by Anders, P. and Baumgardt, H. and Gaburov, E. and Zwart, S. Portegies
14 pages incl. 3 pages with figures and 4 pages of tables (analysis results), MNRAS in press

Most recent progress in understanding the dynamical evolution of star clusters relies on direct N-body simulations. Owing to the computational demands, and the desire to model more complex and more massive star clusters, hardware calculational accelerators, such as GRAPE special-purpose hardware or, more recently, GPUs (i.e. graphics cards), are generally utilised. In addition, simulations can be accelerated by adjusting parameters determining the calculation accuracy (i.e. changing the internal simulation time step used for each star).

We extend our previous thorough comparison (Anders et al. 2009) of basic quantities as derived from simulations performed either with STARLAB/KIRA or NBODY6. Here we focus on differences arising from using different hardware accelerations (including the increasingly popular graphic card accelerations/GPUs) and different calculation accuracy settings.

We use the large number of star cluster models (for a fixed stellar mass function, without stellar/binary evolution, primordial binaries, external tidal fields etc) already used in the previous paper, evolve them with STARLAB/KIRA (and NBODY6, where required), analyse them in a consistent way and compare the averaged results quantitatively. For this quantitative comparison, we apply the bootstrap algorithm for functional dependencies developed in our previous study.

In general we find very high comparability of the simulation results, independent of the used computer hardware (including the hardware accelerators) and the used N-body code. For the tested accuracy settings we find that for reduced accuracy (i.e. time step at least a factor 2.5 larger than the standard setting) most simulation results deviate significantly from the results using standard settings. The remaining deviations are comprehensible and explicable.

by Farr, Will M. and Ames, Jeff and Hut, Piet and Makino, Junichiro and McMillan, Steve and Muranushi, Takayuki and Nakamura, Koichi and Nitadori, Keigo and Zwart, Simon Portegies
5 pages; submitted to New Astronomy

We present a data format for the output of general N-body simulations, allowing the presence of individual time steps. By specifying a standard, different N-body integrators and different visualization and analysis programs can all share the simulation data, independent of the type of programs used to produce the data. Our Particle Stream Data Format, PSDF, is specified in YAML, based on the same approach as XML but with a simpler syntax. Together with a specification of PSDF, we provide background and motivation, as well as specific examples in a variety of computer languages. We also offer a web site from which these examples can be retrieved, in order to make it easy to augment existing codes in order to give them the option to produce PSDF output.

by Zocchi, A. and Bertin, G. and Varri, A. L.
18 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics

We perform a systematic combined photometric and kinematic analysis of a sample of globular clusters under different relaxation conditions, based on their core relaxation time (as listed in available catalogs), by means of two well-known families of spherical stellar dynamical models. Systems characterized by shorter relaxation time scales are expected to be better described by isotropic King models, while less relaxed systems might be interpreted by means of non-truncated, radially-biased anisotropic f^(\nu) models, originally designed to represent stellar systems produced by a violent relaxation formation process and applied here for the first time to the study of globular clusters. The comparison between dynamical models and observations is performed by fitting simultaneously surface brightness and velocity dispersion profiles. For each globular cluster, the best-fit model in each family is identified, along with a full error analysis on the relevant parameters. Detailed structural properties and mass-to-light ratios are also explicitly derived. We find that King models usually offer a good representation of the observed photometric profiles, but often lead to less satisfactory fits to the kinematic profiles, independently of the relaxation condition of the systems. For some less relaxed clusters, f^(\nu) models provide a good description of both observed profiles. Some derived structural characteristics, such as the total mass or the half-mass radius, turn out to be significantly model-dependent. The analysis confirms that, to answer some important dynamical questions that bear on the formation and evolution of globular clusters, it would be highly desirable to acquire larger numbers of accurate kinematic data-points, well distributed over the cluster field.

by Giersz, Mirek and Heggie, Douglas C. and Hurley, Jarrod and Hypki, Arkadiusz
15 pages, 24 figures

We describe a major upgrade of a Monte Carlo code which has previously been used for many studies of dense star clusters. We outline the steps needed in order to calibrate the results of the new Monte Carlo code against N-body simulations for large $latex N$ systems, up to N=200000. The new version of the Monte Carlo code (called MOCCA), in addition to the old version, incorporates direct FewBody integrator for three- and four-body interactions, and new treatment of the escape process based on Fokushige and Heggie (2000). Now stars which fulfil the escape criterion are not removed immediately, but can stay in the system for a certain time which depends on the excess of the energy of a star above the critical energy. They are called potential escapers. FewBody integrator allows to follow all interaction channels, which are important for the rate of creation of various types of objects observed in star clusters, and assures that the energy generation by binaries is treated in a meaner similar to the N-body model.

There are at most three parameters which have to be adjusted against N-body simulations for large N. Two (or one, depends on the chosen approach) connected with the escape process and one responsible for determination of the interaction probabilities. The adopted free parameters are independent on N. They allow MOCCA code to reproduce N-body results, in a reasonably precision, not only for the rate of cluster evolution and the cluster mass distribution, but also for the detailed distributions of mass and binding energy of binaries.

