Related papers: Dynamical mixing of two stellar populations in glo…
Globular clusters display significant variations in their light-element content, pointing to the existence of a second stellar generation formed from the ejecta of an earlier generation. The nature of these internal polluters is still a…
Globular clusters are among the most congested stellar systems in the Universe. Internal dynamical evolution drives them toward states of high central density, while simultaneously concentrating the most massive stars and binary systems in…
Globular clusters are gravitationally bound stellar systems containing on the order of 100,000 stars. Due to the high stellar densities in the cores of these clusters, close encounters and even physical collisions between stars are…
We review the multiple population (MP) phenomenon of globular clusters (GCs): i.e., the evidence that GCs typically host groups of stars with different elemental abundances and/or distinct sequences in photometric diagrams. Most Galactic…
Young massive clusters (YMCs) are usually accompanied by lower-mass clusters and unbound stars with a total mass equal to several tens times the mass of the YMC. If this was also true when globular clusters (GCs) formed, then their cosmic…
We present the first results from the analysis of GIRAFFE spectra of more than 1200 red giants stars in 19 Galactic Globular Clusters (GCs), to study the chemical composition of second generation stars and their link with global cluster…
The existence of complex stellar populations in some star clusters challenges the understanding of star formation. E.g. the ONC or the sigma Orionis cluster host much older stars than the main bulk of the young stars. Massive star clusters…
One of the currently favored scenarios for the formation of globular clusters (GCs) with multiple stellar populations is that an initial massive stellar system forms (`first generation', FG), subsequently giving rise to gaseous ejecta which…
Analyzing global starburst properties in various kinds of starburst and post-starburst galaxies and relating them to the properties of the star cluster populations they form, I explore the conditions for the formation of massive, compact,…
The empirical laws of star formation suggest that galactic-scale gravity is involved, but they do not identify the actual triggering mechanisms for clusters in the final stages. Many other triggering processes satisfy the empirical laws…
Globular clusters (GCs) display much lower binary fractions than found among main-sequence stars in the solar neighborhood. The physical cause of this difference is debatable: does it reflect different star formation outcomes at low…
Globular clusters formed in galactic mergers (e.g., The Antennae) can now be studied at different stages of their evolution. In young merger remnants (e.g., NGC 7252) these "second-generation" globulars appear by the hundreds as young halo…
The ultra-diffuse galaxy (UDG) NGC1052-DF2 has a low dark matter content and hosts a very unusual globular cluster (GC) population, with a median luminosity $\sim4$ times higher than in most galaxies and containing about 5~per~cent of the…
Recent progress in studies of globular clusters has shown that they are not simple stellar populations, being rather made of multiple generations. Evidence stems both from photometry and spectroscopy. A new paradigm is then arising for the…
The formation of populous secondary star cluster systems is a widespread phenomenon in mergers of gas-rich galaxies. Many, if not most, of those clusters are massive and compact enough to be young globular clusters (GCs). GC systems in most…
Most old globular clusters (GCs) in the Galaxy are observed to have internal chemical abundance spreads in light elements. We discuss a new GC formation scenario based on hierarchical star formation within fractal molecular clouds. In the…
Abundance patterns of the elements C, N, and O are sensitive probes of stellar nucleosynthesis processes and, in addition, O abundances are an important input for stellar age determinations. Understanding the nature of the observed…
Galaxies in clusters are gas-deficient and a number of possible explanations for this observation have been advanced, including galaxy-cluster tidal interactions, galaxy harassment, and ISM-ICM gas stripping. In this paper, we use a…
We propose and investigate a new formation mechanism for globular clusters in which they form within molecular clouds that are formed in the shocked regions created by galactic winds driven by successive supernova explosions shortly after…
Most Globular Clusters so far examined host (at least) two stellar populations. This feature requires a two--step process, in which the nuclearly processed matter from a first generation (FG) of stars gives birth to a second generation (SG)…