Related papers: A Merger Model and Globular Cluster Formation
The formation of stellar clusters dictates the pace at which galaxies evolve, and solving the question of their formation will undoubtedly lead to a better understanding of the Universe as a whole. While it is well known that star clusters…
Collisions of main sequence stars occur frequently in dense star clusters. In open and globular clusters, these collisions produce merger remnants that may be observed as blue stragglers. Detailed theoretical models of this process require…
The massive galaxies in the young universe, ten billion years ago, formed stars at surprising intensities. Although this is commonly attributed to violent mergers, the properties of many of these galaxies are incompatible with such events,…
Using semi-analytic models of galaxy formation set within the Cold Dark Matter (CDM) merging hierarchy, we investigate several scenarios for the nature of the high-redshift ($z \ga 2$) Lyman-break galaxies (LBGs). We consider a…
A major goal of contemporary astrophysics is understanding the origin of the most massive galaxies in the universe, particularly nearby ellipticals and spirals. Theoretical models of galaxy formation have existed for many decades, although…
We perform high resolution simulations of forming star clusters as they merge inside giant molecular clouds (GMCs) using hydrodynamics coupled to N-body dynamics to simultaneously model both the gas and stars. We zoom in to previously run…
Detailed observations of globular clusters (GCs) have revealed evidence of self-enrichment: some of the heavy elements that we see in stars today were produced by cluster stars themselves. Moreover, GCs have internal subpopulations with…
Although the basic physics of star formation is classical, numerical simulations have yielded essential insights into how stars form. They show that star formation is a highly nonuniform runaway process characterized by the emergence of…
Internal chemical abundance spreads are one of fundamental properties of globular clusters (GCs) in the Galaxy. In order to understand the origin of such abundance spreads, we numerically investigate GC formation from massive molecular…
Selected results from recent studies of star formation in galaxies at different stages of interaction are reviewed. Recent results from the Spitzer Space Telescope are highlighted. Ideas on how large-scale driving of star formation in…
We investigate the viability of a model in which the chemical anomalies among Globular Cluster stars are due to accretion of gas onto the protostellar discs of low mass stars. This model has been suggested as a way to reduce the large…
Currently-proposed galaxy quenching mechanisms predict very different behaviours during major halo mergers, ranging from significant quenching enhancement (e.g., clump-induced gravitational heating models) to significant star formation…
Recent observations have revealed that at least 8 globular clusters (GCs) in the Galaxy show internal abundance spreads in [Fe/H]. We investigate the origin of these `anomalous' GCs using numerical simulations of GCs in the dwarfs orbiting…
We investigate a simple model for globular cluster (GC) formation. We simulate the violent relaxation of initially homogeneous isothermal stellar spheres and show that it leads to the formation of clusters with radial density profiles that…
The observed discrete multiple stellar populations and internal abundance spreads in r- and s-process elements within globular clusters (GCs) have been suggested to be explained self-consistently by discrete star formation events over a…
It has been known for more than 30 years that star formation in giant molecular clouds (GMCs) is slow, in the sense that only ~1% of the gas forms stars every free-fall time. This result is entirely independent of any particular model of…
The gravitational clustering hierarchy and dissipative gas processes are both involved in the formation of bulges. Here we present a simple empirical model in which bulge material is assembled via gravitational accretion of the visible…
Young star clusters in interacting galaxies are often found in groups or clusters of star clusters containing up to 100 single clusters. In our project we study the future fate of these clusters of star clusters. We find that the star…
We present results of fully self-consistent N-body simulations of the motion of four globular clusters moving in the inner region of their parent galaxy. With regard to previous simplified simulations, we confirm merging and formation of an…
We discuss the mechanism of cluster formation in hierarchically collapsing molecular clouds. Recent evidence, both observational and numerical, suggests that molecular clouds (MCs) may be undergoing global, hierarchical gravitational…