High-velocity stars in the cores of globular clusters: The illustrative case of NGC 2808

We report the detection of five high-velocity stars in the core of the globular cluster NGC 2808. The stars lie on the the red giant branch and show total velocities between 40 and 45 km/s. For a core velocity dispersion sigma_c = 13.4 km/s, this corresponds to up to 3.4 sigma_c. These velocities are close to the estimated escape velocity (~ 50 km/s) and suggest an ejection from the core. Two of these stars have been confirmed in our recent integral field spectroscopy data and we will discuss them in more detail here. These two red giants are located at a projected distance of ~ 0.3 pc from the center. According to their positions on the color magnitude diagram, both stars are cluster members. We investigate several possible origins for the high velocities of the stars and conceivable ejection mechanisms. Since the velocities are close to the escape velocity, it is not obvious whether the stars are bound or unbound to the cluster. We therefore consider both cases in our analysis. We perform numerical simulations of three-body dynamical encounters between binaries and single stars and compare the resulting velocity distributions of escapers with the velocities of our stars. We compare the predictions for a single dynamical encounter with a compact object with those of a sequence of two-body encounters due to relaxation. If the stars are unbound, the encounter must have taken place recently, when the stars were already in the giant phase. After including binary fractions and black-hole retention fractions, projection effects, and detection probabilities from Monte-Carlo simulations, we estimate the expected numbers of detections for all the different scenarios. Based on these numbers, we conclude that the most likely scenario is that the stars are bound and were accelerated by a single encounter between a binary of main-sequence stars and a ~ 10 M_sun black hole.Comment: 13 pages, 12 figures, Accepted for publication in A&

Density Fluctuations in an Electrolyte from Generalized Debye-Hueckel Theory

Near-critical thermodynamics in the hard-sphere (1,1) electrolyte is well described, at a classical level, by Debye-Hueckel (DH) theory with (+,-) ion pairing and dipolar-pair-ionic-fluid coupling. But DH-based theories do not address density fluctuations. Here density correlations are obtained by functional differentiation of DH theory generalized to {\it non}-uniform densities of various species. The correlation length $\xi$ diverges universally at low density $\rho$ as $(T\rho)^{-1/4}$ (correcting GMSA theory). When $\rho=\rho_c$ one has $\xi\approx\xi_0^+/t^{1/2}$ as $t\equiv(T-T_c)/T_c\to 0+$ where the amplitudes $\xi_0^+$ compare informatively with experimental data.Comment: 5 pages, REVTeX, 1 ps figure included with epsf. Minor changes, references added. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Let

The Candidate Intermediate-Mass Black Hole in the Globular Cluster M54

Ibata et al. reported evidence for density and kinematic cusps in the Galactic globular cluster M54, possibly due to the presence of a 9400 solar-mass black hole. Radiative signatures of accretion onto M54's candidate intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) could bolster the case for its existence. Analysis of new Chandra and recent Hubble Space Telescope astrometry rules out the X-ray counterpart to the candidate IMBH suggested by Ibata et al. If an IMBH exists in M54, then it has an Eddington ratio of L(0.3-8 keV) / L(Edd) < 1.4 x 10^(-10), more similar to that of the candidate IMBH in M15 than that in G1. From new imaging with the NRAO Very Large Array, the luminosity of the candidate IMBH is L(8.5 GHz) < 3.6 x 10^29 ergs/s (3 sigma). Two background active galaxies discovered toward M54 could serve as probes of its intracluster medium.Comment: 4 pages; 2 figures; emulateapj.cls; to appear in A

Extreme mass ratio inspiral rates: dependence on the massive black hole mass

We study the rate at which stars spiral into a massive black hole (MBH) due to the emission of gravitational waves (GWs), as a function of the mass M of the MBH. In the context of our model, it is shown analytically that the rate approximately depends on the MBH mass as M^{-1/4}. Numerical simulations confirm this result, and show that for all MBH masses, the event rate is highest for stellar black holes, followed by white dwarfs, and lowest for neutron stars. The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is expected to see hundreds of these extreme mass ratio inspirals per year. Since the event rate derived here formally diverges as M->0, the model presented here cannot hold for MBHs of masses that are too low, and we discuss what the limitations of the model are.Comment: Accepted to CQG, special LISA issu

Internal properties of ultracompact dwarf galaxies in the Virgo cluster

We present new imaging and spectroscopic observations of six ultracompact dwarf (UCD) galaxies in the Virgo Cluster, along with reanalyzed data for five Fornax Cluster UCDs. These are the most luminous UCDs: -14 mag < M-V < -12 mag. Our Hubble Space Telescope imaging shows that most of the UCDs have shallow or steep cusps in their cores; only one UCD has a flat "King'' core. None of the UCDs show tidal cutoffs down to our limiting surface brightness. Spectroscopic analysis shows that Virgo UCDs are old ( older than 8 Gyr) and have metallicities in the range from [Z/H] = -1.35 to +0.35 dex. Five Virgo UCDs have supersolar [alpha/Fe] abundance ratios, and one Virgo UCD has a solar abundance ratio. The supersolar [alpha/Fe] abundances are typical of old stellar populations found in globular clusters and elliptical galaxies. We find that Virgo UCDs have structural and dynamical properties similar to Fornax UCDs. The Virgo and Fornax UCDs all have masses approximate to(2-9) x 10(7) M-circle dot and mass-to-light ratios approximate to(3-5) M-circle dot/L-circle dot,(V). The dynamical mass-to-light ratios for Virgo UCDs are consistent with simple stellar population model predictions: the Virgo UCDs do not require dark matter to explain their mass-to-light ratios. We conclude that the internal properties of Virgo UCDs are consistent with them being the high-mass/high-luminosity extreme of known globular cluster populations. We refrain from any firm conclusions on Fornax UCD origins until accurate age, metallicity, and alpha-abundance estimates are obtained for them. Some of our results, notably the fundamental plane projections, are consistent with the formation of UCDs by the simple removal of the halo from the nuclei of nucleated dwarf galaxies. However, the ages, metallicities, and abundances for Virgo UCDs are not consistent with this simple stripping model. It might be consistent with more sophisticated models of the stripping process that include the effects of gas removal on the chemical evolution of the nuclei

