Related papers: The moment of core collapse in star clusters with …
We study the rate of escape of stars (``evaporation'') from tidally-limited postcollapse globular clusters having a power-law distribution of stellar masses. We use a multi-mass Fokker-Planck code and assume a steady tidal field.…
Using our recently improved understanding of star cluster physics, we are now within reach of answering a number of fundamental questions in contemporary astrophysics. Star cluster physics has immediate bearing on questions ranging from the…
We present a new version of the fast star cluster evolution code Evolve Me A Cluster of StarS (EMACSS). While previous versions of EMACSS reproduced clusters of single-mass stars, this version models clusters with an evolving stellar…
We study the dynamical evolution of idealised stellar systems by averaging results from many $N$-body simulations, each having modest numbers of stars. For isolated systems with stars of uniform mass, we discuss aspects of evolution up to…
We present the results from a series of two-dimensional core-collapse simulations using a rotating progenitor star. We find that the convection in these simulations is less vigorous because a) rotation weakens the core bounce which seeds…
While galaxy cluster masses are fundamental cosmological observables, estimates based on intra-cluster medium observations rely on hydrostatic equilibrium, introducing a systematic bias. We investigate how mergers drive the time evolution…
In this paper we use N-body simulations to study the effects of primordial mass segregation on the early and long-term evolution of star clusters. Our simulations show that in segregated clusters early mass loss due to stellar evolution…
We present a new study of the collisional runaway scenario to form an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH, MBH > 100 Msun) at the centre of a young, compact stellar cluster. The first phase is the formation of a very dense central core of…
Stars generally form faster than the ambipolar diffusion time, suggesting that several processes short circuit the delay and promote a rapid collapse. These processes are considered here, including turbulence compression in the outer parts…
The internal rotation and magnetism of evolved massive stars are considered in response to i) the inward pumping of angular momentum through deep and slowly rotating convective layers; and ii) the winding up of a helical magnetic field in…
We review possible dynamical formation processes for central massive black holes in dense star clusters. We focus on the early dynamical evolution of young clusters containing a few thousand to a few million stars. One natural formation…
We present the results of the analysis of deep photometric data of 32 Galactic globular clusters. We analysed 69 parallel field images observed with the Wide Field Channel of the Advanced Camera for Surveys of the Hubble Space Telescope…
Most of massive stars form in binary or higher-order systems in clumpy, sub-structured clusters. In the very first phases of their life, these stars are expected to interact with the surrounding environment, before being released to the…
Super-sonic turbulence fragments molecular clouds (MC) into a very complex density field with density contrasts of several orders of magnitude. A fraction of the gas is locked into dense and gravitationally bound cores, which collapse as…
The presence of protostellar disks can greatly increase the dissipation during close stellar encounters, leading to the formation of a significant population of binaries during the initial collapse and virialization of a cluster. We have…
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…
We review the properties of turbulent molecular clouds (MCs), focusing on the physical processes that influence star formation (SF). MC formation appears to occur during large-scale compression of the diffuse ISM driven by supernovae,…
Most stars form as part of a star cluster. The most massive clusters in the Milky Way exist in two groups - loose and compact clusters - with significantly different sizes at the end of the star formation process. After their formation both…
The similarity between the mass and spatial distributions of pre-stellar gas cores in star-forming clouds and young stars in clusters provides strong circumstantial evidence that these gas cores are the direct progenitors of individual…
Rotation and mass loss are crucially interlinked properties of massive stars, strongly affecting their evolution and ultimate fate. Massive stars rotating near their breakup limit shed mass centrifugally, creating Be stars with…