Globular cluster formation within a cosmological context

Abstract

We place constraints on the formation redshifts for blue globular clusters (BGCs), independent of the details of hydrodynamics and population III star formation. The observed radial distribution of BGCs in the Milky Way Galaxy suggests that they formed in biased dark matter halos at high redshift. As a result, simulations of a ∼1 Mpc box up to z ∼ 10 must resolve BGC formation in ΛCDM. We find that most halo stars could be produced from destroyed BGCs and other low-mass clusters that formed at high redshift. We present a proof-of-concept simulation that captures the formation of globular-like star clusters. © 2009 The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.