Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics – Galaxy Astrophysics
Scientific paper
2009-05-11
New Astron.15:46-51,2010
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
Galaxy Astrophysics
8 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in New Astronomy
Scientific paper
10.1016/j.newast.2009.05.003
We investigate the influence of the external tidal field of a dark matter halo on the dynamical evolution of star clusters using direct N-body simulations, where we assume that the halo is described by a Navarro, Frenk & White mass profile which has an inner density cusp. We assess how varying the mass and concentration of the halo affects the rate at which the star cluster loses mass and we find that increasing halo mass and concentration drives enhanced mass loss rates and in principle shorter cluster disruption timescales. In addition, we examine disruption timescales in a three-component model of a galaxy (bulge, disk and dark matter halo) and find good agreement with results based on an empirical model of the Galactic potential if we assume a halo mass of ~1e12 solar masses. In general, dark matter halos are expected to contribute significantly to the masses of galaxies and should not be ignored when modelling the evolution of star clusters. We extend our results to discuss how this can have a potentially profound effect on the disruption timescales of globular clusters, suggesting that we may underestimate the rate at which primordial globular clusters are disrupted.
Hurley Jarrod R.
Power Chris
Praagman A. K.
No associations
LandOfFree
Star Cluster Evolution in Dark Matter Dominated Galaxies does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Star Cluster Evolution in Dark Matter Dominated Galaxies, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Star Cluster Evolution in Dark Matter Dominated Galaxies will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-701213