Recently de Marchi, Paresce & Pulone (2007) studied a sample of twenty globular clusters and found that all clusters with high concentrations have steep stellar mass-functions while clusters with low concentration have comparatively shallow mass-functions. No globular clusters were found with a flat mass-function and high concentration. This seems curious since more concentrated star clusters are believed to be dynamically more evolved and should have lost more low-mass stars via evaporation, which would result in a shallower mass-function in the low-mass part.
We show that this effect can be explained by residual-gas expulsion from initially mass-segregated star clusters, and is enhanced further through unresolved binaries. If gas expulsion is the correct mechanism to produce the observed trend, then observation of these parameters would allow to constrain cluster starting conditions such as star formation efficiency and the time-scale of gas expulsion.
The results of N-body simulations of the expulsion of residual gas from young globular clusters are presented. Globular clusters with a variety of initial masses, Galactocentric radii, concentration and initial mass function slope with star formation efficiencies (SFEs) below 50% were investigated. The residual gas in the clusters was simply treated as an external potential acting upon the star particles which was reduced in a number of ways to simulate the loss of the gas. The states of the clusters after ~50 Myr was compared to the results of Chernoff & Shapiro (1987) in order to estimate if…
We present new results on the evolution of the mass function of the globular cluster system of the Milky Way, taking the effect of residual gas expulsion into account. We assume that gas embedded star clusters start with a power-law mass function with slope β=2. The dissolution of the clusters is then studied under the combined influence of residual gas expulsion driven by energy feedback from massive stars, stellar mass-loss, two-body relaxation and an external tidal field. The influence of residual gas expulsion is studied by applying results from a large grid of N-body simulations computed …
We present the stellar main sequence luminosity function (LF) of the disrupted, low-mass, low-concentration globular cluster Palomar 5 and its well-defined tidal tails, which emanate from the cluster as a result of its tidal interaction with the Milky Way. The results of our deep (B ~ 24.5) wide-field photometry unequivocally indicate that preferentially fainter stars were removed from the cluster so that the LF of the cluster's main body exhibits a significant degree of flattening compared to other globular clusters. There is clear evidence of mass segregation, which is reflected in a radial …
We have studied the dissolution of initially mass segregated and unsegregated star clusters due to two-body relaxation in external tidal fields, using Aarseth's collisional N-body code NBODY4 on GRAPE6 special-purpose computers. When extrapolating results of initially not mass segregated models to globular clusters, we obtain a correlation between the time until destruction and the slope of the mass function, in the sense that globular clusters which are closer to dissolution are more strongly depleted in low-mass stars. This correlation fits observed mass functions of most globular clusters. …
Star clusters - open and globulars - experience dynamical evolution on time scales shorter than their age. Consequently, open and globular clusters provide us with unique dynamical laboratories for learning about two-body relaxation, mass segregation from equipartition of energy, and core collapse. We review briefly, in the framework of star clusters, some elements related to the theoretical expectation of mass segregation, the results from N-body and other computer simulations, as well as the now substantial clear observational evidence.
We present the results of a new study of mass segregation in two-component star clusters, based on a large number of numerical N-body simulations using our recently developed dynamical Monte Carlo code. Specifically, we follow the dynamical evolution of clusters containing stars with individual masses m_1 as well as a tracer population of objects with individual masses m_2=μm_1, using N=10^5 total stars. For heavy tracers, which could represent stellar remnants such as neutron stars or black holes in a globular cluster, we characterize in a variety of ways the tendency for these objects to con…
We present a wide field CCD photometric study of Galactic globular cluster NGC 7492. The derived VR color-magnitude diagram extends down to about 3.5 mag below the cluster main sequence turn-off. The field covers 42' X 42' about 3 times larger than the known tidal radius of this cluster. The sample of cluster member candidates obtained by CMD-mask process has been used to construct luminosity and mass functions and surface density map. NGC 7492 has a very flat mass function with very little variation in the slope with the distance from the cluster center. However, there is a clear evidence for…
