We report the result of searching for globular clusters (GCs) around 55 Milky Way satellite dwarf galaxies within the distance of 450 kpc from the Galactic Center except for the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds and the Sagittarius dwarf. For each dwarf, we analyze the stellar distribution of sources in Gaia DR2, selected by magnitude, proper motion, and source morphology. Using the kernel density estimation of stellar number counts, we identify eleven possible GC candidates. Crossed-matched with existing imaging data, all eleven objects are known either GCs or galaxies and only Fornax GC 1-6 among them are associated with the targeted dwarf galaxy. Using simulated GCs, we calculate the GC detection limit $M_{\rm V}^{\rm lim}$ that spans the range from $M_{\rm V}^{\rm lim} \sim -7$ for distant dwarfs to $M_{\rm V}^{\rm lim} \sim 0$ for nearby systems. Assuming a Gaussian GC luminosity function, we compute that the completeness of the GC search is above 90 percent for most dwarf galaxies. We construct the 90 percent credible intervals/upper limits on the GC specific frequency $S_{\rm N}$ of the MW dwarf galaxies: $12 < S_{\rm N} < 47$ for Fornax, $S_{\rm N} < 20$ for the dwarfs with $-12 < M_{\rm V} < -10$, $S_{\rm N} < 30$ for the dwarfs with $-10 < M_{\rm V} < -7$, and $S_{\rm N} < 90$ for the dwarfs with $M_{\rm V} > -7$. Based on $S_{\rm N}$, we derive the probability of galaxies hosting GCs given their luminosity, finding that the probability of galaxies fainter than $M_{\rm V} = -9$ to host GCs is lower than 0.1.
We present a simulation of twelve globular clusters with different concentration, distance, and background population, whose properties are transformed into Gaia observables with the help of the lates Gaia science performances prescriptions. We adopt simplified crowding receipts, based on five years of simulations performed by DPAC (Data Processing and Analysis Consortium) scientists, to explore the effect of crowding and to give a basic idea of what will be made possible by Gaia in the field of Galactic globular clusters observations.
We have derived accurate distances to Galactic globular clusters by combining data from the Gaia Early Data Release 3 with distances based on Hubble Space telescope HST data and literature based distances. We determine distances either directly from the Gaia EDR3 parallaxes, or kinematically by combining line-of-sight velocity dispersion profiles with Gaia EDR3 and HST based proper motion velocity dispersion profiles. We furthermore calculate cluster distances from fitting nearby subdwarfs, whose absolute luminosities we determine from their Gaia EDR3 parallaxes, to globular cluster main-seque…
We provide new values of the orbital parameters of 152 globular clusters, which are calculated using the new mean proper motions obtained from the Gaia EDR3 catalog data. The orbits were integrated 5 Gyr back in an axisymmetric three-component potential with a spherical bulge, disk component, and spherical dark halo in the Navarro-Frenk-White form, which we refined using the rotation curve of objects with large galactocentric distances up to 200 kpc. The obtained orbital parameters were compared with the orbital parameters of the same globular clusters calculated earlier in the same gravitatio…
It is argued that Galactic globular clusters rotating retrograde may originate from prograde globular clusters that change their angular momenturm due to gravitational perturbations from the Magellanic Cloud galaxies. It is shown that those galactic globular clusters with orbits near the Lagrangiane point of the system "Milky Way - Maggellanic Clouds" can change the sign of their angular momentum in few Gyr time scale.
We present orbits and their properties for 152 globular clusters of the Milky Way galaxy obtained using average Gaia DR2 proper motions and other astrometric data from the list of Vasiliev (2019). For orbit integrating we have used the axisymmetric model of the Galactic potential based on the Navarro-Frenk-White dark halo, and modified by Bajkova and Bobylev (2016) using circular velocities of Galactic objects in wide region of Galactocentric distances (up to 200 kpc) from Bhattacharjee et.al. (2014) catalog. Based on the analysis of the obtained orbits, we have modified the composition of the…
Angle/action based distribution function (DF) models can be optimised based on how well they reproduce observations thus revealing the current matter distribution in the Milky Way. Gaia data combined with data from other surveys, e.g. the RAVE/TGAS sample, and its full selection function will greatly improve their accuracy.