The MOCCA code is at present the most advanced code for simulations of real star clusters. It can follow the cluster evolution in details comparable to N-body code, but orders of magnitude faster.

by Jalali, B. and Baumgardt, H. and Kissler-Patig, M. and Gebhardt, K. and Noyola, E. and Lützgendorf, N. and de Zeeuw, P. T.
Accepted for publication in A&A

Supermassive black holes (SMBHs) are fundamental keys to understand the formation and evolution of their host galaxies. However, the formation and growth of SMBHs are not yet well understood. One of the proposed formation scenarios is the growth of SMBHs from seed intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs, 10^2 to 10^5 M_{\odot}) formed in star clusters. In this context, and also with respect to the low mass end of the M-sigma relation for galaxies, globular clusters are in a mass range that make them ideal systems to look for IMBHs. Among Galactic star clusters, the massive cluster $latex \omega$ Centauri is a special target due to its central high velocity dispersion and also its multiple stellar populations. We study the central structure and dynamics of the star cluster $latex \omega$ Centauri to examine whether an IMBH is necessary to explain the observed velocity dispersion and surface brightness profiles. We perform direct N-body simulations to follow the dynamical evolution of $latex \omega$ Centauri. The simulations are compared to the most recent data-sets in order to explain the present-day conditions of the cluster and to constrain the initial conditions leading to the observed profiles. We find that starting from isotropic spherical multi-mass King models and within our canonical assumptions, a model with a central IMBH mass of 2% of the cluster stellar mass, i.e. a 5×10^4 M_{\odot} IMBH, provides a satisfactory fit to both the observed shallow cusp in surface brightness and the continuous rise towards the center of the radial velocity dispersion profile. In our isotropic spherical models, the predicted proper motion dispersion for the best-fit model is the same as the radial velocity dispersion one. (abridged)

by Banerjee, Sambaran and Kroupa, Pavel
14 pages, 4 figures. Published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters

Among the most explored directions in the study of dense stellar systems is the investigation of the effects of the retention of supernova remnants, especially that of the massive stellar remnant black holes (BHs), in star clusters. By virtue of their eventual high central concentration, these stellar mass BHs potentially invoke a wide variety of physical phenomena, the most important ones being emission of gravitational waves (GWs), formation of X-ray binaries, and modification of the dynamical evolution of the cluster. Here we propose, for the first time, that rapid removal of stars from the outer parts of a cluster by the strong tidal field in the inner region of our Galaxy can unveil its BH sub-cluster, which appears as a star cluster that is gravitationally bound by an invisible mass. We study the formation and properties of such systems through direct N-body computations and estimate that they can be present in significant numbers in the inner region of the Milky Way. We call such objects “dark star clusters” (DSCs) as they appear dimmer than normal star clusters of similar mass and they comprise a predicted, new class of entities. The finding of DSCs will robustly cross-check BH retention; they will not only constrain the uncertain natal kicks of BHs, thereby the widely debated theoretical models of BH formation, but will also pinpoint star clusters as potential sites for GW emission for forthcoming ground-based detectors such as the Advanced LIGO. Finally, we also discuss the relevance of DSCs for the nature of IRS 13E.

by Benacquista, Matthew J. and Downing, Jonathan M. B.
88 pages, 13 figures. Submitted update of Living Reviews article

Galactic globular clusters are old, dense star systems typically containing 10\super{4}–10\super{7} stars. As an old population of stars, globular clusters contain many collapsed and degenerate objects. As a dense population of stars, globular clusters are the scene of many interesting close dynamical interactions between stars. These dynamical interactions can alter the evolution of individual stars and can produce tight binary systems containing one or two compact objects. In this review, we discuss theoretical models of globular cluster evolution and binary evolution, techniques for simulating this evolution that leads to relativistic binaries, and current and possible future observational evidence for this population. Our discussion of globular cluster evolution will focus on the processes that boost the production of hard binary systems and the subsequent interaction of these binaries that can alter the properties of both bodies and can lead to exotic objects. Direct {\it N}-body integrations and Fokker–Planck simulations of the evolution of globular clusters that incorporate tidal interactions and lead to predictions of relativistic binary populations are also discussed. We discuss the current observational evidence for cataclysmic variables, millisecond pulsars, and low-mass X-ray binaries as well as possible future detection of relativistic binaries with gravitational radiation.

by Konstantinidis, Symeon and Amaro-Seoane, Pau and Kokkotas, Kostas D.
Submitted

