Dynamical evolution of the mass function and radial profile of the Globular Cluster systems of the Milky Way and M87

Abstract

AbstractEvolution of the mass function (MF) and radial distribution (RD) of the globular cluster (GC) systems of the Milky Way and M87 are calculated using an advanced and realistic Fokker‐Planck (FP) model that considers dynamical friction, disk/bulge shocks, and eccentric cluster orbits. We perform hundreds of FP calculations with different initial cluster conditions, and then search a wide parameter space for the best‐fit initial GC MF and RD that evolves into the observed present‐day GC MF and RD. By allowing both MF and RD of the initial GC system to vary, we find that in case of the Milky Way, our best‐fit models have a higher peak mass for a log‐normal initial MF and a higher cutoff mass for a powerlaw initial MF than previous estimates. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)