The Gaia mission promises to deliver precision astrometry at an unprecedented level, heralding a new era for discerning the kinematic and spatial coordinates of stars in our Galaxy. Here, we present a new technique for estimating the age of tidally disrupted globular cluster streams using the proper motions and parallaxes of tracer stars. We evolve the collisional dynamics of globular clusters within the evolving potential of a Milky Way-like halo extracted from a cosmological $Λ$CDM simulation and analyze the resultant streams as they would be observed by Gaia. The simulations sample a variet…
Passing through the Galactic disk, a massive object such as a globular cluster, can trigger star formation process leading to the birth of open clusters. Here, we analyze such possible evolutionary relationship between globular and open clusters. To search for the closest rapprochement between objects we computed backwards the orbits of 150 Galactic globular and 232 open clusters (younger than 100 Myr) with proper motions, derived from the Gaia DR2 Catalog. The orbits were computed using the recently modified three-component (disk, bulge and halo) axisymmetric Navarro-Frenk-White potential, wh…
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 separat…
We have derived the mean proper motions and space velocities of 154 Galactic globular clusters and the velocity dispersion profiles of 141 globular clusters based on a combination of Gaia DR2 proper motions with ground-based line-of-sight velocities. Combining the velocity dispersion profiles derived here with new measurements of the internal mass functions allows us to model the internal kinematics of 144 clusters, more than 90% of the currently known Galactic globular cluster population. We also derive the initial cluster masses by calculating the cluster orbits backwards in time applying su…
We summarise recent results from analysis of APOGEE/Gaia data for stellar populations in the Galactic halo, disk, and bulge, leading to constraints on the contribution of dwarf galaxies and globular clusters to the stellar content of the Milky Way halo. Interpretation of the extant data in light of cosmological numerical simulations suggests that the Milky Way has been subject to an unusually intense accretion history at z >~ 1.5.
We present a panoramic map of the stellar streams of the Milky Way based upon astrometric and photometric measurements from the Gaia DR2 catalogue. In this first contribution, we concentrate on the halo at heliocentric distances beyond 5 kpc, and at Galactic latitudes $|b|>30°$, using the STREAMFINDER algorithm to detect structures along plausible orbits that are consistent with the Gaia proper motion measurements. We find a rich network of criss-crossing streams in the halo. Some of these structures were previously-known, several are new discoveries, but others are potentially artefacts of th…
There is an increasing number of recent observational results which show that some globular clusters exhibit internal rotation while they travel along their orbital trajectories around the Milky Way center. Based on these findings, we looked for any relationship between the inclination angles of the globular clusters' orbits with respect to the Milky Way plane and those of their rotation. We discovered that the relative inclination, in the sense rotation axis inclination - orbit axis inclination, is a function of the globular cluster's orbit inclination. Rotation and orbit axes are aligned for…
We use Gaia DR2 data to show that the globular cluster NGC5634 is physically associated with an arm of the Sagittarius Stream, the huge system of tidal tails created by the ongoing disruption of the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy (Sgr dSph). Two additional arms of the Stream are also detected along the same line of sight, at different distances. We show that the Sgr Stream stars surrounding NGC5634 are more metal-poor, on average, than those found in the more distant Stream arm lying behind the cluster and in the main body of Sgr~dSph, confirming that a significant metallicity (and, presu…
We report on the search for overall kinematical or structural conditions that have allowed some Milky Way globular clusters to presently develop tidal tails. For this purpose, we build a comprehensive catalogue of globular clusters with studies focused on their outermost regions and classified them in three categories: those with observed tidal tails, those with extra-tidal features different from tidal tails and those without any signature of extended stellar density profiles. When exploring different kinematical and structural parameter spaces, we found that globular clusters - irrespective …
We employ Gaia DR2 proper motions for 151 Milky Way globular clusters from Vasiliev (2019) in tandem with distances and line-of-sight velocities to derive their kinematical properties. To assign clusters to the Milky Way thick disk, bulge, and halo we follow the approach of Posti et al. (2018) who distinguished among different Galactic stellar components using stars's orbits. In particular, we use the ratio $L_{z}/e$, the $Z$ projection of the angular momentum to the eccentricity, as population tracer, which we complement with chemical abundances extracted from the literature and Monte-Carlo s…
Using the data from Gaia (ESA) Data Release 2 we performed the orbital calculations of globular clusters (GCs) of the Milky Way. To explore possible close encounters (or collisions) between the GCs, using our own developed high-order phi-GRAPE code, we integrated backward and forward the orbits of 119 objects with reliable positions and proper motions. In calculations, we adopted a realistic axisymmetric Galactic potential (bulge + disk + halo). Using different impact conditions, we found four pairs of the six GCs that may have experienced an encounter within twice the sum of the half-mass rad…
We explore the possibility of searching for extratidal features around the Galactic globular cluster NGC362 using the Gaia DR2 together with a modified version of a classical statistical decontamination algorithm. Our results suggest that an important stellar component is associated with this globular cluster, which is perfectly distinguishable from the populations in the Small Magellanic Cloud and that of the nearby NGC104 (47 Tucanae). We thus confirm once again the power of Gaia to disentangle different stellar components along the same line-of-sight.