Contrary to supermassive and stellar-mass black holes (SBHs), the existence of intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) with masses ranging between 100 and 10,000 Msun has not yet been confirmed. The main problem in the detection is that the innermost stellar kinematics of globular clusters (GCs), the natural loci to IMBHs, are very difficult to resolve. However, if IMBHs reside in the center of GCs, a possibility is that they interact dynamically with their enviroment. A binary formed with the IMBH and a compact object of the GC would naturally lead to a prominent source of gravitational radiation, detectable with future observatories. We run for the first time direct-summation integrations of GCs with an IMBH including the dynamical evolution of the IMBH with the stellar system and relativistic effects, such as energy loss in gravitational waves (GWs) and periapsis shift, and gravitational recoil. We find in one of our models an intermediate-mass ratio inspiral (IMRI), which leads to a merger with a recoiling velocity higher than the escape velocity of the GC. The GWs emitted fall in the range of frequencies that a LISA-like observatory could detect, like the European eLISA or in mission options considered in the recent preliminary mission study conducted in China. The merger has an impact on the global dynamics of the cluster, as an important heating source is removed when the merged system leaves the GC. The detection of one IMRI would constitute a test of GR, as well as an irrefutable proof of the existence of IMBHs.

by Buliga, S. D. and Globina, V. I. and Gnedin, Yu. N. and Natsvlishvili, T. M. and Piotrovich, M. Yu. and Shaht, N. A.
4 pages

In this paper we determined values of a spin of central black holes of the intermediate masses in globular clusters. For determination of value of a spin we used the known relation between the kinetic power of the relativistic jet and observable radio-luminosity of the region near to a central black hole, and our estimates have based on the known Blandford-Znajek mechanism. The value of a magnetic field strength near the event horizon of a black hole was derived via magnetic coupling mechanism. Accretion rate was derived using Bondi-Hoyle mechanism.

by Brockamp, M. and Baumgardt, H. and Kroupa, P.
19 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS

The disruption rate of stars by supermassive black holes (SMBHs) is calculated numerically with a modified version of Aarseth’s NBODY6 code. The initial stellar distribution around the SMBH follows a S\’{e}rsic n=4 profile representing bulges and early type galaxies. In order to infer relaxation driven effects and to increase the statistical significance, a very large set of N-body integrations with different particle numbers N, ranging from 10^{3} to 0.5 \cdot 10^{6} particles, is performed. Three different black hole capture radii are taken into account, enabling us to scale these results to a broad range of astrophysical systems with relaxation times shorter than one Hubble time, i.e. for SMBHs up to M_bh \approx 10^{7} M_sun. The computed number of disrupted stars are driven by diffusion in angular momentum space into the loss cone of the black hole and the rate scales with the total number of particles as dN/dt \propto N^{b}, where b is as large as 0.83. This is significantly steeper than the expected scaling dN/dt \propto ln(N) derived from simplest energy relaxation arguments. Only a relatively modest dependence of the tidal disruption rate on the mass of the SMBH is found and we discuss our results in the context of the M_bh/sigma relation. The number of disrupted stars contribute a significant part to the mass growth of black holes in the lower mass range as long as a significant part of the stellar mass becomes swallowed by the SMBH. This also bears direct consequences for the search and existence of IMBHs in globular clusters. For SMBHs similar to the galactic center black hole SgrA*, a tidal disruption rate of 55 \pm 27 events per Myr is deduced. Finally relaxation driven stellar feeding can not account for the masses of massive black holes M_bh \geq 10^{7} M_sun. (abridged)

by Goswami, Sanghamitra and Umbreit, Stefan and Bierbaum, Matt and Rasio, Frederic A.

A promising mechanism to form intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) is the runaway merger in dense star clusters, where main-sequence stars collide and form a very massive star (VMS), which then collapses to a black hole. In this paper we study the effects of primordial mass segregation and the importance of the stellar initial mass function (IMF) on the runaway growth of VMSs using a dynamical Monte Carlo code for N-body systems with N as high as 10^6 stars. Our code now includes an explicit treatment of all stellar collisions. We place special emphasis on the possibility of top-heavy IMFs, as observed in some very young massive clusters. We find that both primordial mass segregation and the shape of the IMF affect the rate of core collapse of star clusters and thus the time of the runaway. When we include primordial mass segregation we generally see a decrease in core collapse time (tcc). Moreover, primordial mass segregation increases the average mass in the core, thus reducing the central relaxation time, which also decreases tcc. The final mass of the VMS formed is always close to \sim 10^-3 of the total cluster mass, in agreement with the previous studies and is reminiscent of the observed correlation between the central black hole mass and the bulge mass of the galaxies. As the degree of primordial mass segregation is increased, the mass of the VMS increases at most by a factor of 3. Flatter IMFs generally increase the average mass in the whole cluster, which increases tcc. For the range of IMFs investigated in this paper, this increase in tcc is to some degree balanced by stellar collisions, which accelerate core collapse. Thus there is no significant change in tcc for the somewhat flatter global IMFs observed in very young massive clusters.

by Hénon, Michel
Originally published in 1965. 7 pages, 5 figures

This paper is an English translation of Michel H\’enon’s article, “Sur l’\'evolution dynamique des amas globulaires. II- L’amas isol\’e” originally published in French in the Annales d’Astrophysique, Vol. 28, p.62 (1965). A translation of the first paper of this series (”Sur l’\'evolution dynamique des amas globulaires”, H\’enon 1961, Annales d’Astrophysique, Vol. 24, p.369) is also available.