We begin by presenting the analysis of a set of deep B- and V-band images of the central density cusp of the globular cluster M30 (NGC 7099), taken with the Faint Object Camera aboard the Hubble Space Telescope. These images are the first to resolve lower-mass main-sequence stars in the cluster's central 10''. From the positions of individual stars, we measure an improved position for the cluster center; this new position is 2.6'' from the previously known position. We find no evidence of a ``flat'', constant-surface-density core; however, the data do not rule out the presence of a core of rad…
HST imaging of M22 has allowed, for the first time, a detailed and uniform mapping of mass segregation in a globular cluster. Luminosity and mass functions from the turnoff down to the mid to lower main sequence are presented for M22 in annular bins from the centre of the cluster out to five core radii. Within the core, a significant enhancement is seen in the proportion of 0.5-0.8 M(sun) stars compared with their numbers outside the core. Numerical modelling of the spatial mass spectrum of M22 shows that the observed degree of mass segregation can be accounted for by relaxation processes with…
Stars in globular clusters (GCs) exhibit a peculiar chemical pattern with strong abundance variations in light elements along with a constant abundance in heavy elements. These abundance anomalies can be explained by a primordial pollution due to a first generation of fast rotating massive stars which released slow winds into the ISM from which a second generation of chemically anomalous stars can be formed. In particular the observed ratio of anomalous and standard stars in clusters can be used to constrain the dynamical evolution of GCs as around 95% of the standard stars need to be lost by …
In many theoretical scenarios it is expected that intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs, with masses M ~ 100-10000 solar masses) reside at the centers of some globular clusters. However, observational evidence for their existence is limited. Several previous numerical investigations have focused on the impact of an IMBH on the cluster dynamics or brightness profile. Here we instead present results from a large set of direct N-body simulations including single and binary stars. These show that there is a potentially more detectable IMBH signature, namely on the variation of the average stellar m…
After the stars of a new, embedded star cluster have formed they blow the remaining gas out of the cluster. Especially winds of massive stars and definitely the on-set of the first supernovae can remove the residual gas from a cluster. This leads to a very violent mass-loss and leaves the cluster out of dynamical equilibrium. Standard models predict that within the cluster volume the star formation efficiency (SFE) has to be about 33 per cent for sudden (within one crossing-time of the cluster) gas expulsion to retain some of the stars in a bound cluster. If the efficiency is lower the stars o…
Most observations of the projected half-light radii of metal-rich globular clusters in a variety of galaxies have shown them to be ~20% smaller than those of their metal-poor counterparts. We show using multi-mass isotropic Michie-King models that the combined effects of mass segregation and the dependence of main sequence lifetimes on metallicity can account for this difference, under the assumption that clusters with similar central potentials have the same distribution of half mass radii. If confirmed, this would represent a new constraint on theories of globular cluster formation and evolu…
Evolution with mass segregation and the evolution of the rotation of cores are both discussed for self-similar core collapse. Evolution with angular velocity proportional to the square root of the density is predicted. On the Dynamical Main Sequence of globular clusters the energy emission from binaries balances the energy expended in expanding the halo. Newton's exactly solved N-body problem is then given, along with recent generalisations, all of which have no violent relaxation, but a new type of statistical equilibrium is discussed. Finally, we set the creation of streams in the Galaxy's h…
We have used extensive V, I photometry (down to V=20.9) of 33615 stars in the direction of the globular cluster M55 to study the dynamical interaction of this cluster with the tidal fields of the Galaxy. An entire quadrant of the cluster has been covered, out to ~2.0 times the tidal radius. A CMD down to about 4 magnitudes below the turn-off is presented and analysed. A large population of BS has been identified. The BS are significantly more concentrated in the inner 300 arcsec, while they become less concentrated in the cluster envelope. We have obtained luminosity functions at various radia…