We explore the kinematics and orbital properties of a sample of red giants in the halo system of the Milky Way that are thought to have formed in globular clusters, based on their anomalously strong UV/blue CN bands. The orbital parameters of the CN-strong halo stars are compared to those of the inner- and outer-halo populations as described by Carollo et al., and to the orbital parameters of globular clusters with well-studied Galactic orbits. The CN-strong field stars and the globular clusters both exhibit kinematics and orbital properties similar to the inner-halo population, indicating tha…
Gaia HyperVelocity Star (HVS) kinematic observations favor a local escape velocity of ~700 km/s, nearly forty-percent greater than conventional estimates. Combining HVS and dwarf galaxy satellite data reveal the global escape velocity profile for the Galaxy smoothly traces an unbroken Keplerian decline from the central bar to the most remote satellite galaxy. We reveal a robust upper bound in baryonic mass discrepancy (maximal relative accelerations) linked to the virial theorem and obtain a fundamental and universal mass discrepancy-acceleration relation for virialized compact cosmic objects.
Tidally stripped galaxy nuclei and luminous globular clusters (GCs) are important tracers of the halos and assembly histories of nearby galaxies, but are difficult to reliably identify with typical ground-based imaging data. In this paper we present a new method to find these massive star clusters using Gaia DR2, focusing on the massive elliptical galaxy Centaurus A (Cen A). We show that stripped nuclei and globular clusters are partially resolved by Gaia at the distance of Cen A, showing characteristic astrometric and photometric signatures. We use this selection method to produce a list of 6…
We present a proper-motion study on models of the dwarf spheroidal galaxy Sculptor, based on the predicted proper-motion accuracy of Gaia measurements. Gaia will measure proper motions of several hundreds of stars for a Sculptor-like system. Even with an uncertainty on the proper motion of order 1.5 times the size of an individual proper-motion value of ~10 mas/century, we find that it is possible to recover Sculptor's systemic proper motion at its distance of 79 kpc.
(ABRIDGED) Globular clusters trace the formation and evolution of the Milky Way and surrounding galaxies, and outline their chemical enrichment history. To accomplish these tasks it is important to have large samples of clusters with homogeneous data and analysis to derive kinematics, chemical abundances, ages and locations. We obtain homogeneous metallicities and alpha-element enhancement for over 800 red giant stars in 51 Galactic bulge, disc, and halo globular clusters that are among the most distant and/or highly reddened in the Galaxy's globular cluster system. We observed R ~ 2000 spectr…
Globular clusters can form inside their host galaxies at high redshift when gas densities were higher and gas-rich mergers were common. They can also form inside lower-mass galaxies that have since been accreted and tidally disrupted, leaving their globular cluster complement bound to higher-mass halos. We argue that the age-metallicity-specific orbital energy relation in a galaxy's globular cluster system can be used to identify its origin. Gas-rich mergers should produce tightly bound systems in which metal-rich clusters are younger than metal-poor clusters. Globular clusters formed in massi…
The Gaia-ESO Survey (GES) is a large public spectroscopic survey that aims at observing with FLAMES@VLT the main stellar components of our Galaxy. The study of the population of open clusters is one of the main objectives of GES. We present some results from the first 18 months of observations, among them, a preliminary view of the radial metallicity gradient as traced by open cluster data and a comparison of the chemical patterns of clusters located in different parts of the Galactic disk.