by Hénon, Michel
Originally published in 1961. 44 pages, 23 figures

This paper is an English translation of Michel H\’enon’s thesis, “Sur l’\'evolution dynamique des amas globulaires” originally published in French in the Annales d’Astrophysique, Vol. 24, p.369 (1961).

by Lu, Ting-Ni and Kong, Albert K. H.
Accepted by ApJL

We present results of deep radio continuum observations of two galactic globular clusters 47 Tucanae (47 Tuc) and Omega Centauri (Omega Cen) with Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA). No statistically significant evidence for radio emission was found from the central region for the two clusters. However, both clusters show a 2.5-sigma detection near the center that may be confirmed by future deeper radio observations. The 3-sigma upper limits of the radio observations is 20 and 40 microJy/beam for Omega Cen and 47 Tuc, respectively. By using the fundamental plane of accreting black holes which describes the relationship between radio luminosity, X-ray luminosity and black hole mass, we constrain the mass of a possible intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) in the globualar clusters. We also compare our results with other globular clusters and discuss the existence of IMBHs in globular clusters.

by Snyder, Gregory F. and Hopkins, Philip F. and Hernquist, Lars
7 pages, 2 figures, accepted for publication in ApJL

We analyze the relation between the mass of the central supermassive black hole (Mbh) and the number of globular clusters (Ngc) in elliptical galaxies and bulges as a ramification of the black hole fundamental plane, the theoretically predicted and observed multi-variable correlation between Mbh and bulge binding energy. Although the tightness of the Mbh-Ngc correlation suggests an unlikely causal link between supermassive black holes and globular clusters, such a correspondence can exhibit small scatter even if the physical relationship is indirect. We show that the relatively small scatter of the Mbh-Ngc relation owes to the mutual residual correlation of Mbh and Ngc with stellar mass when the velocity dispersion is held fixed. Thus, present observations lend evidence for feedback-regulated models in which the bulge binding energy is most important; they do not necessarily imply any `special’ connection between globular clusters and Mbh. This raises the question of why Ngc traces the formation of ellipticals and bulges sufficiently well to be correlated with binding energy.

by Harris, William E.
6 pages, 4 figures

A new revision of the McMaster catalog of Milky Way globular clusters is available. This is the first update since 2003 and the biggest single revision since the original version of the catalog published in 1996. The list now contains a total of 157 objects classified as globular clusters. Major upgrades have been made especially to the cluster coordinates, metallicities, and structural profile parameters, and the list of parameters now also includes central velocity dispersion.

NB: This paper is a stand-alone publication available only on the astro-ph archive; it will not be published separately in a journal.

by Moeckel, Nickolas and Clarke, Cathie J.
8 pages, submitted to MNRAS. Includes revisions per referee’s comments

We investigate the contraction of accreting protoclusters using an extension of n-body techniques that incorporates the accretional growth of stars from the gaseous reservoir in which they are embedded. Following on from Monte Carlo studies by Davis et al., we target our experiments toward populous clusters likely to experience collisions as a result of accretion-driven contraction. We verify that in less extreme star forming environments, similar to Orion, the stellar density is low enough that collisions are unimportant, but that conditions suitable for stellar collisions are much more easily satisfied in large-n clusters, i.e. n ~ 30,000 (we argue, however, that the density of the Arches cluster is insufficient for us to expect stellar collisions to have occurred in the cluster’s prior evolution). We find that the character of the collision process is not such that it is a route toward smoothly filling the top end of the mass spectrum. Instead, runaway growth of one or two extreme objects can occur within less than 1 Myr after accretion is shut off, resulting in a few objects with masses several times the maximum reached by accretion. The rapid formation of these objects is due to not just the post-formation dynamical evolution of the clusters, but an interplay of dynamics and the accretional growth of the stars. We find that accretion-driven cluster shrinkage results in a distribution of gas and stars that offsets the disruptive effect of gas expulsion, and we propose that the process can lead to massive binaries and early mass segregation in star clusters.

by Harris, Gretchen L. H. and Harris, William E.
7 pages, 4 figures; accepted for publication in MNRAS

We explore the relation between the total globular cluster population in a galaxy (N_GC) and the the mass of its central black hole (M_BH). Using a sample of 33 galaxies, twice as large as the original sample discussed by Burkert & Tremaine (2010), we find that N_GC for elliptical and spiral galaxies increases in almost precisely direct proportion to M_BH. The S0-type galaxies by contrast do not follow a clear trend, showing large scatter in M_BH at a given N_GC. After accounting for observational measurement uncertainty, we find that the mean relation defined by the E and S galaxies must also have an intrinsic or “cosmic” scatter of +-0.2 in either logN_GC or logM_BH. The residuals from this correlation show no trend with globular cluster specific frequency. We suggest that these two types of galaxy subsystems (central black hole and globular cluster system) may be closely correlated because they both originated at high redshift during the main epoch of hierarchical merging, and both require extremely high-density conditions for formation. Lastly, we note that roughly 10% of the galaxies in our sample (one E, one S, and two S0) deviate strongly from the main trend, all in the sense that their M_BH is at least 10x smaller than would be predicted by the mean relation.

