Related papers: Disruption time scales of star clusters in differe…
The dissolution time (t_dis) of clusters in a tidal field does not scale with the ``classical'' expression for the relaxation time. First, the scaling with N, and hence cluster mass, is shallower due to the finite escape time of stars.…
Observations and N-body simulations both support a simple relation for the disruption time of a cluster as a function of its mass of the form: t_dis = t_4 * (M/10^4 Msun)^gamma. The scaling factor t_4 seems to depend strongly on the…
We present a new method to derive the cluster disruption time in selected regions of galaxies from the mass or age distribution of magnitude-limited cluster samples. If the disruption time of clusters in a region of a galaxy depends on…
If the cluster formation rate is constant and the disruption time of clusters depends on their initial mass as t_dis= t_4 x (M_i/10^4 Msun)^gamma, where M_i is the initial mass of a cluster, t_4 is the disruption time of a cluster of…
We predict the survival time of initially bound star clusters in the solar neighbourhood taking into account: (1) stellar evolution, (2) tidal stripping, (3) shocking by spiral arms and (4) encounters with giant molecular clouds. We find…
We present a simple analytical description of the disruption of star clusters in a tidal field, which agrees excellently with detailed N-body simulations. The analytic expression can be used to predict the mass and age histograms of…
How stellar clusters disrupt, and over what timescales, is intimately linked with how they form. Here, we review the theory and observations of cluster disruption, both the suggested initial rapid dissolution phase (infant mortality) and…
Understanding the evolution of stellar clusters in an evolving tidal field is critical for studying the disruption of stellar clusters in a cosmological context. We systematically characterise the response of stellar clusters to tidal…
We investigate encounters between giant molecular clouds (GMCs) and star clusters. We propose a single expression for the energy gain of a cluster due to an encounter with a GMC, valid for all encounter distances and GMC properties. This…
ABRIDGED: We obtain new age and mass estimates for the star clusters in M82's fossil starburst region B, based on improved fitting methods. Our new age estimates confirm the peak in the age histogram attributed to the last tidal encounter…
The age distributions of stellar cluster populations have long been proposed to probe the recent formation history of the host galaxy. However, progress is hampered by the limited understanding of cluster disruption by evaporation and tidal…
Star clusters are often used as tracers of major star formation events in external galaxies as they can be studied up to much larger distances than individual stars. It is vital to understand their evolution if they are used to derive, for…
We report results of collisional N-body simulations aimed to study the N-dependance of the dynamical evolution of star clusters. Our clusters consist of equal-mass stars and are in virial equilibrium. Clusters moving in external tidal…
We study the escape rate, dN/dt, from clusters with different radii in a tidal field using analytical predictions and direct N-body simulations. We find that dN/dt depends on the ratio R=r_h/r_j, where r_h is the half-mass radius and r_j…
We review the theory and observations of star cluster disruption. The three main phases and corresponding typical timescales of cluster disruption are: I) Infant Mortality (~10^7 yr), II) Stellar Evolution (~10^8 yr) and III) Tidal…
The distribution of the number of clusters as a function of mass M and age T suggests that clusters get eroded or dispersed in a regular way over time, such that the cluster number decreases inversely as an approximate power law with T…
We report results of a large set of N-body calculations aimed to study the evolution of multi-mass star clusters in external tidal fields. Our clusters start with the same initial mass-functions, but varying particle numbers, orbital types…
We review many of the basic properties of star cluster systems, and focus in particular on how they relate to their host galaxy properties and ambient environment. The cluster mass and luminosity functions are well approximated by…
(Abridged) The formation and evolution of star cluster populations are related to the galactic environment. Cluster formation is governed by processes acting on galactic scales, and star cluster disruption is driven by the tidal field. In…
Most of the dynamical mass loss from star clusters is thought to be caused by the time-variability of the tidal field (``tidal shocks''). Systematic studies of tidal shocks have been hampered by the fact that each tidal history is unique,…