2008/06/04 by Andrés Escala, Andres Escala, Richard B. Larson · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Galaxy #Galaxy cluster #Galaxy formation and evolution #Galaxy groups and clusters #Galaxy rotation curve #Globular cluster #Gravitation #Physics #Spiral galaxy #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1086/592271
12 pages, 2 figures, submitted to ApjL
arxiv created 2008/06/04 · openalex publication_date 2008/09/09 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We study gravitational instabilities in disks, with special attention to the most massive clumps that form because they are expected to be the progenitors of globular-type clusters. The maximum unstable mass is set by rotation and depends only on the surface density and orbital frequency of the disk. We propose that the formation of massive clusters is related to this largest scale in galaxies not stabilized by rotation. Using data from the literature, we predict that globular-like clusters can form in nuclear starburst disks and protogalactic disks but not in typical spiral galaxies, in agreement with observations.