The MODEST questions: challenges and future directions in stellar cluster research

Abstract

We present a review of some of the current major challenges in stellar cluster research, including young clusters, globular clusters, and galactic nuclei. Topics considered include: primordial mass segregation and runaway mergers, expulsion of gas from clusters, the production of stellar exotica seen in some clusters (eg blue stragglers and extreme horizontal--branch stars), binary populations within clusters, the black--hole population within stellar clusters, the final parsec problem, stellar dynamics around a massive black hole, and stellar collisions. The Modest Questions posed here are the outcome of discussions which took place at the Modest-6A workshop held in Lund, Sweden, in December, 2005. Modest-6A was organised as part of the activities of the Modest Collaboration (see www.manybody.org for further details)

24 pages, no figures, accepted for publication in New Astronomy

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Cited by in corpus (10)

• Young massive star clusters
• Multi-physics simulations using a hierarchical interchangeable software interface
• A multiphysics and multiscale software environment for modeling astrophysical systems
• N-body simulations of gravitational dynamics
• Star Clusters in Evolving Galaxies
• Stromgren photometry of Galactic Globular Clusters. II Metallicity distribution of red giants in Omega Centauri
• On the white dwarf cooling sequence of the globular cluster Omega Centauri
• On the infant weight loss of low- to intermediate-mass star clusters
• Probing satellite galaxies in the Local Group by using FAST
• The influence of star clusters on galactic disks: new insights on star-formation in galaxies