We present a large multi-epoch high resolution spectroscopic investigation for the search of binary candidates in the Galactic Globular Cluster (GGC) M4. The aim of our work is the identification of the binary candidates, and the determination of the binary fraction and of the binary radial distribution. We present a large multi-epoch high resolution spectroscopic investigation for the search of binary candidates in the Galactic Globular Cluster (GGC) M4. The aim of our work is the identification of the binary candidates, and the determination of the binary fraction and of the binary radial distribution. The average radial velocity of the observed cluster members is $70.29+/-0.07(+/-0.3)(+/-0.1)km/s. The search for variations in radial velocities among the stars with multi-epoch observations yielded 57 binary star candidates. Our radial velocity measurement accuracy allowed us to identify at a 3sigma level binaries with radial velocity variations larger than ~0.3km/s for the target stars with V<15, and larger than ~0.5km/s for the targets with V>15. We identified 4 binary star candidates out of 97 observed targets inside the core radius, and 53 candidates out of 2372 observed stars outside the core radius. Accounting for the incompleteness affecting our survey, the lower limit for the total binary fraction is f=3.0+/-0.3%. The lower limit for the binary fraction in the cluster core is f=5.1+/-2.3%, while outside the core it decreases to f=3.0+/-0.4%. Similarly, we found f=4.5+/-0.4% and f=1.8+/-0.6% for the binary fraction inside and outside the half mass radius.
We present the first spectra obtained with the Very Large Telescope for white dwarfs in a globular cluster. Estimates of atmospheric parameters are obtained and compared to evolutionary tracks. We discuss possible implications for the distance scale of globular clusters and white dwarf evolution and demonstrate how white dwarfs might be used to establish an independent distance scale to globular clusters.
At the distance of NGC 5128 (3.6 \pm 0.2 Mpc) it is possible to resolve globular clusters with high resolution imaging from the ground, thus allowing the globular cluster candidate selection primarily through their morphological properties. I report the discovery of 71 globular clusters in NGC 5128 on VLT UT1+FORS1 images, including the faintest members (Mv ~ -5) known to date in this galaxy as well as 5 previously known clusters. U- and V-band photometry has been measured for all the candidates and the luminosity function, spanning -10.1<Mv<-4.9 and -9.3<Mu<-3.3, constructed. These are the de…
Radial velocities of 468 globular clusters around NGC 1399, the central galaxy in the Fornax cluster, have been obtained with FORS2 and the Mask Exchange Unit (MXU) at the ESO Very Large Telescope. This is the largest sample of globular cluster velocities around any galaxy obtained so far. The mean velocity uncertainty is 50 km/sec. This data sample is accurate and large enough to be used in studies of the mass distribution of NGC 1399 and the properties of its globular cluster system. Here we describe the observations, the reduction procedure, and discuss the uncertainties of the resulting ve…
We present results derived from VLT-FORS2 spectra of 17 globular clusters associated with the nearby lenticular galaxy NGC3115. Comparing line-strength indices to new stellar population models by Thomas et al. we determine ages, metallicities and element abundance ratios. Our data are also compared with the Lick/IDS observations of Milky Way and M31 globular clusters. Our best age estimates show that the observed clusters which sample the bimodal colour distribution of NGC3115 globular clusters are coeval within our observational errors (2-3 Gyr). Our best calibrated age/metallicity diagnostic…
A populations of stellar mass black hole binaries may exist in globular clusters. The dynamics of globular cluster evolution imply that there may be at most one black hole binary is a globular cluster. The population of binaries are expected to have orbital periods greater than a few hours and to have a thermal distribution of eccentricities. In the LISA band, the gravitational wave signal from these binaries will consist of several of the higher harmonics of the orbital frequency. A Monte Carlo simulation of the galactic globular cluster system indicates that LISA will detect binaries in 10 %…
We present results derived from VLT-FORS2 spectra of 24 different globular clusters associated with the lenticular galaxy NGC3115. A subsample of 17 globular clusters have sufficiently high signal-to-noise to allow precision measurements of absorption line-strengths. Comparing these indices to new stellar population models by Thomas et al. we determine ages, metallicities and element abundance ratios. Our data are also compared with the Lick/IDS observations of Milky Way and M31 globular clusters. Unpublished higher order Balmer lines (HgammaA,F and HdeltaA,F) from the Lick/IDS observations ar…
In this paper we present a new, accurate determination of the three components of the absolute space velocity of the Galactic globular cluster NGC6397 (l 338d, b -12d). We used three HST/WFPC2 fields with multi-epoch observations to obtain astrometric measurements of objects in three different fields in this cluster. The identification of 33 background galaxies with sharp nuclei allowed us to determine an absolute reference point and measure the absolute proper motion of the cluster. The third component has been obtained from radial velocities measured on spectra from the multi-fiber spectrogr…
We present a deep VLT photometry in the regions surrounding the two dominant galaxies of the Antlia cluster, the giant ellipticals NGC 3258 and NGC 3268. We construct the luminosity functions of their globular cluster systems (GCSs) and determine their distances through the turn-over magnitudes. These distances are in good agreement with those obtained by the SBF method. There is some, but not conclusive, evidence that the distance to NGC 3268 is larger by several Mpc. The GCSs colour distributions are bimodal but the brightest globular clusters (GCs) show a unimodal distribution with an inter…
Binary stars play a critical role in determining both the dynamical evolution and the observational appearance of globular star clusters. We present a summary of three talks presented at IAU JD15, reviewing the current observational and theoretical status of binaries and related ``exotic'' stars in the Galactic globular cluster system.
