The extended stellar substructures of four metal-poor globular clusters in the Galactic bulge

Abstract

AbstractWe investigated the stellar density substructures around four metal-poor globular clusters (NGC 6266, NGC 6626, NGC 6642, and NGC 6723) in the Galactic bulge. Wide-field near-infrared (JHKs) imaging data were obtained from WFCAM of UKIRT telescope. Field stars contamination around the globular clusters was reduced by using a statistical weighted filtering algorithm. Tidal stripping stellar substructures in the form of tidal tail (NGC 6266 and NGC 6626) or small density lobes/chunk (NGC 6642 and NGC 6723) were found around the four globular clusters in the two-dimensional density contour maps. We also find the overdensity features, which deviate from the theoretical models, in the outer region of radial density profiles. The observed results imply that the four globular clusters have experienced a strong tidal force or the bulge/disk shock effect of the Galaxy.