7,863 research outputs found
The Star Cluster Population of M51
We present the age and mass distribution of star clusters in M51. The
structural parameters are found by fitting cluster evolution models to the
spectral energy distribution consisting of 8 HST-WFPC2 pass bands. There is
evidence for a burst of cluster formation at the moment of the second encounter
with the companion NGC5195 (50-100 Myr ago) and a hint for an earlier burst
(400-500 Myr ago). The cluster
IMF has a power law slope of -2.1. The disruption time of clusters is
extremely short (< 100 Myr for a 10^4 Msun cluster).Comment: 2 pages, to appear in "The Formation and Evolution of Massive Young
Star Clusters", 17-21 November 2003, Cancun (Mexico
Ongoing Astrometric Microlensing Events of Two Nearby Stars
Context. Astrometric microlensing is an excellent tool to determine the mass
of a stellar object. By measuring the astrometric shift of a background source
star in combination with precise predictions of its unlensed position and of
the lens position, gravitational lensing allows to determine the mass of the
lensing star with a precision of 1 percent, independent of any prior knowledge.
Aims. Making use of the recently published Gaia Data Release 2 (Gaia DR2) we
predict astrometric microlensing events by foreground stars of high proper
motion passing by a background star in the coming years.
Methods. We compile a list of ~148.000 high-proper-motion stars within Gaia
DR2 with > 150 mas/yr. We then search for background stars close to
their paths and calculate the dates and separations of the closest approaches.
Using color and absolute magnitude, we determine approximate masses of the
lenses. Finally, we calculate the expected astrometric shifts and
magnifications of the predicted events.
Results . We detect two ongoing microlensing events by the high proper motion
stars Luyten 143-23 and Ross 322 and predict closest separations of (108.5
1.4) mas in July 2018 and (125.3 3.4) mas in August 2018,
respectively. The respective expected astrometric shifts are (1.74 0.12)
mas and (0.76 0.06) mas. Furthermore, Luyten 143-23 will pass by another
star in March 2021 with a closest separation of (280.1 1.1) mas, which
results in an expected shift of (0.69 0.05) mas.Comment: Submitted to A&A, accepted June 14, 2018. 4 pages, 3 figures, 2
table
The Star Cluster Population in the Tidal Tails of NGC 6872
We present a photometric analysis of the rich star cluster population in the
tidal tails of NGC 6872. We find star clusters with ages between 1 - 100 Myr
distributed in the tidal tails, while the tails themselves have an age of less
than 150 Myr. Most of the young massive ()
clusters are found in the outer regions of the galactic disk or the tidal
tails. The mass distribution of the cluster population can be well described by
power-law of the form , where , in very good agreement with other young cluster populations found in a
variety of different environments. We estimate the star formation rate for
three separate regions of the galaxy, and find that the eastern tail is forming
stars at times the rate of the western tail and times the
rate of the main body of the galaxy. By comparing our observations with
published N-body models of the fate of material in tidal tails in a galaxy
cluster potential, we see that many of these young clusters will be lost into
the intergalactic medium. We speculate that this mechanism may also be at work
in larger galaxy clusters such as Fornax, and suggest that the so-called
ultra-compact dwarf galaxies could be the most massive star clusters that have
formed in the tidal tails of an ancient galactic merger.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figures, accepted A&
Dynamic Magnetography of Solar Flaring Loops
We develop a practical forward fitting method based on the SIMPLEX algorithm
with shaking, which allows the derivation of the magnetic field and other
parameters along a solar flaring loop using microwave imaging spectroscopy of
gyrosynchrotron emission. We illustrate the method using a model loop with
spatially varying magnetic field, filled with uniform ambient density and an
evenly distributed fast electron population with an isotropic, power-law energy
distribution.Comment: ApJ Letters, in pres
Theoretical and Observational Agreement on Mass Dependence of Cluster Life Times
Observations and N-body simulations both support a simple relation for the
disruption time of a cluster as a function of its mass of the form: t_dis = t_4
* (M/10^4 Msun)^gamma. The scaling factor t_4 seems to depend strongly on the
environment. Predictions and observations show that gamma ~ 0.64 +/- 0.06.
Assuming that t_dis ~ M^0.64 is caused by evaporation and shocking implies a
relation between the radius and the mass of a cluster of the form: r_h ~
M^0.07, which has been observed in a few galaxies. The suggested relation for
the disruption time implies that the lower mass end of the cluster initial mass
function will be disrupted faster than the higher mass end, which is needed to
evolve a young power law shaped mass function into the log-normal mass function
of old (globular) clusters.Comment: 2 pages, to appear in "The Formation and Evolution of Massive Young
Star Clusters", 17-21 November 2003, Cancun (Mexico
The Maximum Mass of Star Clusters
When an universal untruncated star cluster initial mass function (CIMF)
described by a power-law distribution is assumed, the mass of the most massive
star cluster in a galaxy (M_max) is the result of the size-of-sample (SoS)
effect. This implies a dependence of M_max on the total number of star clusters
(N). The SoS effect also implies that M_max within a cluster population
increases with equal logarithmic intervals of age. This is because the number
of clusters formed in logarithmic age intervals increases (assuming a constant
cluster formation rate). This effect has been observed in the SMC and LMC.
Based on the maximum pressure (P_int) inside molecular clouds, it has been
suggested that a physical maximum mass (M_max[phys]) should exist. The theory
predicts that M_max[phys] should be observable, i.e. lower than M_max that
follows from statistical arguments, in big galaxies with a high star formation
rate. We compare the SoS relations in the SMC and LMC with the ones in M51 and
model the integrated cluster luminosity function (CLF) for two cases: 1) M_max
is determined by the SoS effect and 2) M_max=M_max[phys]=constant. The observed
CLF of M51 and the comparison of the SoS relations with the SMC and LMC both
suggest that there exists a M_max[phys] of 5*10^5 M_sun in M51. The CLF of M51
looks very similar to the one observed in the ``Antennae'' galaxies. A direct
comparison with our model suggests that there M_max[phys]=2*10^6 M_sun.Comment: 4 pages, contribution to "Globular Clusters: Guides to Galaxies",
March 6th-10th, 200
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