Testing spectral models for Stellar Populations

High spectral resolution evolutionary synthesis models have become a routinely used ingredient in extragalactic work, and as such deserve thorough testing. Star clusters are ideal laboratories for such tests. In this talk I apply the spectral fitting methodology to a sample of clusters, mainly from the Magellanic Clouds and spanning a wide range in age and metallicity, fitting their integrated light spectra with a suite of modern evolutionary synthesis models for single stellar population. The combinations of model plus spectral library employed in this investigation are Galaxev/STELIB, Vazdekis/MILES, SED@/GRANADA, and Galaxev/MILES+GRANADA, which provide a representative sample of models currently available for spectral fitting work. A series of empirical tests are performed with these models, comparing the quality of the spectral fits and the values of age, metallicity and extinction obtained with each of them. A comparison is also made between the properties derived from these spectral fits and literature data on these nearby, well studied clusters. These comparisons are done with the general goal of providing useful feedback for model makers, as well as guidance to the users of such models.

 

Date: 
25/02/2010 - 13:00
Speaker: 
Rosa González Delgado
Filiation: 
Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía - CSIC


Seminars