464 research outputs found
Globular cluster systems II: On the formation of old globular clusters and their sites of formation
We studied the metal-poor globular cluster (GC) populations of a large
variety of galaxies (47 galaxies spanning about 10mag in absolute brightness)
and compared their mean [Fe/H] with the properties of the host galaxies. The
mean [Fe/H] of the systems lie in the -1.65<[Fe/H]<-1.20 range (74% of the
population). Using only GC systems with more than 6 objects detected, 85% of
the population lie within -1.65<[Fe/H]<-1.20. The relation between the mean
[Fe/H] of the metal-poor GC systems and the Mv of their host galaxies presents
a very low slope which includes zero. An analysis of the correlation of the
mean [Fe/H] with other galaxy properties also leads to the conclusion that no
strong correlation exists. The lack of correlation suggests a formation of all
metal-poor GC in similar gas fragments. A weak correlation might exist between
mean [Fe/H] of the metal-poor GC and host galaxy metallicity. This would imply
that some fragments in which metal-poor GC formed were already embedded in the
larger dark matter halo of the final galaxy (as oppose to being independent
satellites that were accreted later). Our result suggests a homogeneous
formation of metal-poor GC in all galaxies, in typical fragments of masses
around 10^9-10^10 solar masses with very similar metallicities, compatible with
hierarchical formation scenarios for galaxies. We compared the mean [Fe/H] of
the metal-poor GC populations with the typical metallicities of high-z objects.
If we add the constraint that GC need a high column density of gas to form,
DLAs are the most likely sites for the formation of metal-poor GC populations.Comment: accepted for publication in AJ, scheduled for the May 2001 issu
The Spin of M87 as measured from the Rotation of its Globular Clusters
We revisit the kinematical data for 204 globular clusters in the halo of M87.
Beyond 3 r_eff along the major axis of the galaxy light, these globular
clusters exhibit substantial rotation (~ 300 +/- 70 km/s) that translates into
an equally substantial spin (lambda ~ 0.18). The present appearance of M87 is
most likely the product of a single major merger, since this event is best able
to account for so sizable a spin. A rotation this large makes improbable any
significant accretion of material after this merger, since that would have
diluted the rotation signature. We see weak evidence for a difference between
the kinematics of the metal-poor and metal-rich population, in the sense that
the metal-poor globular clusters appear to dominate the rotation. If, as we
suspect, the last major merger event of M87 was mainly dissipationless and did
not trigger the formation of a large number of globular clusters, the kinematic
difference between the two could reflect their orbital properties in the
progenitor galaxies; these differences would be compatible with these
progenitors having formed in dissipational mergers. However, to put strong
kinematic constraints on the origin of the globular clusters themselves is
difficult, given the complex history of the galaxy and its last dominant merger
event.Comment: 20 pages (AAS two column style, including 1 table and 7 figures)
accepted in the AJ (November issue), also available at
http://www.ucolick.org/~mkissler
Towards an Understanding of the Globular Cluster Over--abundance around the Central Giant Elliptical NGC 1399
We investigate the kinematics of a combined sample of 74 globular clusters
around NGC 1399. Their high velocity dispersion, increasing with radius,
supports their association with the gravitational potential of the galaxy
cluster rather than with that of NGC 1399 itself. We find no evidence for
rotation in the full sample, although some indication for rotation in the outer
regions. The data do not allow us to detect differences between the kinematics
of the blue and red sub-populations of globular clusters.
