Evolution of star cluster systems in isolated galaxies: first results from direct $N$-body simulations

Abstract

The evolution of star clusters is largely affected by the tidal field generated by the host galaxy. It is thus in principle expected that under the assumption of an "universal" initial cluster mass function the properties of the evolved present-day mass function of star cluster systems should show a dependency on the properties of the galactic environment in which they evolve. To explore this expectation a sophisticated model of the tidal field is required in order to study the evolution of star cluster systems in realistic galaxies. Along these lines, in the present work we first describe a method developed for coupling $N$-body simulations of galaxies and star clusters. We then generate a database of galaxy models along the Hubble sequence and calibrate evolutionary equations to the results of direct $N$-body simulations of star clusters in order to predict the clusters' mass evolution as function of the galactic environment. We finally apply our methods to explore the properties of evolved "universal" initial cluster mass functions and any dependence on the host galaxy morphology and mass distribution. The preliminary results show that an initial power-law distribution of the masses "universally" evolves into a log-normal distribution, with the properties correlated with the stellar mass and stellar mass density density of the host galaxy.

arXiv comment19 Pages, 16 Figures. Accepted for publication in MNRAS

References in corpus (67)

• The Structure of Cold Dark Matter Halos
• On the variation of the Initial Mass Function
• Evolution of binary stars and the effect of tides on binary populations
• Comprehensive analytic formulae for stellar evolution as a function of mass and metallicity
• The Milky Way Tomography with SDSS: I. Stellar Number Density Distribution
• Astrophysics Source Code Library
• Young massive star clusters
• Dynamical evolution of star clusters in tidal fields
• The statistics of LCDM Halo Concentrations
• Destruction of the Galactic Globular Cluster System
• On the fraction of star formation occurring in bound stellar clusters
• A comprehensive set of simulations studying the influence of gas expulsion on star cluster evolution
• Formation of globular clusters in hierarchical cosmology
• Globular clusters as the relics of regular star formation in 'normal' high-redshift galaxies
• Star cluster disruption by giant molecular clouds
• On the effects of dynamical evolution on the initial mass function of globular clusters
• The DRAGON simulations: globular cluster evolution with a million stars
• On the Formation of Globular Cluster Systems in a Hierarchical Universe
• Dynamical evolution of black hole sub-systems in idealised star clusters
• First Structure Formation: I. Primordial Star Forming Regions in hierarchical models
• The life cycle of star cluster in a tidal field
• Tidal Tails of Star Clusters
• Scaling of N-body calculations
• Modeling the formation and evolution of star cluster populations in galaxy simulations
• A direct measurement of the baryonic mass function of galaxies & implications for the galactic baryon fraction
• Formation and evolution of the Magellanic Clouds. I.Origin of structural, kinematical, and chemical properties of the Large Magellanic Cloud
• Galactic star formation enhanced and quenched by ram pressure in groups and clusters
• BRIDGE: A Direct-tree Hybrid N-body Algorithm for Fully Self-consistent Simulations of Star Clusters and their Parent Galaxies
• Evolution of star clusters in arbitrary tidal fields
• Mass loss rates and the mass evolution of star clusters
• Light-element Abundance Variations in the Milky Way Halo
• Direct N-Body Modeling of the Old Open Cluster NGC 188: A Detailed Comparison of Theoretical and Observed Binary Star and Blue Straggler Populations
• Evolution of the mass function of the Galactic globular cluster system
• Globular cluster formation from gravitational tidal effects of merging and interacting galaxies
• Coevolution of dust, gas, and stars in galaxies - I. Spatial distributions and scaling-relations of dust and molecular hydrogen
• The effect of spiral arm passages on the evolution of stellar clusters
• Some Constraints on The Formation of Globular Clusters
• Globular Cluster Systems in Brightest Cluster Galaxies: A Near-Universal Luminosity Function?
• Evidence for two populations of Galactic globular clusters from the ratio of their half-mass to Jacobi radii
• The fraction of globular cluster second-generation stars in the Galactic halo
• The SLUGGS Survey: The globular cluster systems of three early-type galaxies using wide-field imaging
• Trends in the Globular Cluster Luminosity Function of Early-Type Galaxies
• Globular Cluster Formation Within The Aquarius Simulation
• The Origin of the Gaussian Initial Mass Function of Old Globular Cluster Systems
• The impact of galaxy harassment on the globular cluster systems of early-type cluster dwarf galaxies
• The M31 Globular Cluster Luminosity Function
• The Globular Cluster Luminosity Function as a Distance Indicator: Dynamical Effects
• Clues on the Missing Sources of Reionization from Self-consistent Modeling of Milky Way and Dwarf Galaxy Globular Clusters
• The Age Distribution of Clusters in M83
• Old globular clusters in magellanic-type dwarf irregular galaxies
• Towards an N-body Model for the Globular Cluster M4
• Erosion of Globular Cluster Systems: The Influence of Radial Anisotropy, Central Black Holes and Dynamical Friction
• The Effect of Orbital Eccentricity on the Dynamical Evolution of Star Clusters
• Evolution of star clusters in a cosmological tidal field
• The role of galaxy mergers on the evolution of star clusters
• Globular cluster systems as tracers of environmental effects on Virgo early-type dwarfs
• Neutron star natal kicks and the long-term survival of star clusters
• A flexible method to evolve collisional systems and their tidal debris in external potentials
• How Did Globular Clusters Form?
• Massive stars and globular cluster formation
• Cosmological Evolution of Supergiant Star-Forming Clouds
• Self-consistent simulations of star cluster formation from gas clouds under the influence of galaxy-scale tidal fields
• The effect of secular galactic growth on the evolution of star clusters
• Reconstructing the initial mass function of disc-bulge Galactic globular clusters from N-body simulations
• On the origin of the radial mass density profile of the Galactic halo Globular Cluster System
• Star cluster evolution in barred disc galaxies. I. Planar periodic orbits
• From light to mass: accessing the initial and present-day Galactic globular cluster mass functions

Cited by in corpus (19)

• Star cluster formation in cosmological simulations. III. Dynamical and chemical evolution
• Revisiting the mass of open clusters with \emph{Gaia} data
• Massive and supermassive black holes in the contemporary and early universe and the new problems of cosmology and astrophysics
• Mergers, tidal interactions, and mass exchange in a population of disc globular clusters
• A new model for the multiple stellar populations within Terzan 5
• The origin of discrete multiple stellar populations in globular clusters
• Characterizing low contrast Galactic open clusters with GAIA DR2
• Highly dynamically evolved intermediate-age open clusters
• Globular cluster formation with multiple stellar populations from hierarchical star cluster complexes
• Globular Cluster Seeding by Primordial Black Hole Population
• Simulations of globular clusters within their parent galaxies: multiple stellar populations and internal kinematics
• The star cluster survivability after gas expulsion is independent of the impact of the Galactic tidal field
• Formation of globular clusters with internal abundance spreads in r-process elements: strong evidence for prolonged star formation
• Tidal disruption of star clusters in galaxy formation simulations
• Simulations of globular clusters within their parent galaxies: Metallicity spreads and anomalous precursor populations
• Could compact stars in globular clusters constrain dark matter?
• MOCCA Survey Database: Extra Galactic Globular Clusters. I. Method and first results
• The globular cluster system of the isolated elliptical NGC 6411: An old system in an intermediate-age galaxy?
• Great Balls of FIRE IV. The contribution of massive star clusters to the astrophysical population of merging binary black holes