VLT-UVES high resolution spectra of seven turnoff stars in the metal-poor globular cluster NGC 6397 have been obtained. Atmospheric parameters and abundances of several elements (Li, Na, Mg, Ca, Sc, Ti, Cr, Fe, Ni, Zn and Ba) were derived for program stars. The mean iron abundance is [Fe/H] = -2.02, with no star-to-star variation. The mean abundances of the alpha-elements (Ca, Ti) and of the iron-peak elements (Sc, Cr, Ni) are consistent with abundances derived for field stars of similar metallicity. Magnesium is also almost solar, consistent with the values found by Idiart & Thévenin (2000) w…
We consider essential mechanisms for orbit-shrinkage or "hardening" of compact binaries in globular clusters to the point of Roche-lobe contact and X-ray emission phase, focussing on the process of collisional hardening due to encounters between binaries and single stars in the cluster core. The interplay between this kind of hardening and that due to emission of gravitational radiation produces a characteristic scaling of the orbit-shrinkage time with the single-star binary encounter rate $γ$ in the cluster which we introduce, clarify, and explore. We investigate possible effects of this scal…
We have obtained intermediate-resolution VLT spectroscopy of 75 globular cluster candidates around the Sa galaxy M104 (NGC4594). Fifty-seven candidates out to ~ 40 kpc in the halo of the galaxy were confirmed to be bona-fide globular clusters, 27 of which are new. A first analysis of the velocities provides only marginal evidence for rotation of the cluster system. From Hbeta line strengths, almost all of the clusters in our sample have ages that are consistent, within the errors, with Milky Way globular clusters. Only a few clusters may be 1-2 Gyr old, and bulge and halo clusters appear coeva…
A severe problem of the research in star-formation is that the masses of young stars are almost always estimated only from evolutionary tracks. Since the tracks published by different groups differ, it is often only possible to give a rough estimate of the masses of young stars. It is thus crucial to test and calibrate the tracks. Up to now, only a few tests of the tracks could be carried out. However, with the VLTI it is now possible to set constrains on the tracks by determining the masses of many young binary stars precisely. In order to use the VLTI efficiently, a first step is to find sui…
Wide-field photometric data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey have recently revealed that the Galactic globular cluster Palomar 5 is in the process of being tidally disrupted (Odenkirchen et al. 2001). Here we investigate the kinematics of this sparse remote star cluster using high resolution spectra from the Very Large Telescope (VLT). Twenty candidate cluster giants located within 6 arcmin of the cluster center have been observed with the UV-Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES) on VLT-UT2. The spectra provide radial velocities with a typical accuracy of 0.15 km/s. We find that the sample conta…
The energy carried in the gravitational wave signal from an eccentric binary is spread across several harmonics of the orbital frequency. The inclusion of the harmonics in the analysis of the gravitational wave signal increases the signal-to-noise ratio of the detected signal for binaries whose fundamental frequency is below the galactic confusion-limited noise cut-off. This can allow for an improved angular resolution for sources whose orbital period is greater than 2000 s. Globular cluster sources include possible binary black holes and neutron stars which may have high eccentricities. Clust…
We answer the long-standing question of which production mechanism is responsible for the cataclysmic variables (CVs) in globular clusters. Arguments have been given that range from mostly primordial presence to a significant contribution of later dynamical formation in close stellar encounters. We conclude, based on a thorough analysis of a homogeneous {\it Chandra} data set, that the majority of CVs in globulars has a dynamical origin.
