2003/08/15 by Kenji Bekki, Warrick J. Couch, Bekki, Kenji +5
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics (astro-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.astro-ph/0308263
2 pages 1 figure (color), in the proceedings of Extragalactic Globular clusters and their host galaxies (JD6 in IAU)
arxiv created 2003/08/15 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01
Our numerical simulations first demonstrate that the pressure of ISM in a major merger becomes so high (> 105 \rm k\rm B K \rm cm-3) that GMCs in the merger can collapse to form globular clusters (GCs) within a few Myr. The star formation efficiency within a GMC in galaxy mergers can rise up from a few percent to ∼ 80 percent, depending on the shapes and the temperature of the GMC. This implosive GC formation due to external high pressure of warm/hot ISM can be more efficient in the tidal tails or the central regions of mergers. The developed clusters have King-like profile with the effective radius of a few pc. The structural, kinematical, and chemical properties of these GC systems can depend on orbital and chemical properties of major mergers.