The motion of the baryonic components of the Milky Way is governed by both luminous and dark matter content of the Galaxy. Thus, the dynamics of the Milky Way globular clusters can be used as tracers to infer the mass model of the Galaxy up to a large radius. In this work, we use the directly observable line-of-sight velocities to test if the dynamics of the globular cluster population is consistent with an assumed axisymmetric gravitational potential of the Milky Way. For this, we numerically compute the phase space distribution of the globular cluster population where the orbits are either o…
We used extra-tidal RR Lyrae stars to study the dynamics of Galactic globular clusters and know how effects like dynamical friction and tidal disruption affect these clusters. The Gaia DR2 catalog for RR Lyrae stars (Clementini et al. 2018) is used along with the proper motions and tidal radii data for the globular clusters compiled from literature. A sample of 56 Galactic globular clusters is analyzed. Out of these 56 Galactic globular clusters, only 11 have extra-tidal RR Lyrae stars. However, only two clusters, namely, NGC 3201 and NGC 5024, have enough extra-tidal RR Lyrae stars to draw in…
We have developed our original made-to-measure (M2M) algorithm, PRIMAL, with the aim of modelling the Galactic disc from upcoming Gaia data. From a Milky Way like N-body disc galaxy simulation, we have created mock Gaia data using M0III stars as tracers, taking into account extinction and the expected Gaia errors. In PRIMAL, observables calculated from the N-body model are compared with the target stars, at the position of the target stars. Using PRIMAL, the masses of the N-body model particles are changed to reproduce the target mock data, and the gravitational potential is automatically adju…
We present the WiFeS Atlas of Galactic Globular cluster Spectra, a library of integrated spectra of Milky Way and Local Group globular clusters. We used the WiFeS integral field spectrograph on the Australian National University 2.3 m telescope to observe the central regions of 64 Milky Way globular clusters and 22 globular clusters hosted by the Milky Way's low mass satellite galaxies. The spectra have wider wavelength coverage (3300 Å to 9050 Å) and higher spectral resolution (R = 6800) than existing spectral libraries of Milky Way globular clusters. By including Large and Small Magellanic C…
Line-of-sight kinematic studies indicate that many Galactic globular clusters have a significant degree of internal rotation. However, three-dimensional kinematics from a combination of proper motions and line-of-sight velocities are needed to unveil the role of angular momentum in the formation and evolution of these old stellar systems. Here we present the first quantitative study of internal rotation on the plane-of-the-sky for a large sample of globular clusters using proper motions from Gaia DR2. We detect signatures of rotation in the tangential component of proper motions for 11 out of …
We present a new catalog of 40502 globular cluster (GC) candidates in NGC 5128 out to a projected radius of $\sim$150 kpc, based on data from the Panoramic Imaging Survey of Centaurus and Sculptor (PISCeS), Gaia Data Release 2, and the NOAO Source Catalog. Ranking these candidates based on the likelihood that they are true GCs, we find that approximately 1900 belong to our top two ranking categories and should be the highest priority for spectroscopic follow-up for confirmation. Taking into account our new data and a vetting of previous GC catalogs, we estimate a total GC population of $1450 \…
A method to search for tidal streams and to fit their orbits based on maximum likelihood is presented and applied to the Gaia data. Tests of the method are performed showing how a simulated stream produced by tidal stripping of a star cluster is recovered when added to a simulation of the Gaia catalogue. The method can be applied to search for streams associated with known progenitors or to do blind searches in a general catalogue. As the first example, we apply the method to the globular cluster M68 and detect its clear tidal stream stretching over the whole North Galactic hemisphere, and pas…
We use Gaia Data Release 2 to determine the mean proper motions for 150 Milky Way globular clusters (almost the entire known population), with a typical uncertainty of 0.05 mas/yr limited mainly by systematic errors. Combining them with distance and line-of-sight velocity measurements from the literature, we analyze the distribution of globular clusters in the 6d phase space, using both position/velocity and action/angle coordinates. The population of clusters in the central 10 kpc has a mean rotational velocity reaching 50-80 km/s, and a nearly isotropic velocity dispersion 100-120 km/s, whil…
We searched for trails to understand the different Na abundances measured in first and second generation stars of ancient Milky Way globular clusters. For that purpose, we gathered from the recent literature the aforementioned Na abundances, orbital parameters, structural and internal dynamical properties and ages in an homogeneous scale of 28 globular clusters. We found that the intra-cluster Na enrichment, measured by the difference of Na abundances between first and second generation stars, exhibits a trend as a function of the Na abundances of first generation stars, in the sense that the …
