Globular star clusters that formed at the same cosmic time may have evolved rather differently from the dynamical point of view (because that evolution depends on the internal environment) through a variety of processes that tend progressively to segregate stars more massive than the average towards the cluster centre. Therefore clusters with the same chronological age may have reached quite different stages of their dynamical history (that is, they may have different 'dynamical ages'). Blue straggler stars have masses greater than those at the turn-off point on the main sequence and therefore must be the result of either a collision or a mass-transfer event. Because they are among the most massive and luminous objects in old clusters, they can be used as test particles with which to probe dynamical evolution. Here we report that globular clusters can be grouped into a few distinct families on the basis of the radial distribution of blue stragglers. This grouping corresponds well to an effective ranking of the dynamical stage reached by stellar systems, thereby permitting a direct measure of the cluster dynamical age purely from observed properties.
Stars in globular clusters are generally believed to have all formed at the same time, early in the Galaxy's history. 'Blue stragglers' are stars massive enough that they should have evolved into white dwarfs long ago. Two possible mechanisms have been proposed for their formation: mass transfer between binary companions and stellar mergers resulting from direct collisions between two stars. Recently the binary explanation was claimed to be dominant. Here we report that there are two distinct parallel sequences of blue stragglers in M 30. This globular cluster is thought to have undergone 'core collapse', during which both the collision rate and the mass transfer activity in binary systems would have been enhanced. We suggest that the two observed sequences are a consequence of cluster core collapse, with the bluer population arising from direct stellar collisions and the redder one arising from the evolution of close binaries that are probably still experiencing an active phase of mass transfer.
We used a proper combination of high-resolution HST observations and wide-field ground based data to derive the radial star density profile of 26 Galactic globular clusters from resolved star counts (which can be all freely downloaded on-line). With respect to surface brightness (SB) profiles (which can be biased by the presence of sparse, bright stars), star counts are considered to be the most robust and reliable tool to derive cluster structural parameters. For each system a detailed comparison with both King and Wilson models has been performed and the most relevant best-fit parameters have been obtained. This is the largest homogeneous catalog collected so far of star count profiles and structural parameters derived therefrom. The analysis of the data of our catalog has shown that: (1) the presence of the central cusps previously detected in the SB profiles of NGC 1851, M13 and M62 is not confirmed; (2) the majority of clusters in our sample are fitted equally well by the King and the Wilson models; (3) we confirm the known relationship between cluster size (as measured by the effective radius) and galactocentric distances; (4) the ratio between the core and the effective radii shows a bimodal distribution, with a peak at ∼ 0.3 for about 80% of the clusters, and a secondary peak at ∼ 0.6 for the remaining 20%. Interestingly, the main peak turns out to be in agreement with what expected from simulations of cluster dynamical evolution and the ratio between these two radii well correlates with an empirical dynamical age indicator recently defined from the observed shape of blue straggler star radial distribution, thus suggesting that no exotic mechanisms of energy generation are needed in the cores of the analyzed clusters.
Terzan 5 is a globular cluster-like stellar system in the Galactic bulge which has been recently found to harbor two stellar populations with different iron content and probably different ages. This discovery suggests that Terzan 5 may be the relic of a primordial building block that contributed to the formation of the Galactic bulge. Here we present a re-determination of the structural parameters (center of gravity, density and surface brightness profiles, total luminosity, and mass) of Terzan 5, as obtained from the combination of high-resolution (ESO-MAD and Hubble Space Telescope ACS-WFC) and wide-field (ESO-WFI) observations. We find that Terzan 5 is significantly less concentrated and more massive than previously thought. Still it has the largest collision rate of any stellar aggregate in the Galaxy. We discuss the impact of these findings on the exceptional population of millisecond pulsars harbored in this stellar system.
By combining high spatial resolution and wide-field spectroscopy performed, respectively, with SINFONI and FLAMES at the ESO/VLT we measured the radial velocities of more than 600 stars in the direction of NGC 6388, a Galactic globular cluster which is suspected to host an intermediate-mass black hole. Approximately 55% of the observed targets turned out to be cluster members. The cluster velocity dispersion has been derived from the radial velocity of individual stars: 52 measurements in the innermost 2 ′′ , and 276 stars located between 18 ′′ and 600 ′′ . The velocity dispersion profile shows a central value of ∼ 13 km s −1 , a flat behavior out to ∼ 60 ′′ and a decreasing trend outwards. The comparison with spherical and isotropic models shows that the observed density and velocity dispersion profiles are inconsistent with the presence of a central black hole more massive than ∼ 2000M ⊙ . These findings are at odds with recent results obtained from integrated light spectra, showing a velocity dispersion profile with a steep central cusp of 23 − 25 km s −1 at r < 2 ′′ and suggesting the presence of a black hole with a mass of ∼ 1.7×10 4 M ⊙ (Lützgendorf et al. 2011). We also found some evidence of systemic rotation with amplitude A rot ∼ 8 km s −1 in the innermost 2 ′′ (0.13 pc), decreasing to A rot = 3.2 km s −1 at 18 ′′ < r < 160 ′′ .
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