A NEW COLOR-MAGNITUDE DIAGRAM FOR 47 TUCANAE: A STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

We present a statistical analysis of color-magnitude diagrams of 47 Tuc derived from original and archival BVI photometry that produces the most probable locus for single stars. After adopting E(B - V) = 0.04, we derive an apparent distance modulus (m - M)(V) = 13.375 and achieve good matches to the most probable locus in the [ B - V, V], [ V - I, I], and [ B - I, I] planes with 12 Gyr, [alpha/Fe] = +0.3, [Fe/H] = -0.83 isochrones from the Victoria - Regina models. This metallicity is generally lower than recent spectroscopically derived estimates for the cluster, but it is reinforced by the main-sequence match with a sample of subdwarfs.