Search for Black Holes in M31 Globular Clusters

Physics

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Hst Proposal Id #9767 Galaxies

Scientific paper

Whether globular clusters contain a central massive black hole remains a very controversial subject today, and yet is extremely important for theoretical models for black hole and cluster formation. Furthermore, the existence of intermediate-mass black holes has important implications for supermassive black hole and galactic bulge formation, as well as providing signatures in gravitational wave detectors. We propose to obtain high spatial resolution, long-slit spectroscopy of two globular clusters in M31, G78 and G280. These two clusters represent the best ones in which to constrain a central black hole. Most importantly, both of these clusters have long central relaxation times, and thus confusion between a central black hole and a collection of heavy stellar remnants is alleviated. We have considered all globular clusters in our Galaxy and in M31; STIS observations of these two will provide the strongest limits for a black hole in any cluster, and better than the two claims made previously in the literature. Combined with the data for G1, these three clusters have the three highest central velocity dispersions for any cluster in the Local Group and will shed light on possible connections between galaxy and globular cluster formation.

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