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Phase mixing due to the Galactic potential: steps in the position and velocity distributions of popped star clusters

Candlish, G. N.; Smith, R.; Fellhauer, M.; Gibson, B. K.; Kroupa, P.; Assmann, P.

Authors

G. N. Candlish

R. Smith

M. Fellhauer

B. K. Gibson

P. Kroupa

P. Assmann



Abstract

As star clusters are expected to form with low star formation efficiencies, the gas in the cluster is expelled quickly and early in their development: the star cluster ‘pops’. This leads to an unbound stellar system, evolving in the Galactic potential. Previous N-body simulations have demonstrated the existence of a stepped number density distribution of cluster stars after popping, both in vertical position and vertical velocity, with a passing resemblance to a Christmas tree. Using numerical and analytical methods, we investigate the source of this structure, which arises due to the phase mixing of the out-of-equilibrium stellar system, determined entirely by the background analytic potential. Considering only the vertical motions, we construct a theoretical model to describe the time evolution of the phase space distribution of stars in a Miyamoto–Nagai disc potential and a full Milky Way-type potential comprising bulge, halo and disc components, which is then compared with N-body simulations. Using our theoretical model, we investigate the possible observational signatures and the feasibility of detection.

Citation

Candlish, G. N., Smith, R., Fellhauer, M., Gibson, B. K., Kroupa, P., & Assmann, P. (2014). Phase mixing due to the Galactic potential: steps in the position and velocity distributions of popped star clusters. Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 437(4), 3702-3717. https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stt2166

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Nov 6, 2013
Online Publication Date Dec 6, 2013
Publication Date Feb 1, 2014
Deposit Date Apr 14, 2016
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Print ISSN 0035-8711
Electronic ISSN 1365-2966
Publisher Oxford University Press
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 437
Issue 4
Pages 3702-3717
DOI https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stt2166
Keywords Gravitation, Methods : analytical, Methods : numerical, Galaxies : star clusters : general
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/436116
Publisher URL http://mnras.oxfordjournals.org/content/437/4/3702
Additional Information This article has been accepted for publication in Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ©: 2013 The Authors Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.

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