I-band CCD images of two large regions of the Galactic globular cluster NGC 1261 have been used to construct stellar luminosity functions (LF) for 14000 stars in three annuli from 1.4' from the cluster center to the tidal radius. The LFs extend to M_I~8 and tend to steepen from the inner to the outer annulus, in agreement with the predictions of the multimass King-Michie model that we have calculated for this cluster. The LFs have been transformed into mass functions. Once corrected for mass segregation the global mass function of NGC 1261 has a slope x_0=0.8+/-0.5
Galactic globular clusters are ancient building blocks of our Galaxy. They represent a very interesting family of stellar systems in which some fundamental dynamical processes have been taking place for more than 10 Gyr, but on time scales shorter than the age of the universe. In contrast with galaxies, these star clusters represent unique laboratories for learning about two-body relaxation, mass segregation from equipartition of energy, stellar collisions, stellar mergers, core collapse, and tidal disruption. This review briefly summarizes some of the tremendous developments that have taken p…
We present N-body simulations of globular clusters, in orbits around the Galaxy, in order to study quantitatively and geometrically the tidal effects they encounter. The clusters are modelised with multi-mass King-Michie models (Michie 1963), including mass segregation at initial conditions. The Galaxy is modelled as realistic as possible, with three components: bulge, disk and dark halo. The main finding is that there exist two giant tidal tails around the globuler cluster in permanence along its orbit, whatever this orbit. The length of these tails is of the order of 5 tidal radii, or greate…
Galactic globular clusters, which are ancient building blocks of our Galaxy, represent a very interesting family of stellar systems in which some fundamental dynamical processes have taken place on time scales shorter than the age of the universe. In contrast with galaxies, these clusters represent unique laboratories for learning about two-body relaxation, mass segregation from equipartition of energy, stellar collisions, stellar mergers, and core collapse. In the present review, we summarize the tremendous developments, as much theoretical as observational, that have taken place during the l…
A significant fraction of stars in globular clusters (about 70%-85%) exhibit peculiar chemical patterns with strong abundance variations in light elements along with constant abundances in heavy elements. These abundance anomalies can be created in the H-burning core of a first generation of fast rotating massive stars and the corresponding elements are convoyed to the stellar surface thanks to rotational induced mixing. If the rotation of the stars is fast enough this matter is ejected at low velocity through a mechanical wind at the equator. It then pollutes the ISM from which a second gener…
We consider the effect of binary stars on the main-sequence luminosity functions observed in the core of globular clusters, with specific reference to NGC 6752. We find that mass segregation results in an increased binary fraction at fainter magnitudes along the main-sequence. If this effect is not taken into account when analyzing luminosity functions, erroneous conclusions can be drawn regarding the distribution of single stars, and the dynamical state of the cluster. In the core of NGC 6752, our HST data reveal a flat luminosity function, in agreement with previous results. However, when we…
The previous two companion papers demonstrate that slowly varying perturbations do not result in adiabatic cutoffs and provide a formalism for computing the long-term effects of time-dependent perturbations on stellar systems. Here, the theory is implemented in a Fokker-Planck code and a suite of runs illustrating the effects of shock heating on globular cluster evolution are described. Shock heating alone results in considerable mass loss for clusters with $R_g\lta8\kpc$: a concentration $c=1.5$ cluster with $R_g=8\kpc$ loses up to $95\%$ of its initial mass in $15\Gyr$. Only those with conce…
We present details of the database from a large Cycle 7 HST project to study the formation and evolution of rich star clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud (see Elson et al., this volume). Our data set, which includes NICMOS, WFPC2 and STIS images of the cores and outer regions of 8 clusters, will enable us to derive deep luminosity functions for the clusters and to investigate the universality of the stellar initial mass function. We will look for age spreads in the youngest clusters, quantify the population of binary stars in the cores of the clusters and at the half-mass radii, and follow …
