Globular Cluster Photometry with the Hubble Space Telescope. VI. WF/PC-I Observations of the Stellar Populations in the Core of M13 (NGC 6205)

Abstract

To probe the nature of stellar evolution in dense environments, we study the dense core of the globular cluster Messier 13 using pre-refurbishment Planetary Camera-I images obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope. We find 15 blue straggler star candidates and 10 other possible blue stragglers in this region of M13. Their specific frequency is in the range 0.04-0.07, comparable to what is observed near the centers of other dense clusters. A comparison between M13's observed V band stellar luminosity function and a theoretical model (Bergbusch & Vandenberg 1992) for the luminosity function of an old, metal-poor cluster shows that the model predicts too few of the brightest red giants (V~12.5-15) by a factor of two relative to subgiants/turnoff stars (> 6 sigma effect). The radial distributions of the red giants, blue stragglers, and subgiants are consistent with one another. Stars in the blue horizontal branch of M13, however, appear to be centrally depleted relative to other stellar types. We combine data from three dense `King model clusters', M13, M3, and 47 Tuc, and two post core collapse clusters, M30 and M15, and compare the distributions of various stellar types as a function of (r/r_half light) and (r/r_core). The horizontal branch stars in the combined sample appear to be centrally depleted relative to the giants (97% significance) - this depletion is only marginal (< about 1.5 sigma) in each of the clusters taken individually. The blue stragglers in the combined sample are centrally concentrated relative to the giants.