Formation of giant globular cluster G1 and the origin of the M 31 stellar halo

K. Bekki, M. Chiba

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

28 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We demonstrate that globular cluster G1 could have been formed by tidal interaction between M 31 and a nucleated dwarf galaxy (dE,N). Our fully self-consistent numerical simulations show that during tidal interaction between M 31 and G1's progenitor dE,N with MB ∼ -15 mag and its nucleus mass of ∼107 M, the dark matter and the outer stellar envelope of the dE,N are nearly completely stripped whereas the nucleus can survive the tidal stripping because of its initially compact nature. The naked nucleus (i.e., G1) has orbital properties similar to those of its progenitor dE,N. The stripped stars form a metal-poor ([Fe/H] ∼ -1) stellar halo around M 31 and its structure and kinematics depend strongly on the initial orbit of G1's progenitor dE,N. We suggest that the observed large projected distance of G1 from M 31 (∼40 kpc) can give some strong constraints on the central density of the dark matter halo of dE,N. We discuss these results in the context of substructures of M 31's stellar halo recently revealed by Ferguson et al. (2002).

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)437-442
Number of pages6
JournalAstronomy and Astrophysics
Volume417
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2004 Apr

Keywords

  • Galaxies: halos
  • Galaxies: individual: M 31
  • Galaxies: interactions
  • Galaxies: star clusters
  • Galaxy: globular clusters: individual: Mayall II = G1
  • Galaxy: globular clusters: individual: ω Centauri

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Astronomy and Astrophysics
  • Space and Planetary Science

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