We consider the implications of the presence of ~1 stellar-mass black hole (BH) at the center of a dense globular cluster. We show that BH X-ray binaries formed through exchange interactions are likely to have extremely low duty cycles (<0.001), consistent with the absence of BH X-ray transients in Galactic globular clusters. In contrast, we find that BH X-ray binaries formed through tidal capture would be persistent, bright X-ray sources. Given the absence of any such source and the very high interaction rates, we conclude that tidal capture of a main-sequence star by a BH most likely leads t…
We propose that the observed difference in the formation rates of bright low-mass X-ray binaries in metal-rich and metal-poor globular clusters can be explained by taking into account the difference in the stellar structure of main sequence donors with masses between ~0.85 Msun and ~1.25 Msun at different metallicities. This difference is caused by the absence of an outer convective zone in metal-poor main sequence stars in this mass range. In the result, magnetic braking, a powerful mechanism of orbital shrinkage, does not operate and dynamically formed main sequence - neutron star binaries f…
An analysis of ages, metallicities, and [alpha/Fe] ratios of globular cluster systems in early-type galaxies is presented, based on Lick index measurements summarized in Puzia et al. (2004, Paper I of this series). In the light of calibration and measurement uncertainties, age-metallicity degeneracy, and the relative dynamic range of Lick indices, as well as systematics introduced by abundance ratio variations (in particular variations of [alpha/Fe] ratios), we find that the most reliable age indicator for our dataset is a combination of the Lick Balmer-line indices HgammaA, Hbeta, and HdeltaA…
In dense stellar systems the frequent dynamical interactions between stars play a crucial role in the formation and evolution of compact binaries. We study these processes using a novel approach combining a state-of-the-art binary population synthesis code with a simple treatment of dynamical interactions in dense star cluster cores. Here we focus on the dynamical and evolutionary processes leading to the formation of compact binaries containing white dwarfs in dense globular clusters. We demonstrate that dynamics can increase by factors ~ 2 - 100 the production rates of interesting binaries s…
Globular clusters cores harbour many low-mass X-ray binaries, cataclysmic variables, and millisecond pulsar binaries which are likely to have been formed via the process of tidal capture. Tidal capture binaries were originally thought to be responsible for halting core collapse and for subsequent re-expansion via the process of ``binary heating''. The standard model, now suggests that these binaries are no longer viable as a direct energy source. We present the results of a study which suggests that tidal capture binaries may indeed be a significant direct source of energy for the cores of glo…
We present a high resolution (R ~ 43000) abundance analysis of a total of nine stars in three of the five globular clusters associated with the nearby Fornax dwarf spheroidal galaxy. These three clusters (1, 2 and 3) trace the oldest, most metal-poor stellar populations in Fornax. We determine abundances of O, Mg, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Zn, Y, Ba, La, Nd and Eu in most of these stars, and for some stars also Mn and La. We demonstrate that classical indirect methods (isochrone fitting and integrated spectra) of metallicity determination lead to values of [Fe/H] which are 0.3 to 0.5 dex too hig…
We have carried out extensive VLT-FORS1 observations covering a fair fraction of the intermediate metallicity globular cluster NGC 6712 in the V and R bands. We derive accurate colour-magnitude diagrammes (CMD) and luminosity functions (LFs) of the cluster main sequence (MS) for four overlapping fields extending from the centre of the cluster out to a radius of ~10', well beyond the nominal tidal radius, and for a control field at ~42' distance. The LFs extend from the cluster turn-off (TO) at M_R 4 to the point at which the incompleteness drops below 50% (corresponding to R 23 or M_R 7.5) for…
The population of compact binaries in dense stellar systems is affected strongly by frequent dynamical interactions between stars and their interplay with the stellar evolution. In this contribution, we consider these effects on binaries with a white dwarf accretor, in particular cataclysmic variables and AM CVns. We examine which processes can successfully lead to the creation of such X-ray binaries. Using numerical simulations, we identify predominant formation channels and predict the expected numbers of detectable systems. We discuss also why the distribution of cataclysmic variables has a…
We report here on two complementary population synthesis studies which relate directly to the formation and evolution of neutron star binaries in globular clusters. In the first, we compute the probability of retaining neutron stars in globular clusters, and quantitatively confirm the idea that the retention fraction for neutron stars born in binary systems is greatly enhanced over those born in isolated stars. However, the retention fraction may well be insufficient to explain the current population of neutron star binaries. In the second study, we follow a large population of primordial bina…
