Stellar Abundances in Young and Intermediate Age GCs
Abstract
Globular Cluster (GC) formation seems to be a widespread mode of star formation in extreme starbursts triggered by strong interactions and mergers of massive gas-rich galaxies. We use our detailed chemically consistent evolutionary synthesis models for spiral galaxies to predict stellar abundances and abundance ratios of those second generation GCs as a function of their age or formation redshift. Comparison with observed spectra of young star clusters formed recently in an ongoing intercation (NGC 4038/39) and a merger remnant (NGC 7252) are encouraging. Abundances and abundance ratios (and their respective spreads) among young and intermediate cluster populations and among the red peak GCs of elliptical/S0 galaxies with bimodal GC color distributions are predicted to bear a large amount of information about those clusters' formation processes and environment. Not only the bright young clusters but also representative populations of "old" GCs in E/S0 galaxies are readily accessible to MOS on 10m class telescopes.
Cite
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/0310596,
title = {Stellar Abundances in Young and Intermediate Age GCs},
author = {Uta Fritze -- v. Alvensleben},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/0310596},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
2 pages, Latex, IAU JD04 Sydney 2003, to appear in Memorie della Societa Astronomica Italiana