Formation of globular clusters in galaxy mergers

Astrophysics, abstract
astro-ph/0308263

From: Kenji Bekki dr <bekki@bat.phys.unsw.edu.au>

Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2003 11:00:38 GMT   (117kb)

Authors:
Kenji Bekki,
Warrick J. Couch,
Duncan A. Forbes,
M. A. Beasley

Comments: 2 pages 1 figure (color), in the proceedings of Extragalactic
Globular clusters and their host galaxies (JD6 in IAU)

Our numerical simulations first demonstrate that the pressure of ISM in a
major merger becomes so high ($>$ $10^5$ $
m k_{
m B}$ K $
m cm^{-3}$) that
GMCs in the merger can collapse to form globular clusters (GCs) within a few
Myr. The star formation efficiency within a GMC in galaxy mergers can rise up
from a few percent to $sim$ 80 percent, depending on the shapes and the
temperature of the GMC. This implosive GC formation due to external high
pressure of warm/hot ISM can be more efficient in the tidal tails or the
central regions of mergers. The developed clusters have King-like profile with
the effective radius of a few pc. The structural, kinematical, and chemical
properties of these GC systems can depend on orbital and chemical properties of
major mergers.

References and citations for this submission:

SLAC-SPIRES HEP (refers to ,
cited by, arXiv reformatted)