Our deep Chandra exposures of 47Tuc and moderate exposures of NGC 6397 reveal a wealth of new phenomena for interacting X-ray binaries (IXBs) in globular clusters. In this (late) Review, updated since the conference, I summarize recent and ongoing analysis of the millisecond pulsars, the compact binaries containing white dwarfs and neutron stars, and the chromospherically active binaries in both globular clusters. Spectral variability analysis enables new insights into source properties and evolutionary history. These binary populations, now so ``easily'' visible, are large enough that their p…
We have investigated the effect of the number of primordial binaries on the relationship between the total number of detected binaries within globular cluster and its collision rate. We have used simulated populations of binary stars in globular clusters : primordial binaries and binaries formed through gravitational interactions. We show that the initial number of primordial binaries influences the relationship between the number of detected sources and the collision rate, which we find to be a power law. We also show that observing an incomplete sample provides the same results as those obta…
In studying encounters between binaries and single stars, one is interested in three classes of events: exchanges of stars, hardening of the original binary by a third star, and the production of merged objects. We present a means for computing cross sections for these three outcomes for an arbitrary binary and single star as might be found in the core of a globular cluster. The cross sections for a number of binaries in various stellar populations are then computed. We consider multiple encounters and the ultimate fate of a population of binaries fed into the cores of different globular clust…
We present Lick line-index measurements of extragalactic globular clusters in seven early-type galaxies (NGC 1380, 2434, 3115, 3379, 3585, 5846, and 7192) with different morphological types (E-S0) located in field and group/cluster environments. High-quality spectra were taken with the FORS2 instrument at ESO's Very Large Telescope. About 50% of our data allow an age resolution dt/t ~ 0.3 and a metallicity resolution ~0.25-0.4 dex, depending on the absolute metallicity. Globular cluster candidates are selected from deep B, V, R, I, K FORS2/ISAAC photometry with 80-100% success rate inside one …
The HST/ACS Survey of Galactic globular clusters (GGCs) is a HST Treasury project aimed at obtaining high precision photometry in a large sample of globular clusters. The homogeneous photometric catalogs that has been obtained from these data by Anderson et al. (2008) represents a golden mine for a lot of astrophysical studies. In this paper we used the catalog to analyse the properties of MS-MS binary systems from a sample of fifty GGCs. We measured the fraction of binaries (divided in different groups), studied their radial distribution and constrained the mass ratio distribution. We investi…
Evolutionary trends in the surface abundances of heavier elements have recently been identified in the globular cluster NGC 6397 ([Fe/H]=-2), indicating the operation of atomic diffusion in these stars. Such trends constitute important constraints for the extent to which diffusion modifies the internal structure and surface abundances of solar-type, metal-poor stars. We perform an independent check of the reality and size of abundance variations within this metal-poor globular cluster. Observational data covering a large stellar sample, located between the cluster turn-off point and the base o…
In this paper, the first of a series, we study the stellar dynamical and evolutionary processes leading to the formation of compact binaries containing white dwarfs in dense globular clusters. We examine the processes leading to the creation of X-ray binaries such as cataclysmic variables and AM CVn systems. Using numerical simulations, we identify the dominant formation channels and we predict the expected numbers and characteristics of detectable systems, emphasizing how the cluster sources differ from the field population. We explore the dependence of formation rates on cluster properties a…
Three important developments are vastly increasing our understanding of the role of binaries in the dynamical evolution of globular clusters. From the observational side, the Hubble Space Telescope has shown us detailed pictures of the densest areas in post-collapse cluster cores. From the computational side, the Grape-4 special-purpose hardware is now allowing us to model small globular clusters on a star-by-star basis, and has already given us the first direct evidence of the occurrence of gravothermal oscillations in such systems. From the theoretical astrophysics side, integrated simulatio…
The Sloan Digital Sky Survey turned out to be very efficient in identifying white dwarf/main sequence binaries (WDMS). The population of WDMS systems consists of wide systems whose stellar components evolve like single stars and - more interesting in the context of close binary evolution - PCEBs. We pursue a large-scale follow-up survey to identify and characterise the PCEBs among the WDMS binaries that have been found with SDSS. We use a two-step strategy with the identification of PCEBs among WDMS in the first and orbital period determinations in the second phase. Here we present first resul…
