Merging of Globular Clusters in Inner Galactic Regions. II. Nuclear Star Cluster Formation

Abstract

In this series of papers, we present the results of detailed N-body simulations of the interaction of a sample of four massive globular clusters in the inner region of a triaxial galaxy for two different sets of initial conditions that correspond to different initial density concentrations. A full merging of the clusters takes place, leading to a slowly evolving cluster that is quite similar to observed nuclear clusters. Actually, both the density and the velocity dispersion profiles match qualitatively, and also quantitatively after scaling to a larger number of merger globulars, with the observed features of many nucleated galaxies. In the case of dense initial clusters, the merger remnant shows a density profile more concentrated than that of the progenitors, with a central density higher than the sum of the progenitors' central densities and an effective radius compatible with observed nuclear values. These findings support the idea that a massive nuclear cluster may have formed in the early phases of the mother galaxy's evolution and led to the formation of a nucleus, which in many galaxies has a luminosity profile similar to that of an extended King model. A correlation with galactic nuclear activity is suggested.