We investigate the dissolution process for dynamically evolving star clusters embedded in an external tidal field by exploring the Mocca Survey Database I, with focus on the presence and evolution of a stellar-mass black hole subsystem. We argue that the presence of a black hole subsystem can lead to the dissolution of tidally filling star clusters and this can be regarded as a third type of cluster dissolution mechanism (in addition to well-known mechanisms connected with strong mass loss due to stellar evolution and mass loss connected with the relaxation process). This third process is characterized by abrupt cluster dissolution connected with the loss of dynamical equilibrium. The abrupt dissolution is powered by strong energy generation from a stellar-mass black hole subsystem accompanied by tidal stripping. Additionally, we argue that such a mechanism should also work for even tidally under-filling clusters with top-heavy initial mass function. Observationally, star clusters which undergo dissolution powered by the third mechanism would look as a 'dark cluster' i.e. composed of stellar mass black holes surrounded by an expanding halo of luminous stars (Banerjee & Kroupa 2011), and they should be different from 'dark clusters' harbouring intermediate mass black holes as discussed by Askar et al. (2017b). An additional observational consequence of an operation of the third dissolution mechanism should be a larger than expected abundance of free floating black holes in the Galactic halo.

We present the implementation of updated stellar evolution recipes in the codes Nbody6++GPU, MOCCA and McLuster. We test them through numerical simulations of star clusters containing 1.1 × 105 stars (with 2.0 × 104 in primordial hard binaries) performing high-resolution direct N-body (Nbody6++GPU) and Monte Carlo (MOCCA) simulations to an age of 10 Gyr. We compare models implementing either delayed or core-collapse supernovae mechanisms, a different mass ratio distribution for binaries, and white dwarf natal kicks enabled/disabled. Compared to Nbody6++GPU, the MOCCA models appear to be denser, with a larger scatter in the remnant masses, and a lower binary fraction on average. The MOCCA models produce more black holes (BHs) and helium white dwarfs (WDs), whilst Nbody6++GPU models are characterised by a much larger amount of WD-WD binaries. The remnant kick velocity and escape speed distributions are similar for the BHs and neutron stars (NSs), and some NSs formed via electron-capture supernovae, accretion-induced collapse or merger-induced collapse escape the cluster in all simulations. The escape speed distributions for the WDs, on the other hand, are very dissimilar. We categorise the stellar evolution recipes available in Nbody6++GPU, MOCCA and Mcluster into four levels: the one implemented in previous Nbody6++GPU and MOCCA versions (level A), state-of-the-art prescriptions (level B), some in a testing phase (level C), and those that will be added in future versions of our codes.

Over the last few decades, exhaustive surveys of extra Galactic globular clusters (EGGCs) have become feasible. Only recently, limited kinematical information of globular clusters (GCs) were available through Gaia Data Release 2 spectroscopy and also proper motions. On the other hand, simulations of GCs can provide detailed information about the dynamical evolution of the system. We present a preliminary study of EGGCs’ properties for different dynamical evolutionary stages. We apply this study to 12-Gyr-old GCs simulated as part of the MOCCA Survey Database. Mimicking observational limits, we consider only a subsample of the models in the data base, showing that it is possible to represent observed Milky Way GCs. In order to distinguish between different dynamical states of EGGCs, at least three structural parameters are necessary. The best distinction is achieved by considering the central parameters, those being observational core radius, central surface brightness, ratio between central and half-mass velocity dispersion, or similarly considering the central colour, the central V magnitude, and the ratio between central and half-mass radius velocity dispersion, although such properties could be prohibitive with current technologies. A similar but less solid result is obtained considering the average properties at the half-light radius, perhaps accessible presently in the Local Group. Additionally, we mention that the colour spread in EGGCs due to internal dynamical models, at fixed metallicity, could be just as important due to the spread in metallicity.