Metal-rich globular clusters trace the formation of bulges. Abundance ratios in the metal-rich globular clusters such as NGC 6553 can constrain the formation timescale of the Galactic bulge. The purpose of this study is determine the metallicity and elemental ratios in individual stars of the metal-rich bulge globular cluster NGC 6553. A detailed abundance analysis of four giants in NGC 6553 is carried out, based on optical high-resolution echelle spectra obtained with UVES at the ESO VLT-UT2 Kueyen telescope. A metallicity [Fe/H]= -0.20 dex is derived, together with $α$-element enhancement of…
The size of the core is one of the main diagnostics of the evolutionary state of a globular cluster. Much has been learned over the last few years about the behavior of the core radius during and after core collapse, under a variety of different conditions related to the presence or absence of large numbers of binaries. An overview is presented of the basic physical principles that can be used to estimate the core radius. Four different situations are discussed, and expressions are presented for the ratio $r_c/r_h$ of core radius to half mass radius. The regimes are: deep collapse in the absen…
Binary stars have long been considered to play a crucial role in globular cluster evolution, and offer the advantages of studying systems at the same, well-determined distances. However, early search attempts were consistently thwarted by crowding (particularly in the optical) and initial detections were limited to small numbers of low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) and a handful of other systems. This resolution hurdle has been dramatically overcome by the superb spatial resolution and sensitivity of HST and Chandra (supported by advances in radio observations), enabling the detection in individ…
Luminous X-ray binaries (>1E34 erg/s, LMXBs) have a neutron star or black hole primary, and in globular clusters, most of these close binaries are expected to be have evolved from wider binaries through dynamical interactions with other stars. We sought to find a predictor of this formation rate that is representative of the initial properties of globular clusters rather than of the highly evolved core quantities. Models indicate the half-light quantities best reflect the initial conditions, so we examine whether the associated dynamical interaction rate, proportional to L^1.5 r^-2.5, is usefu…
Recent Chandra studies of low-mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) within early-type galaxies have found that LMXBs are commonly located within globular clusters of the galaxies. However, whether all LMXBs are formed within globular clusters has remained an open question. If all LMXBs formed within globular clusters, the summed X-ray luminosity of the LMXBs in a galaxy should be directly proportional to the number of globular clusters in the galaxy regardless of where the LMXBs currently reside. We have compared these two quantities over the same angular area for a sample of 12 elliptical and S0 galaxi…
Space-based gravitational wave detectors will have the ability to observe continuous low frequency gravitational radiation from binary star systems. They can determine the direction to continuous sources with an angular resolution approaching tens of arcminutes. This resolution should be sufficient to identify binary sources as members of some nearby globular clusters. Thus, gravitational radiation can be used to determine the population of hard binaries in globular clusters. For particularly hard binaries, the orbital period may change as a result of gravitational wave emission. If one of the…
We summarize and discuss recent work (Fregeau 2007) that presents the confluence of three results suggesting that most Galactic globular clusters are still in the process of core contraction, and have not yet reached the thermal equilibrium phase driven by binary scattering interactions: that 1) the three clusters that appear to be overabundant in X-ray binaries per unit encounter frequency are observationally classified as "core-collapsed," 2) recent numerical simulations of cluster evolution with primordial binaries show that structural parameters of clusters in the binary-burning phase agre…
Low-mass X-ray binaries, recycled pulsars, cataclysmic variables and magnetically active binaries are observed as X-ray sources in globular clusters. We discuss the classification of these systems, and find that some presumed active binaries are brighter than expected. We discuss a new statistical method to determine from observations how the formation of X-ray sources depends on the number of stellar encounters and/or on the cluster mass. We show that cluster mass is not a proxy for the encounter number, and that optical identifications are essential in proving the presence of primordial bina…
