Abstract
By means of grid-based, 3D hydrodynamical simulations we study the formation of second-generation (SG) stars in a young globular cluster (GC) of mass 107 M⊙, the possible progenitor of an ...old GC with present mass ∼(1–5) × 106 M⊙. The cluster accretes external gas as its first generation (FG) asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars release their ejecta and SG stars form. We consider two models characterized by different densities of the external gas. In both cases, we find that a very compact SG subsystem with central density $\gt 10^5~\mathrm{M}_{\odot }\, \mathrm{pc}^{-3}$ forms in the innermost regions of the cluster. The low-density model forms a population of extreme SG stars with high helium enhancement, followed by the formation of another SG group out of a mix of pristine gas and AGB ejecta and characterized by a modest helium enhancement. On the other hand, the high-density model forms in prevalence SG stars with modest helium enhancement. Our simulations illustrate the dynamical processes governing the formation of SG populations in GCs and shed light on the structural properties emerging at the end of this phase. The newly born SG groups have different concentrations, with more extreme SG stars more centrally concentrated than those with less extreme chemical abundances. The very high density of the SG subsystems implies that SG massive stars, if formed, might suffer frequent close encounters, collisions, and gas stripping, thus possibly contributing further gas to the SG formation.
We study the interaction of the early spherical GC wind powered by Type II supernovae (SNe II) with the surrounding ambient medium consisting of the gaseous disc of a star-forming galaxy at redshift ...z ... 2. The bubble formed by the wind eventually breaks out of the disc, and most of the wind moves directly out of the galaxy and is definitively lost. The fraction of the wind moving nearly parallel to the galactic plane carves a hole in the disc which will contract after the end of the SN activity. During the interval of time between the end of the SN explosions and the 'closure' of the hole, very O-poor stars (the Extreme population) can form out of the super-AGB (asymptotic giant branch) ejecta collected in the GC centre. Once the hole contracts, the AGB ejecta mix with the pristine gas, allowing the formation of stars with an oxygen abundance intermediate between that of the very O-poor stars and that of the pristine gas. We show that this mechanism may explain why Extreme populations are present only in massive clusters, and can also produce a correlation between the spread in helium and the cluster mass. Finally, we also explore the possibility that our proposed mechanism can be extended to the case of multiple populations showing bimodality in the iron content, with the presence of two populations characterized by a small difference in Fe/H. Such a result can be obtained taking into account the contribution of delayed SN II. (ProQuest: ... denotes formulae/symbols omitted.)
ABSTRACT
By means of 3D hydrodynamic simulations, we study how Type Ia supernovae (SNe) explosions affect the star formation history and the chemical properties of second-generation (SG) stars in ...globular clusters (GC). SG stars are assumed to form once first generation asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars start releasing their ejecta; during this phase, external gas is accreted by the system and SNe Ia begin exploding, carving hot and tenuous bubbles. Given the large uncertainty on SNe Ia explosion times, we test two different values for the ‘delay time’. We run two different models for the external gas density: in the low-density scenario with short delay time, the explosions start at the beginning of the SG star formation, halting it in its earliest phases. The external gas hardly penetrates the system, therefore most SG stars present extreme helium abundances (Y > 0.33). The low-density model with delayed SN explosions has a more extended SG star formation epoch and includes SG stars with modest helium enrichment. On the contrary, the high-density model is weakly affected by SN explosions, with a final SG mass similar to the one obtained without SNe Ia. Most of the stars form from a mix of AGB ejecta and pristine gas and have a modest helium enrichment. We show that gas from SNe Ia may produce an iron spread of ∼0.14 dex, consistent with the spread found in about $20{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ of Galactic GCs, suggesting that SNe Ia might have played a key role in the formation of this sub-sample of GCs.
Abstract
We present the first results of the Multi-Instrument Kinematic Survey of Galactic Globular Clusters (GGCs), a project aimed at exploring the internal kinematics of a representative sample of ...GGCs from the radial velocity of individual stars, covering the entire radial extension of each system. This is achieved by exploiting the formidable combination of multi-object and integral field unit spectroscopic facilities of the ESO Very Large Telescope. As a first step, here we discuss the results obtained for 11 clusters from high and medium resolution spectra acquired through a combination of FLAMES and KMOS observations. We provide the first kinematical characterization of NGC 1261 and NGC 6496. In all the surveyed systems, the velocity dispersion profile declines at increasing radii, in agreement with the expectation from the King model that best fits the density/luminosity profile. In the majority of the surveyed systems, we find evidence of rotation within a few half-mass radii from the center. These results are in general overall agreement with the predictions of recent theoretical studies, suggesting that the detected signals could be the relic of significant internal rotation set at the epoch of the cluster’s formation.
Abstract
High-precision proper motions of the globular cluster 47 Tuc have allowed us to measure for the first time the cluster rotation in the plane of the sky and the velocity anisotropy profile ...from the cluster core out to about 13′. These profiles are coupled with prior measurements along the line of sight (LOS) and the surface brightness profile and fit all together with self-consistent models specifically constructed to describe quasi-relaxed stellar systems with realistic differential rotation, axisymmetry, and pressure anisotropy. The best-fit model provides an inclination angle
i
between the rotation axis and the LOS direction of 30° and is able to simultaneously reproduce the full three-dimensional kinematics and structure of the cluster, while preserving a good agreement with the projected morphology. Literature models based solely on LOS measurements imply a significantly different inclination angle (
i
= 45°), demonstrating that proper motions play a key role in constraining the intrinsic structure of 47 Tuc. Our best-fit global dynamical model implies an internal rotation higher than previous studies have shown and suggests a peak of the intrinsic
V
/
σ
ratio of ∼0.9 at around two half-light radii, with a nonmonotonic intrinsic ellipticity profile reaching values up to 0.45. Our study unveils a new degree of dynamical complexity in 47 Tuc, which may be leveraged to provide new insights into the formation and evolution of globular clusters.
