On the origin of the extended horizontal branch and the Sandage period-shift effect in the two metal-poor globular clusters NGC2419 and M15

Recent spectroscopic observations have provided evidence for complex chemical evolution by supernovae and/or asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars in the two metal-poor globular clusters (GCs) NGC2419 and M15. In particular, the horizontal branches (HBs) of these metal-poor GCs are very extended in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. The origin of these peculiar features, as well as that for the Sandage period-shift effect observed in these clusters, are yet to be understood. Here we show, by constructing population models including the Nitrogen enhanced subpopulation, that the second generation populations in these clusters would be enhanced not only in Helium, but also in Nitrogen. This working hypothesis can simultaneously explain the observed extended feature on the HB and the period-shift of RR Lyrae variables.