Chandra observations of globular clusters provide insight into the formation, evolution, and X-ray emission mechanisms of X-ray binary populations. Our recent (2002) deep observations of 47 Tuc allow detailed study of its populations of quiescent LMXBs, CVs, MSPs, and active binaries (ABs). First results include the confirmation of a magnetic CV in a globular cluster, the identification of 31 additional chromospherically active binaries, and the identification of three additional likely quiescent LMXBs containing neutron stars. Comparison of the X-ray properties of the known MSPs in 47 Tuc wit…
A catalog of 383 radial velocities for red giants in the globular cluster M22 has been compiled from the literature and from new observations accumulated between 1972 and 1994. This 22-year baseline is the longest available for any sample of globular cluster stars. Using 333 repeat velocities for 109 cluster members, we have carried out a search for spectroscopic binaries with periods in the range 0.2 -- 40 years and with mass ratios between 0.1 and 1.0. Although the velocities for these evolved stars show clear evidence for atmospheric motions, no star is convincingly found to exhibit a veloc…
We summarize the results of recent theoretical work on the dynamical evolution of globular clusters containing primordial binaries. Even a very small initial binary fraction (e.g., 10%) can play a key role in supporting a cluster against gravothermal collapse for many relaxation times. Inelastic encounters between binaries and single stars or other binaries provide a very significant energy source for the cluster. These dynamical interactions also lead to the production of large numbers of exotic systems such as ultracompact X-ray binaries, recycled radio pulsars, double degenerate systems, an…
A binary in which a slightly evolved star starts mass transfer to a neutron star can evolve towards ultra-short orbital periods under the influence of magnetic braking. This is called magnetic capture. We investigate in detail for which initial orbital periods and initial donor masses binaries evolve to periods less than 30-40 minutes within the Hubble time. We show that only small ranges of initial periods and masses lead to ultra-short periods, and that for those only a small time interval is spent at ultra-short periods. Consequently, only a very small fraction of any population of X-ray bi…
We model the dynamics of test binaries in isotropic, multi-mass models of galactic globular clusters. The evolution of binary orbits through the cluster potentials is modeled, including second order diffusion terms, and probabilities for close encounters with field stars are calculated. We carry out Monte Carlo simulations of the effects of the binary--single star encounters on the binary population and distribution in the cluster, and estimate the collision rate for different stellar populations in globular clusters with different structural parameters. Assuming a Salpeter IMF, for low concen…
A search for spectroscopic binaries on the main sequence of the nearby globular cluster M4 has been undertaken with Argus, the multi-object spectrograph on the CTIO 4.0m telescope. A pair of radial velocities (median precision $\simeq$ 2 km/s) separated by 11 months have been obtained for 33 turnoff dwarfs in the magnitude range 16.9 $\le$ V $\le$ 17.4. Monte-Carlo simulations have been used to derive a binary fraction, X, for systems with periods in the range 2 days $\lae {\rm P} \lae$ 3 years and mass ratios between 0.2 and 1.0. This short-period cutoff is more than an order of magnitude sma…
We investigate a population of primordial binaries during the initial stage of evolution of a star cluster. For our calculations we assume that equal mass stars form rapidly in a tidally truncated gas cloud, that $\sim10$\% of the stars are in binaries and that the resulting star cluster undergoes an epoch of violent relaxation. We study the collisional interaction of the binaries and single stars, in particular, the ionization of the binaries and the energy exchange between binaries and single stars. We find that for large $N$ systems ($N > 10^3$) even the most violent beginning leaves the bi…
We summarize the status of art of the secular evolution of low mass X-ray binaries (LMXBs) and take a close look at the orbital period distribution of LMXBs and of binary millisecond pulsars (MSP), in the hypothesis that this latter results from the LMXB evolution. The deficiency of systems below the period gap, which in cataclysmic binaries occurs between ~ 2 and 3 hr, points to a very different secular evolution of LMXBs with respect to their counterparts containing a white dwarf compact object. The presence of several ultrashort period LMXBs (some of which are also X-ray millisecond pulsars…
Improved observations of globular clusters are uncovering a large number of radio pulsars and of X-ray sources. The latter include binaries in which a neutron star or a white dwarf accretes matter from a companion, recycled pulsars, and magnetically active binaries. Most of these sources originate from close encounters between stars in the cluster core; magnetically active binaries and some cataclysmic variables have evolved from primordial binaries. The formation rate through close encounters scales differently with the central density and core radius of the cluster than the probability for a…
