The extended star formation history of the star cluster NGC 2154 in the Large Magellanic Cloud

Abstract

The color-magnitude diagram (CMD) of the intermediate-age Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) star cluster NGC 2154 and its adjacent field, has been analyzed using Padova stellar models to determine the cluster's fundamental parameters and its Star Formation History (SFH). Deep $BR$ CCD photometry, together with synthetic CMDs and Integrated Luminosity Functions (ILFs), has allowed us to infer that the cluster experienced an extended star formation period of about 1.2 Gyrs, which began approximately 2.3 Gyr and ended 1.1 Gyr ago. The physical reality of such a prolonged period of star formation is however questionable, and could be the result of inadequacies in the stellar evolutionary tracks themselves. A substantial fraction of binaries (70%) seems to exist in NGC 2154.