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Dynamical Evolution of Globular Clusters with Mass Spectrum

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 April 2016

Hyung Mok Lee
Hyung Mok Lee*
Affiliation:
Department of Earth Sciences, Pusan University, Pusan 609-735, Republic of Korea
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Abstract

We present a series of numerical models describing the dynamical evolution of globular clusters with a mass spectrum, based on integration of the Fokker-Planck equation. We include three-body binary heating and a steady galactic tidal field. A wide range of initial mass functions is adopted and the evolution of the mass function is examined. The mass function begins to change appreciably during the post-collapse expansion phase due to the selective evaporation of low mass stars through the tidal boundary. One signature of highly evolved clusters is thus the significant flattening of the mass function. The age (in units of the half-mass relaxation time) increases very rapidly beyond about 100 signifying the final stage of cluster disruption. This appears to be consistent with the sharp cut-off of half-mass relaxation times at near 108 years for the Galactic globular clusters.

Type
Invited
Information
Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia , Volume 9 , Issue 1 , 1991 , pp. 41 - 44
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of Australia 1991

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