Observations of hot stars belonging to the young cluster SMC-NGC330 and its surrounding region were obtained with the VLT-GIRAFFE facilities in MEDUSA mode. We investigated the B and Be star properties and proportions in this environment of low metallicity. We also searched for rapid variability in Be stars using photometric databases. With spectroscopic measurements we characterized the emission and properties of Be stars. By cross-correlation with photometric databases such as MACHO and OGLE, we searched for binaries in our sample of hot stars, as well as for short-term variability in Be sta…
The binary fraction among extreme horizontal branch (EHB) stars in Galactic globular clusters (GCs) is an order of magnitude lower than the binary fraction among their counterparts, field hot subdwarfs. This casts serious doubt on their formation channels. In this {\em Letter}, I explain the difference between the field and the cluster EHB stars with the binary model of Han et al. (2002, 2003) for the formation of EHB stars. With the binary population synthesis code of Han et al. (2002, 2003), I follow the evolution of simple stellar populations resulting from single star bursts (note that Han…
We have obtained high resolution (<1") deep x-ray images of the globular cluster 47Tucanae (NGC 104) with the Chandra X-ray Observatory to study the population of compact binaries in the high stellar density core. A 70 kilosec exposure of the cluster reveals a centrally concentrated population of faint (Lx ~10^{30-33} erg/s) x-ray sources, with at least 108 located within the central 2arcmin X 2.5arcmin and at least half with Lx <10^{30.5} erg/s. All 15 millisecond pulsars (MSPs) recently located precisely by radio observations are identified, though two are unresolved by Chandra. The x-ray sp…
This paper describes a systematic search for high-order multiplicity among wide visual Pre-Main Sequence (PMS) binaries. We conducted an Adaptive Optics survey of a sample of 58 PMS wide binaries from various star-forming regions, which include 52 T Tauri systems with mostly K- and M-type primaries, with the NIR instrument NACO at the VLT. Of these 52 systems, 7 are found to be triple (2 new) and 7 quadruple (1 new). The new close companions are most likely physically bound based on their probability of chance projection and, for some of them, on their position on a color-color diagram. The co…
Following a review of our present knowledge about blue subdwarf stars in globular clusters, we present an overview of the results of searches for close binaries among these stars, including results previously published in the literature and reporting recent and preliminary results of new data. Previous investigations revealed a lack of close systems in NGC 6752, which we confirm with new, more extensive observations. Our estimate of the close binary fraction in this cluster is only 4%. From a review of the relevant literature, there are indications that a low close binary fraction among extrem…
We simulate black hole binary interactions to examine the probability of mergers and black hole growth and gravitational radiation signals using a specific initial distribution of masses for black holes in globular clusters and a simple semi-analytic formalism for dynamical interactions. We include 3-body recoil and the latest results in numerical relativity for gravitational radiation recoil. It is found that while 99% of binaries are ejected from low metallicity, low mass clusters; metal rich massive clusters retain 5% of their binaries. An interesting fraction of the ejected binaries, espec…
The recently-discovered lack of close binaries, among extreme horizontal branch (EHB) stars in Galactic globular clusters, has thus far constituted a major puzzle, in view of the fact that blue subdwarf stars - the field counterparts of cluster EHB stars - are well-known to present a high binary fraction. In this Letter, we provide new results that confirm the lack of close EHB binaries in globular clusters, and present a first scenario to explain the difference between field and cluster EHB stars. First, in order to confirm that the lack of EHB binaries in globular clusters is a statistically…
We investigate the relationship between Low Mass X-ray Binaries (LMXBs) and globular clusters (GCs) using UKIRT observations of M31 and existing Chandra, XMM-Newton, and ROSAT catalogues. By fitting King models to these data we have estimated the structural parameters and stellar collision rates of 239 of its GCs. We show a highly significant trend between the presence of a LMXB and the stellar collision rate of a cluster. The stellar collision rate is found to be a stronger predictor of which clusters will host LMXBs than the host cluster mass. We argue that our results show that the stellar …
We present the first study of the dynamical evolution of a star cluster that combines a significant population of primordial binaries with the presence of a central black hole. We use direct N-body simulations, with a black hole mass of about one percent of the total mass of the cluster. The evolution of the binary population is strongly influenced by the presence of the black hole, which gives the cluster a large core with a central density cusp. Starting from a Plummer profile, we first encounter a phase, that last approximately 10 half-mass relaxation times, in which binaries are disrupted …