We have completely mapped the globular cluster NGC 1851 with VI CCD photometry, obtaining a CMD for ca. 20500 stars. From the apparent luminosity of the HB we derive a distance modulus (m-M)o=15.44+/-0.20. The presence of 7 "supra-HB" stars is confirmed. Six of them are identified as evolved descendants from HB progenitors. Synthetic HR diagrams demonstrate that the problem of the HB morphology could be solved by assuming a bimodal efficiency of the mass loss along the RGB. We find evidence that the radial distribution of the blue HB stars is different from that of the red HB and SGB stars. Th…
[Abridged] Evidence favouring a Gaussian initial globular cluster mass function has accumulated over recent years. We show that an approximately Gaussian mass function is naturally generated from a power-law mass distribution of protoglobular clouds by expulsion from the protocluster of star forming gas due to supernova activity, provided that the power-law mass distribution shows a lower-mass limit. As a result of gas loss, the gravitational potential of the protocluster gets weaker and only a fraction of the newly formed stars is retained. The mass fraction of bound stars ranges from zero to…
We have used ESO telescopes at La Silla and the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in order to obtain accurate B,V,I CCD photometry for the stars located within 200" (~= 2 half-mass radii, r_h = 1.71') from the center of the cluster NGC 6101. Color-Magnitude Diagrams extending from the red-giant tip to about 5 magnitudes below the main-sequence turnoff MSTO (V = 20.05 +- 0.05) have been constructed. The following results have been obtained from the analysis of the CMDs: a) The overall morphology of the main branches confirms previous results from the literature, in particular the existence of a size…
Astronomers have constructed models of globular clusters for over 100 years. These models mainly fall into two categories: (i) static models, such as King's model and its variants, and (ii) evolutionary models. Most attention has been given to static models, which are used to estimate mass-to-light ratios and mass segregation, and to combine data from proper motions and radial velocities. Evolutionary models have been developed for a few objects using the gaseous model, the Fokker-Planck model, Monte Carlo models and N-body models. These models have had a significant role in the search for mas…
We have studied the dynamical evolution of rotating globular clusters with direct $N$-body models. Our initial models are rotating King models; we obtained results for both equal-mass systems and systems composed out of two mass components. Previous investigations using a Fokker-Planck solver have revealed that rotation has a noticeable influence on stellar systems like globular clusters, which evolve by two-body relaxation. In particular, it accelerates their dynamical evolution through the gravogyro instability. We have validated the occurence of the gravogyro instability with direct $N$-bod…
Deep V and I CCD images of the loosely populated Galactic globular cluster Pal 1 and the surrounding field have been obtained with the INT. A color magnitude diagram down to V(lim) ~ 24, and a luminosity function complete down to V(lim) ~ 23.25 have been constructed. Adopting a reddening E(V-I)=0.20+/-0.04 and comparing the CMD of Pal 1 with 47 Tucanae, we obtain a distance modulus (m-M)o=15.25+/-0.25, indicating that Pal 1 is located 3.7+/-0.4 kpc above the Galactic disc and 17.3+/-1.6 kpc from the Galactic center. Comparison with 47 Tuc and M71 shows that Pal 1 must be significantly younger.…
From a combination of deep Hubble Space Telescope V and I images with groundbased images in the same bands, we have obtained color-magnitude diagrams of M10, M22, and M55, extending from just above the hydrogen burning limit to the tip of the red giant branch, down to the white dwarf cooling sequence. We have used the color-magnitude arrays to extract main sequence luminosity functions (LFs) from the turnoff to about 0.13 solar masses. The LFs of M10 is significantly steeper than that for the other two clusters. The difference cannot be due to a difference in metallicity. A comparison with the…
We present deep luminosity functions derived from HST STIS data for three rich LMC clusters (NGC 1805, NGC 1868, and NGC 2209), and for one Galactic globular cluster (NGC 6553). All of the LMC cluster luminosity functions are roughly consistent with a Salpeter IMF or with the solar neighbourhood IMF from Kroupa, Tout & Gilmore (1993). They continue to rise at least to 0.7 Msun. NGC 1868 shows evidence for mass segregation which may be primordial. A comparison of deep luminsoisty functions for seven Galactic globulars shows that the luminosity functions are eroded at low masses by amounts that …
This review discusses (i) dynamical methods for determining the masses of Galactic and extragalactic star clusters, (ii) dynamical processes and their time-scales for the evolution of clusters, including evaporation, mass segregation, core collapse, tidal shocks, dynamical friction and merging. These processes lead to significant evolution of globular cluster systems after their formation.
