The dynamical evolution of the stellar clumps in the Sparkler galaxy

Abstract

Recent JWST observations detected stellar clumps around the z=1.4 gravitationally lensed Sparkler galaxy (of stellar mass $M_{\ast }\sim 10^9{\mathrm{M}}_{\odot }$), with ages and metallicities compatible with globular clusters (GCs). However, most of their masses ($>10^6{\mathrm{M}}_{\odot }$) and sizes (>30 pc) are about 10 times those of GCs in the local Universe. To assess whether these clumps can evolve into GCs, we performed N-body simulations of their dynamical evolution from z=1.4 to z=0 (9.23 Gyr), under the effect of dynamical friction and tidal stripping. Dynamical friction is studied performing multiple runs of a clump system in a Sparkler-like spherical halo of mass $M_{200}\simeq 5\times 10^{11}{\mathrm{M}}_{\odot }$ (from the stellar-to-halo mass relation). For the tidal stripping, we simulated resolved clumps, orbiting in an external, static gravitational potential including the same halo as in the dynamical friction simulations and also a Sparkler-like stellar disk. Dynamical friction causes the clumps with mass $>10^7{\mathrm{M}}_{\odot }$ to sink into the galaxy central regions, possibly contributing to the bulge growth. In absence of tidal stripping, the mass distribution of the surviving clumps (40%) peaks at $5\times 10^6{\mathrm{M}}_{\odot }$, implying the presence of uncommonly over-massive clumps at z=0. Tidal shocks by the stellar disk strip considerable mass from low-mass clumps, even though their sizes remain larger than those of present-day GCs. When the surviving clumps are corrected for tidal stripping, their mass distribution peak shifts to $2\times 10^6{\mathrm{M}}_{\odot }$, compatible with massive GCs. Our simulations suggest that a fraction of the Sparkler clumps is expected to fall into the central regions, where they might become bulge fossil fragments or contribute to form a nuclear star cluster. The remaining clumps are too large in size to be progenitors of GCs.

Submitted to A&A; 16 pages, 4 pages of Appendix, 16 figures, 6 tables

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