by Pasquato, Mario
These lecture notes are based on the series of invited lectures on IMBHs I delivered at the June 2010 Croatian Black Hole School ( organizer: Jarah Evslin, site: http://antimodave.jimdo.com )

Black holes are fascinating objects. As a class of solutions to the Einstein equations they have been studied a great deal, yielding a wealth of theoretical results. But do they really exist? What do astronomers really mean when they claim to have observational evidence of their existence? To answer these questions, I will focus on a particular range of black-hole masses, approximately from 100 to 10000 solar masses. Black holes of this size are named Intermediate Mass Black Holes (IMBHs) and their existence is still heavily disputed, so they will be perfect for illustrating the observational challenges faced by a black hole hunter

by Vesperini, Enrico and Trenti, Michele
14 pages, 3 figures, Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal, Letters

Surface brightness profiles of globular clusters with shallow central cusps (Sigma ~ R^v with -0.3<~ v ~ -0.3 in the pre-core-collapse and core-collapse phases. Post-core-collapse clusters without an IMBH transition to steeper cusps, -0.7<~ v <~ -0.4, only if the primordial binary fraction is very small, f_{bin} -0.3 even when <~ -0.4. Overall our analysis shows that a shallow cusp is not an unequivocal signature of a central IMBH and casts serious doubts on the usefulness of measuring v in the context of the hunt for IMBHs in globular clusters.

by Schneider, Justus and Amaro-Seoane, Pau and Spurzem, Rainer
Submitted to MNRAS, comments welcome

Dense stellar systems such as globular clusters, galactic nuclei and nuclear star clusters are ideal loci to study stellar dynamics due to the very high densities reached, usually a million times higher than in the solar neighborhood; they are unique laboratories to study processes related to relaxation. There are a number of different techniques to model the global evolution of such a system. In statistical models we assume that relaxation is the result of a large number of two-body gravitational encounters with a net local effect. We present two moment models that are based on the collisional Boltzmann equation. By taking moments of the Boltzmann equation one obtains an infinite set of differential moment equations where the equation for the moment of order $latex n$ contains moments of order $latex n+1$. In our models we assume spherical symmetry but we do not require dynamical equilibrium. We truncate the infinite set of moment equations at order $latex n=4$ for the first model and at order $latex n=5$ for the second model. The collisional terms on the right-hand side of the moment equations account for two-body relaxation and are computed by means of the Rosenbluth potentials. We complete the set of moment equations with closure relations which constrain the degree of anisotropy of our model by expressing moments of order $latex n+1$ by moments of order $latex n$. The accuracy of this approach relies on the number of moments included from the infinite series. Since both models include fourth order moments we can study mechanisms in more detail that increase or decrease the number of high velocity stars. The resulting model allows us to derive a velocity distribution function, with unprecedented accuracy, compared to previous moment models.

by Konstantinidis, Simos and Kokkotas, Kostas D.
24 pages, 28 figures

We present a new C++ code for collisional N-body simulations of star clusters. The code uses the Hermite fourth-order scheme with block time steps, for advancing the particles in time, while the forces and neighboring particles are computed using the GRAPE-6 board. Special treatment is used for close encounters, binary and multiple sub-systems that either form dynamically or exist in the initial configuration. The structure of the code is modular and allows the appropriate treatment of more physical phenomena, such as stellar and binary evolution, stellar collisions and evolution of close black-hole binaries. Moreover, it can be easily modified so that the part of the code that uses GRAPE-6, could be replaced by another module that uses other accelerating-hardware like the Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). Appropriate choice of the free parameters give a good accuracy and speed for simulations of star clusters up to and beyond core collapse. Simulations of Plummer models consisting of equal-mass stars reached core collapse at t~17 half-mass relaxation times, which compares very well with existing results, while the cumulative relative error in the energy remained below 0.001. Also, comparisons with published results of other codes for the time of core collapse for different initial conditions, show excellent agreement. Simulations of King models with an initial mass-function, similar to those found in the literature, reached core collapse at t~0.17, which is slightly smaller than the expected result from previous works. Finally, the code accuracy becomes comparable and even better than the accuracy of existing codes, when a number of close binary systems is dynamically created in a simulation. This is due to the high accuracy of the method that is used for close binary and multiple sub-systems.

by Burkert, Andreas and Tremaine, Scott
13 pages, 3 figures, submitted to ApJ

Elliptical, lenticular, and early-type spiral galaxies show a remarkably tight power-law correlation between the mass M_BH of their central supermassive black hole (SMBH) and the number N_GC of globular clusters: M_BH=m*N_GC^(1.11+/-0.04) with m=1.3*10^5 solar masses. Thus, to a good approximation the SMBH mass is the same as the total mass of the globular clusters. Based on a limited sample of 13 galaxies, this relation appears to be a better predictor of SMBH mass (rms scatter 0.2 dex) than the M_BH-sigma relation between SMBH mass and velocity dispersion sigma. The small scatter reflects the fact that galaxies with high globular cluster specific frequency S_N tend to harbor SMBHs that are more massive than expected from the M_BH-sigma relation. A possible explanation is that both large black-hole masses and large globular cluster populations are associated with recent major mergers.

