Abstract
Globular clusters that exhibit chemical and dynamical complexity have
been suggested to be the stripped nuclei of dwarf galaxies(e.g. M54,
ω Cen). We use N-body simulations of nuclear star clusters forming
via the mergers of star clusters to explore the persistence of
substructure in the phase space. We find that the observed level of
differentiation is difficult to reconcile with the observed if nuclear
clusters form wholly out of the mergers of star clusters. Only the star
clusters that merged most recently retain sufficiently distinct density
and kinematics to be distinguishable from the rest of the nuclear
cluster. In situ star formation must therefore be included to explain
the observed properties of nuclear star clusters, in good agreement with
previous results.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2895-2909 |
| Journal | Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |
| Volume | 466 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 22 Dec 2016 |
Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)
- galaxies: bulges
- galaxies: evolution
- galaxies: kinematics and dynamics
- galaxies: nuclei
- galaxies: structure