Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Aug 2003
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003basbr..23..189d&link_type=abstract
Boletim da Sociedade Astronômica Brasileira (ISSN 0101-3440), vol.23, no.1, p. 189-189
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
The LMC cluster system presents a gap in the distribution of ages. There are two populations, the genuine old globular clusters with ages of ~13 Gyr and the intermediate age globular clusters with ages of 1-3 Gyr. Only one cluster ESO121-SCO3 (~8.5 Gyr) lies in the age interval of 3-13 Gyr. The LMC has 14 genuine old globular clusters with properties similar to the Galactic halo globular system. The observed age of LMC clusters has undoubtedly been modified by processes that lead to cluster disruption, but does not seem to be a plausible complete explanation for the age gap. We tested a scenario in which the genuine old globular clusters were captured from the Galactic halo along the LMC orbital path. We studied the dynamical evolution of the halo globular cluster system as test particles in the Galactic environment interacting with the LMC potential in the last 10 Gyr. In order to reproduce the present number of old clusters in LMC we need an initial population in the Galactic halo of ~1000 globular clusters. This number is actually 5 times larger than spected, even considering evolution and disruption by tidal heating of the Galactic globular system. So we conclude that the capture scenario does not explain satisfactorily the number of observed genuine old globular clusters in LMC. We find that clusters are captured by LMC in the perigalactic transit and are released ~200 Myr after that event (~1/5 the LMC orbital period). We remark that the LMC is presently near and approaching the perigalactic. This simulation rises the possibility that the genuine old population of globular clusters in the LMC are a transient capture phenomenon.
Dottori Horacio
Neto Angelo Fausti
Vargas Teofilo
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