes below the MSTO, the LF falls very rapidly.

Both the plateau and the sudden drop can be attributed to the advanced dynamical state of this stellar population. In particular, mass segregation will eject the low mass stars from the cluster center and force the more massive objects from the outer parts of the cluster in towards the center (see review by Heggie & Meylan 1997). The “outer” region retains more of its low mass objects, in that it has a flat LF 2 magnitudes further down from the MSTO than the inner region. Converting from luminosity to mass using the Yale Isochrones (Chaboyer et al. 1995), it is clear that low and moderate mass objects are strongly depleted relative to a Salpeter IMF. Indeed, the inner region shows an inverted mass function beyond 5 magnitudes below the furnoff. This result is statistically significant, but caution is warranted because the completeness level has dropped by about a factor of three.

## 3 Binary Fraction as a Function of Luminosity

In general, one would expect that mass segregation in a GC core would result in a larger binary fraction of the lower main sequence than near the turnoff, because low mass main sequence stars would be preferentially ejected from the core. To test this hypothesis, we checked to see if the color distribution redward of the main-sequence ridge-line (MSRL, as defined in Paper II) was a function of magnitude. We split the magnitude interval $`16.5`$V$`19.0`$ into two equal portions, $`16.5`$V$`17.75`$ (hereafter the “bright” stars) and $`17.75`$ V $`19.0`$ (hereafter the “dim” stars). Then we performed an analysis identical to the one described in § 3.2 of Paper II. Briefly, we performed Monte Carlo experiments using the photometric results of both the real stars and the artificial stars. We calculated the difference in color, $`\mathrm{\Delta }`$C, between the MSRL and each star (both real and artificial). We then determined a parameter $`Y`$ for each real star, equal to the fraction of artificial stars of similar magnitude and crowding which have $`\mathrm{\Delta }`$C smaller than that of the real star. If the real stars and artifical stars are drawn from the same input distribution, the values of $`Y`$ should be evenly distributed from zero to unity. The fact that they were not demonstrated the need for an underlying population of binary stars (see Paper II for more details). We found that the distribution of $`Y`$ values was significantly further from uniform among the dim stars than among the bright stars (Figure 2), indicating a greater fraction of binary stars in the dim group, as expected. The formal probability that the two groups of stars were drawn from a population having the same input distribution was $`10^7`$.

To quantify the variation of binary fraction with magnitude, one would ideally determine the absolute binary fraction among both the bright and dim star populations. Unfortunately, by splitting the stars into two groups the statistical significance of the results are degraded. Specifically, the 3$`\sigma `$ limits of the binary fraction determined in the manner of Paper II are poorly constrained, 4%—50% for the bright stars, 18%—42% among the dim stars. Fortunately, it is possible to obtain statistically significant results by calculating the difference in binary fraction between the bright and faint stars. To perform this differential analysis, we modified the Monte Carlo procedure discussed in Paper II for determining the binary fraction. In this case, we increased the magnitude of some of the stars in the bright group to simulate the effect of additional binaries. We then compared the $`Y`$ distribution of this altered bright star population with that of the dim stars — the fraction of bright stars which had to have light added for the two distributions to be comparable is a measure of the difference in the binary star population of the two groups.

In carrying out this procedure, we had to specify the ratio of brightness of the two stars in our fake binary systems. Since the distribution of binary mass ratios and luminosity ratios is unknown, we used the equation $`V_2=\frac{V_1}{R^\xi },`$ where $`R`$ is a random number between 0 and 1. This relation, while convenient to work with, is not meant to accurately model what is, after all, an unknown distribution. The free parameter $`\xi `$ determines the luminosity ratio of the binary distribution: $`\xi =0`$ corresponds to the case where all binaries have components with equal luminosity, while larger values of $`\xi `$ result in distributions increasingly weighted toward smaller luminosity ratios (and thus small mass ratios).

Figure 2 shows the results of these calculations. We found that for $`\xi =0`$, $`5`$% of the bright stars must have binary companions added to match the dim stars’ distribution. For the physically more realistic cases $`\xi =`$1 or 2, $`10`$% of the bright stars must “become binaries” to match the distribution of the dim stars.

## 4 Correcting the Luminosity Function for Binaries

The relative LF of single stars would be minimally altered if the binary fraction were constant at all magnitudes. If that were the case, there would be equal numbers of binaries in all LF bins, and the underlying single star LF would not be masked. However, in NGC 6752 we now know that the binary fraction (BF) does change with magnitude. Therefore, the single star LF is altered by the binary population and can not be observed unless we first account for the binaries. In this section we will give an example of how to perform this correction. This calculation is not intended to be definitive, but rather to demonstrate the potential size of the effect on the LF.

