Phase mixing of popped star clusters

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

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. 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 as it evolves in a background analytical 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 disk potential and a full Milky-Way type potential comprising bulge, halo and disk 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. (2013, November). Phase mixing of popped star clusters. Presented at XIV Latin American Regional IAU Meeting

• Conference Name: XIV Latin American Regional IAU Meeting
• Start Date: Nov 25, 2013
• Acceptance Date: Nov 25, 2013
• Online Publication Date: Nov 25, 2013
• Publication Date: Nov 25, 2013
• Deposit Date: Oct 5, 2018
• Volume: 44
• Pages: 150
• Series Title: Revista Mexicana de Astronomía y Astrofísica
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/898684
• Publisher URL: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014RMxAC..44Q.150C