Globular cluster system evolution in early type galaxies

Abstract

Globular clusters (GCs) constitute a system which is evolving because of various interactions with the galactic environment. Evolution may be the explanation of many observed features of Globular Cluster Systems (GCSs); the different radial distribution of the GCS and the stellar component of early type galaxies are explained by dynamical friction and tidal effects, the latter acting both on the large scale (that of the bulge-halo stars) and on the small scale (that of the nucleus, often containing a central massive black hole). Merging of quickly orbitally decayed massive GCs leads to formation of a Super Star Cluster (SSC) which enriches the galactic nucleus and is a reservoire of mass-energy for a centrally located black hole. © 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.