Since the binary frequency changes with magnitude, but is only defined in two magnitude ranges, we must make assumptions about the way the binary population changes. To minimize the number of free parameters, we will assume that the BF varies linearly with magnitude. To determine the BF in each magnitude bin, we combine the absolute binary fraction (from the results of Paper II) with a simple, linear extension of the magnitude dependence of the BF (found in above). The average magnitude of the stars analyzed in Paper II, in the interval from V=16.5 to V=19.0, is 17.75. We assume that at this representative magnitude, the binary fraction is the mean of the $`3\sigma `$ limits derived in Paper II, ie. $`(0.15+0.38)/2=0.265`$. We determined above that the binary fraction increases 10% from the bright stars to the dim stars. Using the midpoints of those groups’ magnitudes we determine that at V=17.125, the binary fraction is $`0.215`$ and that every 0.5 mag fainter on the CMD corresponds to an increase of 4% in the binary fraction.

We then construct a new LF in which the number of stars in each magnitude bin is reduced by an amount equal to the binary fraction. In other words, for a given magnitude bin the “binary fraction corrected star count”, $`\mathrm{N}_b=\mathrm{N}_c(1\mathrm{BF}),`$ where N<sub>c</sub> is the completeness corrected star count and BF is the binary fraction in that magnitude bin. In Figure 3 we plot the resulting V-band LF from the inner region, along with the version not corrected by the removal of binaries. Not surprisingly, the LF is even more depressed at faint magnitudes when the effect of binaries is considered. The inversion noticed at fainter magnitudes in the LF of the core, plotted in Figure 1, is now present virtually all the way to the turn-off region. This calculation shows that neglecting binaries will lead to qualitative errors in the derived LF. However, the assumptions required about changes in binary fraction with magnitude mean that these particular results may not be quantitatively reliable.

In Paper II we speculated that at faint magnitudes the MSRL might be shifted significantly to the red due to a preponderance of binaries at the faint end dominating over low luminosity single stars. The results obtained here support an interpretation that the observed ridge-line is not the main-sequence ridge-line below about 3.5 magnitudes below the MSTO, but rather, at fainter and fainter magnitudes, it is increasingly a binary ridge-line. Under our crude assumptions, the BF at V=21 is over 50%.

Ground based studies by Da Costa (1982) and Richer et al. (1991) found that the LF in NGC 6752 away from the cores rises all the way to the faint object cutoff at $`m_v=22.5`$ and $`m_v=23.5`$ respectively. Recently, Shara et al. (1995) and Ferraro et al. (1997) have shown from HST data that the LF flattens closer to the core. Both our inner LF uncorrected for binaries, and our outer LF are in general agreement with the flat LF found in the core by Shara et al. (1995). However, the inverted single star LF suggested for the core by the binary correction described here implies a greater degree of dynamical evolution than does the previous work.

## 5 Conclusions

Our analysis of the luminosity function in the core of this cluster indicates that for about 5 magnitudes down from the main-sequence turn-off there is a flat LF and beyond that point the LF is falling. Below this point there is an inverted mass function. However, this LF does not represent the LF of single main-sequence stars because there are more binaries at fainter magnitudes, presumably due to mass segregation. We find that the population of binaries increases by about 8% per magnitude over the small interval we were able to test. When we extrapolate this trend to fainter magnitudes, which may not be justified, we find that for single stars there is evidence of an inverted mass function nearly all the way up to the MSTO. Another implication of this extrapolation is that below about 3.5 magnitudes below the MSTO the observed ridge-line is dominated by binaries to the extent that it is significantly different from the single star ridge-line, and should therefore not be used for isochrone fitting.

Future studies of the stellar populations of GC cores must account for the effect of binaries. Failure to correct for the binaries on the lower main sequence will have the effect of over estimating the number of low mass stars. Since the binaries are located preferentially in the core it is unlikely that they will alter the results in the outer regions of clusters.

## 6 Acknowledgments

EPR would like to thank Peter Stetson, Ken Janes and Jim Heasley for making newer versions available of DAOFIND and SPS. CDB is grateful for a National Young Investigator award from the NSF. We thank Adrienne Cool, Pierre Demarque, Richard Larson, Mario Mateo, Jerry Orosz & Alison Sills for comments and suggestions. Sukyung Yi provided detailed instructions on how to transform Yale Isochrones to HST WFPC2 filters (detailed in Yi, Demarque & Oemler 1995), and Alison Sills carried out this transformation. Mary-Katherine McGovern assisted with the artificial star tests. This research has made use of the Simbad database, operated at CDS, Strasbourg, France. This work has been supported by NASA through LTSA grants NAGW-2469 & NAG5-6404 and grant number HST-GO-5318 from the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555.