We report the discovery of two extremely low luminosity globular clusters in the Milky Way Halo. These objects were detected in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 5 and confirmed with deeper imaging at the Calar Alto Observatory. The clusters, Koposov 1 and Koposov 2, are located at $\sim 40-50$ kpc and appear to have old stellar populations and luminosities of only $M_V \sim -1$ mag. Their observed sizes of $\sim 3$ pc are well within the expected tidal limit of $\sim$10 pc at that distance. Together with Palomar 1, AM 4 and Whiting 1, these new clusters are the lowest luminosity globu…
We study the early dynamical evolution of young, dense star clusters using Monte Carlo simulations for systems with up to N~10^7 stars. Rapid mass segregation of massive main-sequence stars and the development of the Spitzer instability can drive these systems to core collapse in a small fraction of the initial half-mass relaxation time. If the core collapse time is less than the lifetime of the massive stars, all stars in the collapsing core may then undergo a runaway collision process leading to the formation of a massive black hole. Here we study in detail the first step in this process, up…
We present (V,V-I) VLT-FORS1 observations of the Galactic Globular Cluster NGC 6397. We derive accurate color--magnitude diagrams and luminosity functions (LFs) of the cluster Main Sequence (MS) for two fields extending from a region near the centre of the cluster out to ~ 10 arcmin. The photometry of these fields produces a narrow MS extending down to V ~ 27, much deeper than any previous ground based study on this system and comparable to previous HST photometry. The V, V-I CMD also shows a deep white dwarf cooling sequence locus, contaminated by many field stars and spurious objects. We con…
We present a review of some of the current major challenges in stellar cluster research, including young clusters, globular clusters, and galactic nuclei. Topics considered include: primordial mass segregation and runaway mergers, expulsion of gas from clusters, the production of stellar exotica seen in some clusters (eg blue stragglers and extreme horizontal--branch stars), binary populations within clusters, the black--hole population within stellar clusters, the final parsec problem, stellar dynamics around a massive black hole, and stellar collisions. The Modest Questions posed here are th…
It has long been known that the post-core-collapse globular cluster M30 has a bluer-inward color gradient, and recent work suggests that the central deficiency of bright red giants does not fully account for this gradient. This study uses Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 images in the F439W and F555W bands, along with ground-based CCD images with a wider field of view for normalization of the non-cluster background contribution, and finds Δ(B-V) ~ +0.3 mag for the overall cluster starlight over the range r = 2" to >~ 1'. The slope of the color profile is: Δ(B-V)/Δ\log(r) = 0.20 +/- 0.07 mag dex^{-…
We present wide field CCD photometry of a galactic globular cluster M92 obtained in the V and I bands with the CFH12K mosaic CCD at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. A well-defined color-magnitude diagram is derived down to 5 magnitudes fainter than the cluster main sequence turn-off. After removing the background contribution, we obtain luminosity and mass functions, surface density profiles, and the surface number density maps of the stars belonging to the cluster. The surface density profile of all stars shows that the cluster's halo extends at least out to ~30' from the cluster center in…
We present evidence that the globular cluster NGC 6397 contains two distinct classes of centrally-concentrated UV-bright stars. Color-magnitude diagrams constructed from U, B, V, and I data obtained with the HST/WFPC2 reveal seven UV-bright stars fainter than the main-sequence turnoff, three of which had previously been identified as cataclysmic variables (CVs). Lightcurves of these stars show the characteristic ``flicker'' of CVs, as well as longer-term variability. A fourth star is identified as a CV candidate on the basis of its variability and UV excess. Three additional UV-bright stars sh…
It has been reported that there is an error in the figure in Dull et al. (1997, D97) that shows the radial M/L profile in Fokker-Planck models of M15. We discuss how this modifies the interpretation of our kinematical data. These imply the existence of a dark and compact mass component near the center of M15, either a single black hole (BH) or a collection of dark remnants that have sunk to the cluster center due to mass segregation. We previously showed that the latter interpretation is in conflict with the D97 M/L profile, which supported the BH interpretation. We repeat our analysis here wi…
We present a reanalysis of far-ultraviolet (FUV) observations of the globular cluster NGC 2808 obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope. These data were first analyzed by Brown and coworkers, with an emphasis on the bright, blue horizontal branch (HB) stars in this cluster. Here, our focus is on the population of fainter FUV sources, which include white dwarfs (WDs), blue stragglers (BSs) and cataclysmic variables (CVs). We have therefore constructed the deepest FUV-NUV colour-magnitude diagram of NGC 2808 and also searched for variability among our FUV sources. Overall, we have found approx. …
This paper, and its companion, investigate the evolution of dense stellar systems due to the influence of two-body gravitational encounters, physical collisions and stellar evolution. Our goal is the simulation of the densest centers of galaxies, like M32, which reach stellar densities near a million solar masses per cubic parsec and which may harbor black holes. These systems have a different Safronov number (the dimensionless ratio of stellar binding energy to mean stellar kinetic energy) than globular clusters, substantially increasing the importance of physical collisions relative to gravi…
We report new results on the LMC globular cluster NGC 1866 obtained by analyzing F555W and F814W images from WFPC2@HST. On the basis of the CMD we derive information on the cluster distance and constraints on stellar evolution theory. Evidence of mass segregation are found in the cluster core.