A comparison between the globular cluster systems of NGC 1399 and those of
NGC 1404 and NGC 1380 indicates that the globular clusters in all three
galaxies are likely to have formed via similar mechanisms and at similar
epochs. The only property which distinguishes the NGC 1399 globular cluster
system from these others is that it is ten times more abundant. We summarize
the evidence for associating these excess globulars with the galaxy cluster
rather than with NGC 1399 itself, and suggest that the over-abundance can be
explained by tidal stripping, at an early epoch, of neighboring galaxies and
subsequent accumulation of globulars in the gravitational potential of the
galaxy cluster.Comment: AJ accepted (March issue), 27 pages (6 figures included), AAS style,
two columns. Also available at http://www.eso.org/~mkissle
The Age Difference between the Globular Cluster Sub-populations in NGC 4472
The age difference between the two main globular cluster sub-populations in
the Virgo giant elliptical galaxy, NGC 4472 (M 49), has been determined using
HST WFPC2 images in the F555W and F814W filters. Accurate photometry has been
obtained for several hundred globular clusters in each of the two main
sub-populations, down to more than one magnitude below the turn-over of their
luminosity functions. This allows precise determinations of both the mean
colors and the turn-over magnitudes of the two main sub-populations. By
comparing the data with various population synthesis models, the
age-metallicity pairs that fit both the observed colors and magnitudes have
been identified. The metal-poor and the metal-rich globular clusters are found
to be coeval within the errors ( Gyr). If one accepts the validity of
our assumptions, these errors are dominated by model uncertainties. A
systematic error of up to 4 Gyr could affect this result if the blue and the
red clusters have significantly different mass distributions. However, that one
sub-population is half as old as the other is excluded at the 99% confidence
level. The different globular cluster populations are assumed to trace the
galaxy's major star-formation episodes. Consequently, the vast majority of
globular clusters, and by implication the majority of stars, in NGC 4472 formed
at high redshifts but by two distinct mechanisms or in two episodes.Comment: 32 pages, including 12 postscript figures, accepted for publication
in the Astronomical Journal, December 1999 issu
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Waning Immunity and the Second Wave: Some Projections for SARS-COV-2
This paper offers projections of future transmission dynamics for SARS-CoV-2 in an SEIRS model with demographics and waning immunity. In a stylized optimal control setting calibrated to the USA, we show that the disease is endemic in steady state and that its dynamics are characterized by damped oscillations. The magnitude of the oscillations depends on how fast immunity wanes. The optimal social distancing policy both curbs peak prevalence and postpones the infection waves relative to the uncontrolled dynamics. Last, we perform sensitivity analysis with respect to the duration of immunity, the infection fatality rate and the planning horizon
The Luminosity Function of Star Clusters in Spiral Galaxies
Star clusters in 6 nearby spiral galaxies are examined using archive images
from HST/WFPC2. The galaxies have previously been studied from the ground and
some of them are known to possess rich populations of "young massive clusters"
(YMCs). Comparison with the HST images indicates a success-rate of about 75%
for the ground-based cluster detections, with typical contaminants being blends
or loose groupings of several stars in crowded regions. The luminosity
functions (LFs) of cluster candidates identified on the HST images are analyzed
and compared with existing data for the Milky Way and the LMC. The LFs are well
approximated by power-laws of the form dN(L)/dL ~ L^alpha, with slopes in the
range -2.4<alpha<-2.0. The steeper slopes tend to be found among fits covering
brighter magnitude intervals, although direct hints of a variation in the LF
slope with magnitude are seen only at low significance in two galaxies. The
surface density of star clusters at a reference magnitude of M(V)=-8 scales
with the mean star formation rate per unit area, Sigma(SFR). Assuming that the
LF can be generally expressed as a power-law with normalization proportional to
the galaxy area (A) and Sigma(SFR), the maximum cluster luminosity expected in
a galaxy from random sampling of the LF is estimated as a function of
Sigma(SFR) and A. The predictions agree well with existing observations of
galaxies spanning a wide range of Sigma(SFR) values, suggesting that sampling
statistics play an important role in determining the maximum observed
luminosities of young star clusters in galaxies.Comment: 43 pages, including 6 tables and 14 figures. Accepted for publication
in A
A new look at globular cluster colors in NGC 3311 and the case for exclusively metal-rich globular cluster systems
NGC 3311, the central cD galaxy in the Hydra cluster, was previously thought
to host the most metal-rich globular cluster system known. Ground-based
Washington photometry had indicated the almost complete absence of the
population of globular clusters near [Fe/H] ~ -1 dex, normally dominant in the
metallicity distribution functions of giant elliptical galaxies. Lacking the
normal metal-poor globular cluster population, NGC 3311 was an outstanding
exception among galaxies, not easily understood under any of the current
globular cluster formation scenarios. Our HST/WFPC2 data yield normal globular
cluster colors and hence metallicities for this galaxy. We find a bi-modal
color distribution with peaks at (V-I)=0.91 +/- 0.03 and 1.09 +/- 0.03,
corresponding to [Fe/H] ~ -1.5 and -0.75 dex (somewhat dependent on the choice
of the conversion relation between color and metallicity). We review the
evidence for exclusively metal-rich globular cluster systems in other galaxies
and briefly discuss the implications for our understanding of globular cluster
and galaxy formation.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
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