by Vesperini, Enrico and McMillan, Stephen L. W. and D’Ercole, Annibale and D’Antona, Francesca
4 pages, 1 figure, Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal, Letters

Spectroscopic and photometric observations show that many globular clusters host multiple stellar populations, challenging the common paradigm that globular clusters are “simple stellar populations” composed of stars of uniform age and chemical composition. The chemical abundances of second-generation (SG) stars constrain the sources of gas out of which these stars must have formed, indicating that the gas must contain matter processed through the high-temperature CNO cycle. First-generation massive Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) stars have been proposed as the source of this gas. In a previous study, by means of hydrodynamical and N-body simulations, we have shown that the AGB ejecta collect in a cooling flow in the cluster core, where the gas reaches high densities, ultimately forming a centrally concentrated subsystem of SG stars. In this Letter we show that the high gas density can also lead to significant accretion onto a pre-existing seed black hole. We show that gas accretion can increase the black hole mass by up to a factor of 100. The details of the gas dynamics are important in determining the actual black hole growth. Assuming a near-universal seed black hole mass and small cluster-to-cluster variations in the duration of the SG formation phase, the outcome of our scenario is one in which the present intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH) mass may have only a weak dependence on the current cluster properties. The scenario presented provides a natural mechanism for the formation of an IMBH at the cluster center during the SG star-formation phase.

by Miocchi, P.
LateX, 5 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for publication by Astronomy & Astrophysics

Context. The problem of the existence of intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) at the centre of globular clusters is a hot and controversial topic in current astrophysical research with important implications in stellar and galaxy formation.

Aims. In this paper, we aim at giving further support to the presence of an IMBH in omega Centauri and at providing an independent estimate of its mass.

Methods. We employed a self-consistent spherical model with anisotropic velocity distribution. It consists in a generalisation of the King model by including the Bahcall-Wolf distribution function in the IMBH vicinity.

Results. By the parametric fitting of the model to recent HST/ACS data for the surface brightness profile, we found an IMBH to cluster total mass ratio of M_BH/M = 5.8(+0.9-1.2) x 10^(-3). It is also found that the model yields a fit of the line-of-sight velocity dispersion profile that is better without mass segregation than in the segregated case. This confirms the current thought of a non-relaxed status for this peculiar cluster. The best fit model to the kinematic data leads, moreover, to a cluster total mass estimate of M = (3.1 +/- 0.3) x 10^6 Msol, thus giving an IMBH mass in the range 13,000 < M_BH 12′) is required to match the outer surface brightness profile.

by Zwart, Simon Portegies and McMillan, Steve and Gieles, Mark
Only 88 pages. To be published in ARAA. Final version to be submitted on Friday 12 February

Young massive clusters are dense aggregates of young stars that form the fundamental building blocks of galaxies. Several examples exist in the Milky Way Galaxy and the Local Group, but they are particularly abundant in starburst and interacting galaxies. The few young massive clusters that are close enough to resolve are of prime interest for studying the stellar mass function and the ecological interplay between stellar evolution and stellar dynamics. The distant unresolved clusters may be effectively used to study the star-cluster mass function, and they provide excellent constraints on the formation mechanisms of young cluster populations. Young massive clusters are expected to be the nurseries for many unusual objects, including a wide range of exotic stars and binaries. So far only a few such objects have been found in young massive clusters, although their older cousins, the globular clusters, are unusually rich in stellar exotica. In this review we focus on star clusters younger than $latex \sim100$ Myr, more than a few current crossing times old, and more massive than $latex \sim10^4$ \Msun, irrespective of cluster size or environment. We describe the global properties of the currently known young massive star clusters in the Local Group and beyond, and discuss the state of the art in observations and dynamical modeling of these systems. In order to make this review readable by observers, theorists, and computational astrophysicists, we also review the cross-disciplinary terminology.

by Kong, A. K. H. and Heinke, C. O. and Di Stefano, R. and Barmby, P. and Lewin, W. H. G. and Primini, F. A.
5 pages, 1 figure, submitted to ApJL

We report the most accurate X-ray position of the giant globular cluster G1 in M31 by using the Chandra X-ray Observatory, Hubble Space Telescope (HST), and Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT). G1 is clearly detected with Chandra and by cross-registering with HST and CFHT images, we derive a 1sigma error radius of 0.15″, significantly smaller than the previous measurement by XMM-Newton. We conclude that the X-ray emission of G1 comes from within the core radius of the cluster. There are two possibilities for the origin of the X-ray emission: it could be due to either accretion of a central intermediate-mass black hole, or ordinary low-mass X-ray binaries. Based on the ratio of X-ray to the Eddington luminosity, an intermediate-mass black hole accreting from the cluster gas seems unlikely and we suggest that the X-rays are due to accretion from a companion. We also find that the X-ray emission may be offset from the radio emission. Future high-resolution and high-sensitivity radio imaging observations will reveal whether there is an intermediate-mass black hole at the center of G1.