Abstract
By studying the normalized cumulative radial distribution (nCRD) of the stars in the central region of a Monte Carlo-simulated globular cluster, we recently defined three parameters able to ...pinpoint the stage of internal dynamical evolution reached by the system:
A
5
(i.e., the area subtended by the nCRD within 5% of the half-mass radius,
r
h
),
P
5
(the value of the nCRD at 5%
r
h
), and
S
2.5
(the slope of the nCRD at 2.5%
r
h
). Here we extend the analysis and explore the effects that different fractions (0%, 10%, and 20%) of primordial binaries and stellar mass black holes (BHs) induce on the dynamical history of the system. As expected, the gradual contraction of the cluster becomes milder and core collapse shallower for an increasing binary fraction. Nevertheless, the cluster dynamical evolution is still properly traced by the three parameters. For models with a larger initial retention of stellar mass BHs, the evolution depends on the timescale of their subsequent dynamical ejection. An early dynamical ejection of BHs results in a long-term evolution of the three parameters similar to that found in systems without initial BH retention. Conversely, in the model that retains a large number of BHs for an extended time (slow dynamical ejection of BHs), the system is characterized by a less concentrated structure and by the lack of significant temporal evolution of the three parameters. The lower values of the three parameters found in this case might be used to indirectly infer the possible presence of BHs in the cluster.
We present a detailed analysis of the radial distribution of light-element multiple populations (LE-MPs) in the massive and dense globular cluster M80, based on a combination of UV and optical Hubble ...Space Telescope data. Surprisingly, we find that first-generation (FG) stars (FG) are significantly more centrally concentrated than extreme second-generation (SG) stars out to ∼2.5rh from the cluster center. To understand the origin of such peculiar behavior, we used a set of N-body simulations following the long-term dynamical evolution of LE-MPs. We find that, given the advanced dynamical state of the cluster, the observed difference does not depend on the primordial relative distributions of FG and SG stars. On the contrary, a difference of ∼0.05-0.10 M between the average masses of the two subpopulations is needed to account for the observed radial distributions. We argue that such a mass difference might be the result of the higher He abundance of SG stars (of the order of ΔY ∼ 0.05-0.06) with respect to FG stars. Interestingly, we find that a similar He variation is necessary to reproduce the horizontal branch morphology of M80. These results demonstrate that differences in mass among LE-MPs, due to different He content, should be properly taken into account for a correct interpretation of their radial distribution, at least in dynamically evolved systems.
In the context of the ESO-VLT Multi-Instrument Kinematic Survey (MIKiS) of Galactic globular clusters (GGCs), we present the line-of-sight rotation curve and velocity dispersion profile of M5 (NGC ...5904), as determined from the radial velocity of more than 800 individual stars observed out to 700″ (∼5 half-mass radii) from the center. We found one of the cleanest and most coherent rotation patterns ever observed for globular clusters, with a very stable rotation axis (having constant position angle of 145° at all surveyed radii) and a well-defined rotation curve. The density distribution turns out to be flattened in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis, with a maximum ellipticity of ∼0.15. The rotation velocity peak (∼3 km s−1 in projection) is observed at ∼0.6 half-mass radii, and its ratio with respect to the central velocity dispersion (∼0.3–0.4 at 4 projected half-mass radii) indicates that ordered motions play a significant dynamical role. This result strengthens the growing empirical evidence of the kinematic complexity of GGCs and motivates the need of fundamental investigations of the role of angular momentum in collisional stellar dynamics.
We use high-precision photometry of red-giant-branch (RGB) stars in 57 Galactic globular clusters (GCs), mostly from the 'Hubble Space Telescope (HST) UV Legacy Survey of Galactic GCs', to identify ...and characterize their multiple stellar populations. For each cluster the pseudo-two-colour diagram (or 'chromosome map') is presented, built with a suitable combination of stellar magnitudes in the F275W, F336W, F438W, and F814W filters that maximizes the separation between multiple populations. In the chromosome map of most GCs (type-I clusters), stars separate in two distinct groups that we identify with the first (1G) and the second generation (2G). This identification is further supported by noticing that 1G stars have primordial (oxygen-rich, sodium-poor) chemical composition, whereas 2G stars are enhanced in sodium and depleted in oxygen. This 1G-2G separation is not possible for a few GCs where the two sequences have apparently merged into an extended, continuous sequence. In some GCs (type-II clusters) the 1G and/or the 2G sequences appear to be split, hence displaying more complex chromosome maps. These clusters exhibit multiple subgiant branches (SGBs) also in purely optical colour-magnitude diagrams, with the fainter SGB joining into a red RGB which is populated by stars with enhanced heavy-element abundance. We measure the RGB width by using appropriate colours and pseudo-colours. When the metallicity dependence is removed, the RGB width correlates with the cluster mass. The fraction of 1G stars ranges from ~8 per cent to ~67 per cent and anticorrelates with the cluster mass, indicating that incidence and complexity of the multiple population phenomenon both increase with cluster mass.
PDF