We present results on the stellar density radial profile of the outer regions of NGC6779, a Milky Way globular cluster recently proposed as a candidate member of the Gaia Sausage structure, a merger remnant of a massive dwarf galaxy with the Milky Way. Taking advantage of the Pan-STARRS PS1 public astrometric and photometric catalogue, we built the radial profile for the outermost cluster regions using horizontal branch and main sequence stars, separately, in order to probe for different profile trends because of difference stellar masses. Owing to its relatively close location to the Galactic…
We reconsider the case for the association of Galactic globular clusters (GCs) to the tidal stream of the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal galaxy (Sgr dSph), using Gaia DR2 data. We use RR Lyrae to trace the stream in 6D and we select clusters matching the observed stream in position and velocity. In addition to the clusters residing in the main body of the galaxy (M 54, Ter 8, Ter 7, Arp 2) we confirm the membership of Pal 12 and Whiting 1 to the portion of the trailing arm populated by stars lost during recent perigalactic passages. NGC 2419, NGC 5634 and NGC 4147 are very interesting candidates…
Globular clusters are prone to lose stars while moving around the Milky Way. These stars escape the clusters and are distributed throughout extended envelopes or tidal tails. However, such extra-tidal structures are not observed in all globular clusters, and yet there is no structural or dynamical parameters that can predict their presence or absence. NGC\,6864 is an outer halo globular cluster with reported no observed tidal tails. We used Dark Energy Camera (DECam) photometry reaching $\sim$ 4 mag underneath its main sequence turnoff to confidently detect an extra-tidal envelope, and stellar…
Globular clusters in \textsc{OrbIT}: complete dynamical characterisation of the globular cluster population of the Milky Way through updated orbital reconstruction
Università degli Studi di Bologna（博洛尼亚大学）；INAF（意大利国家天体物理研究所）；Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile（智利天主教 Pontificia 大学）；Instituto Milenio de Astrofísica MAS（MAS 天体物理研究所）；Université Côte d’Azur（蔚蓝海岸大学）；Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur（蔚蓝海岸天文台）
While recent sky surveys have uncovered large numbers of ever fainter Milky Way satellites, their classification as star clusters, low-luminosity galaxies, or tidal overdensities remains often unclear. Likewise, their contributions to the build-up of the halo is yet debated. In this contribution we will discuss the current knowledge of the stellar populations and chemo-dynamics in these puzzling satellites, with a particular focus on dwarf spheroidal galaxies and the globular clusters in the outer Galactic halo. Also the question of whether some of the outermost halo objects are dynamically as…
We review the implications of the Gaia Data Release 2 catalogue for studying the dynamics of Milky Way globular clusters, focusing on two separate topics. The first one is the analysis of the full 6-dimensional phase-space distribution of the entire population of Milky Way globular clusters: their mean proper motions (PM) can be measured with an exquisite precision (down to 0.05 mas/yr, including systematic errors). Using these data, and a suitable ansatz for the steady-state distribution function (DF) of the cluster population, we then determine simultaneously the best-fit parameters of this …
The Milky Way (MW) is surrounded by a Vast Polar Structure (VPOS) of satellite galaxies, star clusters, and streams. Proper motion measurements for the brightest MW satellites indicate that they are predominantly co-orbiting along the VPOS. This is consistent with a dynamically stable structure. Assuming that all satellites that are aligned with the VPOS also co-orbit along this structure allows to empirically predict their systemic proper motions. Testing predictions for individual satellite galaxies at large distances requires high-accuracy proper motion measurements such as with the Hubble …
Multi-object spectrographs have opened a new window on the analyses of the chemo-dynamical properties of old Milky Way stars. These analyses allow us to trace back the internal mechanisms and the external factors that have influenced the evolution of our Galaxy, and therefore understand fundamental aspects of galaxy evolution in general. Here, we present recent results from the RAdial Velocity Experiment (RAVE) and the Gaia-ESO survey. These surveys explore the Milky Way properties in different ways, in terms of sample size and selection, magnitude range, and spectral resolution. We focus here…
We study the globular clusters (GCs) in the spiral galaxy NGC~5907 well-known for its spectacular stellar stream -- to better understand its origin. Using wide-field Subaru/Suprime-Cam $gri$ images and deep Keck/DEIMOS multi-object spectroscopy, we identify and obtain the kinematics of several GCs superimposed on the stellar stream and the galaxy disk. We estimate the total number of globular clusters in NGC 5907 to be $154\pm44$, with a specific frequency of $0.73\pm0.21$. Our analysis also reveals a significant, new population of young star cluster candidates found mostly along the outskirts…