by Downing, J. M. B. and Benacquista, M. J. and Giersz, M. and Spurzem, R.
18 pages, 5 Tables, 10 Figures, Submitted to MNRAS

We study the compact binary population in star clusters, focusing on binaries containing neutron stars and black holes, using a self-consistent Monte Carlo treatment of dynamics and full stellar evolution. We find that the black holes experience strong mass segregation and become centrally concentrated. In the core the black holes interact strongly with each other and black hole-black hole binaries are formed very efficiently. The strong interactions, however, also destroy or eject the black hole-black hole binaries. We find no black hole-black hole mergers within our simulations but produce many hard escapers that will merge in the galactic field within a Hubble time. We also find two highly eccentric black hole-black hole binaries that are potential LISA sources, suggesting that star clusters are interesting targets for space-based detectors. We conclude that star clusters must be taken into account when predicting compact binary population statistics.

by Amaro-Seoane, Pau and Santamaria, Lucia
Submitted to ApJ; abstract abridged, figure 1 has a lower resolution

Even though the existence of intermediate-mass black holes has not yet been corroborated observationally, these objects are of high interest for astrophysics. Our understanding of formation and evolution of supermassive black holes (SMBHs), as well as galaxy evolution modeling and cosmography would dramatically change if an IMBH was observed. The prospect of detection and, possibly, observation and characterization of an IMBH has good chances in lower-frequency gravitational-wave (GW) astrophysics with ground-based detectors such as LIGO, Virgo and the future Einstein Telescope (ET). We present an analysis of the signal of a system of a binary of IMBHs based on a waveform model obtained with numerical relativity simulations coupled with post-Newtonian calculations at the highest available order so as to extend the waveform to lower frequencies. We find that initial LIGO and Virgo are in the position of detecting IMBHs with a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of $latex \sim 10$ for systems with total mass between 100 and $latex 500 M_{\odot}$ situated at a distance of 100 Mpc. Nevertheless, the event rate is too low and the possibility that these signals are mistaken with a glitch is, unfortunately, non-negligible. When going to second- and third-generation detectors, such as Advanced LIGO or the proposed ET, the event rate becomes much more promising (tens per year for the first and thousands per year for the latter) and the SNR at 100 Mpc is as high as 100 — 1000 and 1000 — $latex 10^{5}$ respectively. The prospects for IMBH detection and characterization with ground-based GW observatories would not only provide us with a robust test of general relativity, but would also corroborate the existence of these systems. Such detections would be a probe to the stellar environments of IMBHs and their formation.

by Baumgardt, Holger and Parmentier, Genevieve and Gieles, Mark and Vesperini, Enrico
8 pages, 4 figures, MNRAS in press

We investigate the ratio between the half-mass radii r_h of Galactic globular clusters and their Jacobi radii r_J given by the potential of the Milky Way and show that clusters with galactocentric distances R_{GC}>8 kpc fall into two distinct groups: one group of compact, tidally-underfilling clusters with r_h/r_J<0.05 and another group of tidally filling clusters which have 0.1 < r_h/r_J<0.3. We find no correlation between the membership of a particular cluster to one of these groups and its membership in the old or younger halo population. Based on the relaxation times and orbits of the clusters, we argue that compact clusters and most clusters in the inner Milky Way were born compact with half-mass radii r_h < 1 pc. Some of the tidally-filling clusters might have formed compact as well, but the majority likely formed with large half-mass radii. Galactic globular clusters therefore show a similar dichotomy as was recently found for globular clusters in dwarf galaxies and for young star clusters in the Milky Way. It seems likely that some of the tidally-filling clusters are evolving along the main sequence line of clusters recently discovered by Kuepper et al. (2008) and are in the process of dissolution.

by Amaro-Seoane, Pau and Eichhorn, Christoph and Porter, Ed and Spurzem, Rainer
21 pages, 12 figs, to appear in MNRAS, abstract abridged for arxiv

The dynamical evolution of binaries of intermediate-massive black holes (IMBHs, massive black holes with a mass ranging between $latex 10^2$ and $latex 10^4 M_{\odot}$) in stellar clusters has recently received an increasing amount of attention. This is at least partially due to the fact that if the binary is hard enough to evolve to the phase at which it will start emitting gravitational waves (GWs) efficiently, there is a good probability that it will be detectable by future space-borne detectors like LISA. We study this evolution in the presence of rotation in the cluster. The eccentricity is strongly connected to the initial IMBHs velocities, and values of $latex \sim 0.7$ up to 0.9 are reached for low initial velocities, while almost circular orbits result if the initial velocities are increased. A Monte Carlo study indicates that these sources will be detectable by a detector such as LISA with median signal to noise ratios of between 10 and 20 over a three year period, although some events had signal to noise ratios of 300 or greater. Furthermore, one should also be able to estimate the chirp-mass with median fractional errors of $latex 10^{-4}$, reduced mass on the order of $latex 10^{-3}$ and luminosity distance on the order of $latex 10^{-1}$. Finally, these sources will have a median angular resolution in the LISA detector of about 3 square degrees, putting events firmly in the field of view of future electromagnetic detectors such as LSST.

by Gnedin, Oleg Y. and Maccarone, Thomas J. and Psaltis, Dimitrios and Zepf, Stephen E.

