2004/04/08 by Paul Goudfrooij, Goudfrooij, Paul
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysics (astro-ph) #FOS: Physical sciences #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.astro-ph/0404189
4 pages, to be published in "The Formation and Evolution of Massive Young Star Clusters", edited by H.J.G.L.M. Lamers, A. Nota & L.J. Smith (ASP: San Francisco)
arxiv created 2004/04/08 · openalex publication_date 2004/04/08 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Recent observations of globular clusters (GCs) in intermediate-age (2-4 Gyr\nold), early-type merger remnants have provided the hitherto `missing link'\nbetween young merger remnants and `normal' elliptical galaxies in the form of a\nGC subsystem with colors and luminosities consistent with population synthesis\nmodel predictions for those ages and ~solar metallicity. Here we present new,\ndeep observations of the GC system of the intermediate-age merger remnant NGC\n1316, using the ACS camera aboard Hubble Space Telescope, which allowed us to\ncreate luminosity functions (LFs) as a function of galactocentric radius. We\nfind that the inner 50% of the `red' GC system shows a clear turnover in its\nLF, at about 1 mag fainter than that of the `old' blue GCs. This constitutes\ndirect, dynamical evidence that metal-rich GC populations formed during a\ngas-rich merger can evolve into the `red', metal-rich GC populations that are\nubiquitous in `normal' giant ellipticals.\n