Gravitational Dynamics of Large Stellar Systems

Internal dynamical evolution can drive stellar systems into states of high central density. For many star clusters and galactic nuclei, the time scale on which this occurs is significantly less than the age of the universe. As a result, such systems are expected to be sites of frequent interactions among stars, binary systems, and stellar remnants, making them efficient factories for the production of compact binaries, intermediate-mass black holes, and other interesting and eminently observable astrophysical exotica. We describe some elements of the competition among stellar dynamics, stellar evolution, and other mechanisms to control the dynamics of stellar systems, and discuss briefly the techniques by which these systems are modeled and studied. Particular emphasis is placed on pathways leading to massive black holes in present-day globular clusters and other potentially detectable sources of gravitational radiation.Comment: 21 pages, invited talk presented at the 18th International Conference on General Relativity and Gravitation (GRG18), Sydney, July 2007. To appear in Classical and Quantum Gravit

Mechanism for the Suppression of Intermediate-Mass Black Holes

A model for the formation of supermassive primordial black holes in galactic nuclei with the simultaneous suppression of the formation of intermediate-mass black holes is presented. A bimodal mass function for black holes formed through phase transitions in a model with a "Mexican hat" potential has been found. The classical motion of the phase of a complex scalar field during inflation has been taken into account. Possible observational manifestations of primordial black holes in galaxies and constraints on their number are discussed.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figure

Influence of hydrodynamics on many-particle diffusion in 2D colloidal suspensions

We study many-particle diffusion in 2D colloidal suspensions with full hydrodynamic interactions through a novel mesoscopic simulation technique. We focus on the behaviour of the effective scaled tracer and collective diffusion coefficients $D_T(\rho) / D_0$ and $D_C(\rho) / D_0$, where $D_0$ is the single-particle diffusion coefficient, as a function of the density of the colloids $\rho$. At low Schmidt numbers $Sc={\cal O}(1)$, we find that hydrodynamics has essentially no effect on the behaviour of $D_T(\rho)/D_0$. At larger $Sc$, $D_T(\rho)/D_0$ is enhanced at all densities, although the differences compared to the case without hydrodynamics are minor. The collective diffusion coefficient, on the other hand, is much more strongly coupled to hydrodynamical conservation laws and is distinctly different from the purely dissipative case

Prospects for a Dark Matter annihilation signal towards the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy with ground based Cherenkov telescopes

Dwarf galaxies are widely believed to be among the best targets for indirect dark matter searches using high-energy gamma rays; and indeed gamma-ray emission from these objects has long been a subject of detailed study for ground-based atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. Here, we update current exclusion limits obtained on the closest dwarf, the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy, in light of recent realistic dark matter halo models. The constraints on the velocity-weighted annihilation cross section of the dark matter particle are of a few 10$^{-23}$ cm$^{3}$s$^{-1}$ in the TeV energy range for a 50 h exposure. The limits are extrapolated to the sensitivities of future Cherenkov Telescope Arrays. For 200 h of observation time, the sensitivity at 95% C.L. reaches 10$^{-25}$ cm$^{3}$s$^{-1}$. Possible astrophysical backgrounds from gamma-ray sources dissembled in Sagittarius dwarf are studied. It is shown that with long-enough observation times, gamma-ray background from millisecond pulsars in a globular cluster contained within Sagittarius dwarf may limit the sensitivity to dark matter annihilations.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in Ap

Compact stellar systems in the Fornax cluster: a UV perspective

In recent years, increasing evidence for chemical complexity and multiple stellar populations in massive globular clusters (GCs) has emerged, including extreme horizontal branches (EHBs) and UV excess. Our goal is to improve our understanding of UV excess in the regime of both massive GCs and ultra-compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs). To this end, we use deep archival GALEX data of the central Fornax cluster to measure NUV and FUV magnitudes of UCDs and massive GCs. We obtain NUV photometry for a sample of 35 compact objects with -13.5<M_V<-10 mag. Of those, 21 objects also have FUV photometry. Roughly half of the sources fall into the UCD luminosity regime (M_V <=-11 mag). We find that seven out of 17 massive Fornax GCs exhibit a NUV excess with respect to expectations from stellar population models, even for models with enhanced Helium abundance. This suggests that not only He-enrichment has contributed to forming the EHB population of these GCs. The GCs extend to stronger UV excess than GCs in M31 and massive GCs in M87, at the 97% confidence level. Most of the UCDs with FUV photometry also show evidence for UV excess, but their UV colours can be matched by isochrones with enhanced Helium abundances and old ages 12-14 Gyrs. We find that Fornax compact objects with X-ray emission detected from Chandra images are almost disjunct in colour from compact objects with GALEX UV detection, with only one X-ray source among the 35 compact objects. However, since this source is one of the three most UV bright GCs, we cannot exclude that the physical processes causing X-ray emission also contribute to some of the observed UV excess.Comment: Research Note, 7 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in A&