Large extra dimensions have been proposed as a possible solution to the hierarchy problem in physics. One of the suggested models, the RS2 braneworld model, makes a prediction that black holes evaporate by Hawking radiation on a short timescale that depends on the black hole mass and on the asymptotic radius of curvature of the extra dimensions. Thus the size of the extra dimensions can be constrained by astrophysical observations. Here we point out that the black hole, recently discovered in a globular cluster in galaxy NGC 4472, places the strongest constraint on the maximum size of the extra dimensions, L < 0.003 mm. This black hole has the virtues of old age and relatively small mass. The derived upper limit is within an order of magnitude of the absolute limit afforded by astrophysical observations of black holes.

by Forbes, Duncan A. and Kroupa, Pavel and Metz, Manuel and Spitler, Lee
3 pages, published in Mercury vol. 38, No. 2, page 24. See http://astronomy.swin.edu.au/dforbes/mw.pdf for a full colour version with figures

Our Milky Way galaxy is host to a number of companions. These companions are gravitationally bound to the Milky Way and are stellar systems in their own right. They include a population of some 30 dwarf satellite galaxies (DSGs) and about 150 globular clusters (GCs). Here we discuss the relationship between GCs and DSGs using an interactive 3D model of the Milky Way.

by Ernst, Andreas and Just, Andreas and Spurzem, Rainer
18 pages, 20 figures; accepted by MNRAS

We present N-body simulations of dissolving star clusters close to galactic centres. For this purpose, we developed a new N-body program called nbody6gc based on Aarseth’s series of N-body codes. We describe the algorithm in detail. We report about the density wave phenomenon in the tidal arms which has been recently explained by Kuepper et al. (2008). Standing waves develop in the tidal arms. The wave knots or clumps develop at the position, where the emerging tidal arm hits the potential wall of the effective potential and is reflected. The escaping stars move through the wave knots further into the tidal arms. We show the consistency of the positions of the wave knots with the theory in Just et al. (2009). We also demonstrate a simple method to study the properties of tidal arms. By solving many eigenvalue problems along the tidal arms, we construct numerically a 1D coordinate system whose direction is always along a principal axis of the local tensor of inertia. Along this coordinate system, physical quantities can be evaluated. The half-mass or dissolution times of our models are almost independent of the particle number which indicates that two-body relaxation is not the dominant mechanism leading to the dissolution. This may be a typical situation for many young star clusters. We propose a classification scheme which sheds light on the dissolution mechanism.

by Barnard, R. and Kolb, U.
Accepted for publication in MRAS letters. Four pages, three figures

We use arguments developed in previous work to identify a second black hole candidate associated with a M31 globular cluster, Bo 144, on the basis of X-ray spectral and timing properties. The 2002 XMM-Newton observation of the associated X-ray source (hereafter XBo 144) revealed behaviour that is common to all low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) in the low-hard state. Studies have shown that neutron star LMXBs exhibit this behaviour at 0.01-1000 keV luminosities <=10% of the Eddington limit (L_Edd). However, the unabsorbed 0.3-10 keV XBo 144 luminosity was ~0.30 L_Edd for a 1.4 M_sun neutron star, and the expected 0.01-1000 keV luminosity is 3-7 times higher. We therefore identify XBo 144 as a black hole candidate. Furthermore, it is the second black hole candidate to be consistent with formation via tidal capture of a mean sequence donor in a GC; such systems were previously though non-existent, because the donor was thought to be disrupted during the capture process.

by Amaro-Seoane, Pau and Miller, Cole and Freitag, Marc
Accepted for publication by ApJ Letts

If binary intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs; with masses between 100 and $latex 10^4 \Msun$) form in dense stellar clusters, their inspiral will be detectable with the planned Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) out to several Gpc. Here we present a study of the dynamical evolution of such binaries using a combination of direct $latex N$-body techniques (when the binaries are well separated) and three-body relativistic scattering experiments (when the binaries are tight enough that interactions with stars occur one at a time). We find that for reasonable IMBH masses there is only a mild effect on the structure of the surrounding cluster even though the binary binding energy can exceed the binding energy of the cluster. We demonstrate that, contrary to standard assumptions, the eccentricity in the LISA band can be in {\em some} cases as large as $latex \sim 0.2 – 0.3$ and that it induces a measurable phase difference from circular binaries in the last year before merger. We also show that, even though energy input from the binary decreases the density of the core and slows down interactions, the total time to coalescence is short enough (typically less than a hundred million years) that such mergers will be unique snapshots of clustered star formation.