We present a cosmological zoom-in simulation of a Milky Way-like galaxy used to explore the formation and evolution of star clusters. We investigate in particular the origin of the bimodality observed in the colour and metallicity of globular clusters, and the environmental evolution through cosmic times in the form of tidal tensors. Our results self-consistently confirm previous findings that the blue, metal-poor clusters form in satellite galaxies which are accreted onto the Milky Way, while the red, metal-rich clusters form mostly in situ or, to a lower extent in massive, self-enriched gala…
We perform integrated spectroscopy of 24 Galactic globular clusters. Spectra are observed from one core radius for each cluster with a high wavelength resolution of ~2.0 A FWHM. In combination with two existing data sets from Puzia et al. (2002) and Schiavon et al. (2005), we construct a large database of Lick spectral indices for a total of 53 Galactic globular clusters with a wide range of metallicities, -2.4 < [Fe/H] < 0.1, and various horizontal-branch morphologies. The empirical index-to-metallicity conversion relationships are provided for the 20 Lick indices for the use of deriving meta…
We identify a simulated Milky Way analog in the EAGLE suite of cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. This galaxy not only shares similar global properties as the Milky Way, but was specifically selected because its merger history resembles that currently known for the Milky Way. In particular we find that this Milky Way analog has experienced its last significant merger (with a stellar mass ratio $\sim 0.2$) at $z\sim 1.2$. We show that this merger affected both the dynamical properties of the stars present at the time, contributing to the formation of a thick disk, and also leading to a si…
We use the data from Gaia Early Data Release 3 (EDR3) to study the kinematic properties of Milky Way globular clusters. We measure the mean parallaxes and proper motions (PM) for 170 clusters, determine the PM dispersion profiles for more than 100 clusters, uncover rotation signatures in more than 20 objects, and find evidence for radial or tangential PM anisotropy in a dozen richest clusters. At the same time, we use the selection of cluster members to explore the reliability and limitations of the Gaia catalogue itself. We find that the formal uncertainties on parallax and PM are underestima…
Using parallaxes from Gaia DR2, we estimate the distance to the globular clusters 47 Tuc and NGC 362, taking advantage of the background stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud and quasars to account for various parallax systematics. We found the parallax to be dependent on the Gaia DR2 G apparent magnitude for stars with $13<\textrm{G}<18$ , where brighter stars have a lower parallax zero point than fainter stars. The distance to 47 Tuc was found to be $4.45\pm0.01\pm0.12$ kpc, and for NGC 362 $8.54\pm0.20\pm0.44$ kpc with random and systematic errors listed respectively. This is the first time a…
The currently known Galactic globular cluster population extends out to a maximum galactocentric distance of $\sim$ 145 kpc, with the peculiarity that the outermost clusters predominantly have an inward velocity. Orbit averaging finds that this configuration occurs by chance about $6\%$ of the time, suggesting that several globular clusters with positive radial velocities remain undiscovered. We evaluate the expected number of undiscovered clusters at large distances under the assumption that the cluster population has a smooth radial distribution and is in equilibrium within the Milky Way's v…
We present a search for "hyper-compact" star clusters in the Milky Way using a combination of Gaia and the Dark Energy Camera Legacy Survey (DECaLS). Such putative clusters, with sizes of ~1 pc and containing 500-5000 stars, are expected to remain bound to intermediate-mass black holes (Mbh~10^3-10^5 M-sun) that may be accreted into the Milky Way halo within dwarf satellites. Using the semi-analytic model SatGen we find an expected ~100 wandering intermediate-mass black holes with if every infalling satellite hosts a black hole. We do not find any such clusters in our search. Our upper limits …
We have determined masses, stellar mass functions and structural parameters of 112 Milky Way globular clusters by fitting a large set of N-body simulations to their velocity dispersion and surface density profiles. The velocity dispersion profiles were calculated based on a combination of more than 15,000 high-precision radial velocities which we derived from archival ESO/VLT and Keck spectra together with ~20,000 published radial velocities from the literature. Our fits also include the stellar mass functions of the globular clusters, which are available for 47 clusters in our sample, allowin…
We study the outer regions of the Milky Way globular cluster NGC 7089 based on new Dark Energy Camera (DECam) observations. The resulting background cleaned stellar density profile reveals the existence of an extended envelope. We confirm previous results that cluster stars are found out to ~ 1deg from the cluster's centre, which is nearly three times the value of the most robust tidal radii estimations. We also used results from direct N-body simulations in order to compare with the observations. We found a fairly good agreement between the observed and numerically generated stellar density p…
