Metallicity Distribution Functions for the Globular Cluster Systems of E Galaxies

Details Metallicity Distribution Functions for the Globular Cluster Systems of E Galaxies Metallicity Distribution Functions for the Globular Cluster Systems of E Galaxies

Dec 1992

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1992aas...181.7509g&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, 181st AAS Meeting, #75.09; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 24, p.1243

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

We have obtained integrated Washington photometry for a large sample of globular clusters in each of the elliptical galaxies NGC 1399, NGC 4486 (M87) and NGC 5128. Metallicities accurate to ~ 0.25 dex have been derived for 62 spectroscopically-confirmed globulars in NGC 5128. In NGC 1399 and M87, metallicities accurate to ~ 0.3 dex are determined for about 350 and 550 candidates, respectively, most of which are believed to be globular clusters. We find mean metal abundances of -0.93, -0.82 and -0.90 for the NGC 1399, NGC 5128 and M87 globular clusters systems, respectively, with uncertainties of about 0.2 dex. These values are in good agreement with those expected from the correlation between mean cluster metallicity and parent galaxy luminosity. The most metal-rich clusters in NGC 5128 are not as enhanced as found by Frogel (1984), although the problems in calibrating such extreme clusters are substantial. The metallicity distribution functions for the globulars in these galaxies are each distinct, as well as differing from that of the Milky Way globulars. In each of the external galaxies, a significant fraction of the clusters ( ~ 10%) have greater than solar abundances. The signature of possible formation of globular clusters in mergers, as suggested by Ashman and Zepf (1992), is found in the distinct metallicity peaks in the NGC 5128 and especially NGC 1399 distributions.

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