28 Apr 2008 | Aaron Dotter and Brian Chaboyer, Darko Jevremović, Veselin Kostov and E. Baron, Jason W. Ferguson
The Dartmouth Stellar Evolution Database is a collection of stellar evolution tracks and isochrones that span a range of [Fe/H] from -2.5 to +0.5, [α/Fe] from -0.2 to +0.8 (for [Fe/H] ≤ 0) or +0.2 (for [Fe/H] > 0), and initial He mass fractions from Y = 0.245 to 0.40. These models are computed for stellar masses between 0.1 and 4 M☉, allowing isochrones to be generated for ages as young as 250 Myr. The tracks and isochrones have been transformed to various photometric systems, including UBV(RI)C, Strömgren uvby, Sloan Digital Sky Survey ugriz, Two Micron All Sky Survey JHKs, and Hubble Space Telescope ACS-WFC and WFPC2. The database is accessible through a website where all tracks, isochrones, and additional files can be downloaded.
The Dartmouth Stellar Evolution Program (DSEP) uses high temperature opacities from OPAL and low temperature opacities based on Ferguson et al. (2005). The program includes a general ideal gas equation of state with Debye-Hückel correction for tracks with M ≥ 0.8 M☉ and the FreeEOS equation of state for lower mass tracks. DSEP treats convection with the standard mixing length theory and includes convective core overshoot according to the scheme developed by Demarque et al. (2004). The surface boundary conditions are derived from PHOENIX model atmospheres and are used for tracks with [Fe/H] ≥ 0. The models include convective core overshoot and convective envelope undershooting.
The models were compared to other isochrone libraries and photometry of Galactic open clusters and one globular cluster. The isochrones were found to agree well with other models in the log T_eff - log L/L☉ plane and the V vs. V-I color-magnitude diagram. The synthetic colors performed well in V-I but were consistently too red in B-V. The synthetic colors should only be trusted in bandpasses equivalent to V or redder, i.e., those with central wavelengths longer than ~5000 Å. In these bands, the synthetic colors performed well and better than empirical colors on the lower main sequence. Synthetic photometry in bluer bandpasses did not compare favorably with observations. Empirically adjusted magnitudes and colors should be favored for the bluer bandpasses whenever possible.
The Dartmouth Stellar Evolution Database is suitable for application to population synthesis and integrated light models and is available through a dedicated website. This work was supported by NSF grant AST-0094231. The authors thank the anonymous referee for providing several helpful suggestions that have improved theThe Dartmouth Stellar Evolution Database is a collection of stellar evolution tracks and isochrones that span a range of [Fe/H] from -2.5 to +0.5, [α/Fe] from -0.2 to +0.8 (for [Fe/H] ≤ 0) or +0.2 (for [Fe/H] > 0), and initial He mass fractions from Y = 0.245 to 0.40. These models are computed for stellar masses between 0.1 and 4 M☉, allowing isochrones to be generated for ages as young as 250 Myr. The tracks and isochrones have been transformed to various photometric systems, including UBV(RI)C, Strömgren uvby, Sloan Digital Sky Survey ugriz, Two Micron All Sky Survey JHKs, and Hubble Space Telescope ACS-WFC and WFPC2. The database is accessible through a website where all tracks, isochrones, and additional files can be downloaded.
The Dartmouth Stellar Evolution Program (DSEP) uses high temperature opacities from OPAL and low temperature opacities based on Ferguson et al. (2005). The program includes a general ideal gas equation of state with Debye-Hückel correction for tracks with M ≥ 0.8 M☉ and the FreeEOS equation of state for lower mass tracks. DSEP treats convection with the standard mixing length theory and includes convective core overshoot according to the scheme developed by Demarque et al. (2004). The surface boundary conditions are derived from PHOENIX model atmospheres and are used for tracks with [Fe/H] ≥ 0. The models include convective core overshoot and convective envelope undershooting.
The models were compared to other isochrone libraries and photometry of Galactic open clusters and one globular cluster. The isochrones were found to agree well with other models in the log T_eff - log L/L☉ plane and the V vs. V-I color-magnitude diagram. The synthetic colors performed well in V-I but were consistently too red in B-V. The synthetic colors should only be trusted in bandpasses equivalent to V or redder, i.e., those with central wavelengths longer than ~5000 Å. In these bands, the synthetic colors performed well and better than empirical colors on the lower main sequence. Synthetic photometry in bluer bandpasses did not compare favorably with observations. Empirically adjusted magnitudes and colors should be favored for the bluer bandpasses whenever possible.
The Dartmouth Stellar Evolution Database is suitable for application to population synthesis and integrated light models and is available through a dedicated website. This work was supported by NSF grant AST-0094231. The authors thank the anonymous referee for providing several helpful suggestions that have improved the