Related papers: Notes on counter-orbiting globular clusters in the…
In order to find the possible progenitors of Milky Way globular clusters, we perform orbit integrations to track the orbits of 170 Galactic globular clusters and the eleven classical Milky Way satellite galaxies backwards in time for 11 Gyr…
The small group of Galactic Globular Clusters (GGC) (Pal 12, Terzan 7, Ruprecht 106, Arp 2) recently discovered to be significantly younger (by ~3-4 Gyr) than the average cluster population of the Galaxy are shown to lie near planes passing…
The mere existence of multiple stellar generations in Milky Way globular clusters indicates that each generation was unable to stop star formation, that instead persisted unimpeded for several million years. This evidence argues for an…
We review the recent theoretical and observational developments concerning the interaction of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) with the Milky Way and its neighbourhood. An emerging picture is that the LMC is a fairly massive companion…
The properties of old globular cluster systems in galaxy halos are used to infer quantitative constraints on aspects of generic star (cluster) formation. First, the spatial distribution of globulars in three large galaxies, together with…
Recent developments relevant to the formation of globular cluster systems in galaxies are discussed, including (1) The age distribution of the oldest Milky Way clusters, (2) Subgroups and possible accretion and merger remnants in the…
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…
Hundreds of globular clusters and dwarf galaxies encircle the Milky Way. Many of these systems have undergone partial disruption due to tidal forces, littering the halo with stellar streams. These tidal tails are sensitive to the Galactic…
Nearly a century after the true nature of galaxies as distant "island universes" was established, their origin and evolution remain great unsolved problems of modern astrophysics. One of the most promising ways to investigate galaxy…
The angular momentum of galaxies controls the kinematics of their stars, which in turn drives observable quantities such as the apparent radius, the bulge fraction, and the alignment with other nearby structures. To show how angular…
This is the second paper in a series, which studies the likelihood that some globular clusters (GCs) of the Milky Way (MW) could have originated from a dwarf satellite galaxy (DSG). Using a large suite of three-body simulations we determine…
We present the results of detailed N-body simulations of clusters moving in a realistic Milky Way (MW) potential. The strong interaction with the bulge and the disk of the Galaxy leads to the formation of tidal tails, emanating from…
Most Milky Way globular clusters (GCs) exhibit measurable flattening, even if on a very low level. Both cluster rotation and tidal fields are thought to cause this flattening. Nevertheless, rotation has only been confirmed in a handful of…
The history of the Magellanic Clouds is investigated using N-body hydrodynamic simulations where the initial conditions are set by a genetic algorithm. This technique allows us to identify possible orbits for the Magellanic Clouds around…
The kinematical and spatial properties of the metal-rich globular clusters in the Galaxy ([Fe/H] > -0.8) indicates that these objects do not comprise a homogeneous population. Three subsystems are identified. The highest-mass clusters…
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 evolution of globular cluster systems in some galaxies can be cause of merging of globulars in the very central regions. This high stellar density favours the growth of a central nucleus via swallowing of surrounding stars. The infall…
We report on the extent of the effects of the Milky Way's gravitational field in shaping the structural parameters and internal dynamics of its globular cluster population. We make use of a homogeneous, up-to-date data set with kinematics,…
We investigate the effect that dwarf galaxies have on the orbits, tidal histories, and assumed formation environment of Milky Way globular clusters. We determine the orbits of the Milky Way's 150 globular clusters in a gravitational…
The central regions of galaxies show the presence of massive black holes and/or dense stellar systems. The question about their modes of formation is still under debate. A likely explanation of the formation of the central dense stellar…