Large-field multi-color images of 20 galactic globular clusters are used to investigate the presence of tidal tails around these stellar systems. Field and cluster stars are sorted with the help of color-magnitude diagrams, and star-count analysis is performed on the selected cluster stars in order to increase the signal-to-noise ratio of their surface density. We study the overdensities of these stars using the wavelet transform of the star counts in order to filter the background density noise and to detect the weak structures, at large scale, formed by the numerous stars previously members …
We have obtained deep far- (FUV) and near-ultraviolet (NUV) images of the inner region of the dense globular cluster M15 with the Advanced Camera for Surveys on board the Hubble Space Telescope. The FUV-NUV colour-magnitude diagram shows a well defined track of horizontal branch stars, as well as a trail of blue stragglers and white dwarfs. The main sequence turn-off is clearly visible at FUV~23.5 mag and FUV-NUV~3 mag, and the main sequence stars form a prominent track that extends at least two magnitudes below the main sequence turn-off. As such, this is the deepest FUV-NUV colour-magnitude …
Ultra-compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs) are stellar systems with masses of around 10^7 to 10^8 Msun and half mass radii of 10-100 pc. They have some properties in common with massive globular clusters, however dynamical mass estimates have shown that UCDs have mass-to-light ratios which are on average about twice as large than those of globular clusters at comparable metallicity, and tend to be larger than what one would expect for old stellar systems with standard mass functions. One possible explanation for elevated high mass-to-light ratios in UCDs is the existence of a substantial amount of da…
We have observed two low concentration Galactic globular clusters with the X-ray observatory XMM-Newton. We detect 47 faint X-ray sources in the direction of M 55 and 62 in the field of view of NGC 3201. Using the statistical Log N-Log S relationship of extragalactic sources derived from XMM-Newton Lockman Hole observations, to estimate the background source population, we estimate that very few of the sources (1.5+/-1.0) in the field of view of M 55 actually belong to the cluster. These sources are located in the centre of the cluster as we expect if the cluster has undergone mass segregation…
We analyze HST/STIS spectra (see Paper I) of the central region of the dense globular cluster M15. We infer the velocities of 64 individual stars, two-thirds of which have their velocity measured for the first time. This triples the number of stars with measured velocities in the central 1 arcsec of M15 and doubles the number in the central 2 arcsec. Combined with existing ground-based data we obtain the radial profiles of the projected kinematical quantities. The RMS velocity sigma_RMS rises to 14 km/s in the central few arcsec, somewhat higher than the values of 10-12 km/s inferred previousl…
In the construction of multi-mass King-Michie models of globular clusters, an approximated central energy equipartition between stars of different masses is usually imposed by scaling the velocity parameter of each mass class inversely with the stellar mass, as if the distribution function were isothermal. In this paper, this 'isothermal approximation' (IA) has been checked and its consequences on the model parameters studied by a comparison with models including central energy equipartition correctly. It is found that, under the IA, the 'temperatures' of a pair of components can differ to a n…
(Abridged) Accurate luminosity functions (LF) for a dozen globular clusters have now been measured at or just beyond their half-light radius using HST. They span almost the entire cluster main sequence below ~ 0.75 Msolar. All these clusters exhibit LF that rise continuously from an absolute I magnitude M_I ~ 6 to a peak at M_I ~ 8.5-9 and then drop with increasing M_I. Transformation of the LF into mass functions (MF) by means of the most recent mass luminosity relations that are consistent with all presently available data on the physical properties of low mass, low metallicity stars shows t…
We present spectroscopic abundances and radial velocities for giant stars in the Galactic globular cluster omega Centauri based on the CaII infrared triplet. Two samples of stars were observed: 234 stars at M_V = 1.25 on the lower giant branch at radial distances between 8 and 23arcmin, and 145 stars at M_V = -1.3 at radial distances between 3 and 22arcmin. Previous metallicity studies found a non-gaussian metallicity distribution containing a tail of metal-rich stars. We confirm these results except our unbiased cluster metallicity distributions are significantly narrower. They contain the fo…
Using the Faint Object Camera on the repaired Hubble Space Telescope, we have observed two fields in the globular cluster M15: the central density cusp, and a field at r = 20''. These are the highest-resolution images ever taken of this cluster's dense core, and are the first to probe the distribution of stars well below the main-sequence turnoff. After correction for incompleteness, we measure a logarithmic cusp slope (d log σ/ d log r) of -0.70 +- 0.05 (1-sigma) for turnoff (~ 0.8 \Msun) stars over the radial range from 0.3'' to 10''; this slope is consistent with previous measurements. We a…
