Recovering the properties of the globular cluster population in earliest phases of the Milky Way

Globular star clusters are massive, ancient, spherical collections of stars which orbit, in the hundreds, within nearly every galaxy in the universe, including our own Milky Way. These old systems provide a cosmic fossil record of the earliest epochs of galaxies, about 12 billion years ago, and they are key for understanding how our own galaxy assembled. However, the precise history and origin of these clusters remains very uncertain. These fossils have not been left unperturbed, but instead represent the survivors of billions of years of dynamical evolution and interaction with the galaxy. In order to study the initial properties of clusters, we must thus rewind their evolution starting with what we see at the present day. Utilizing fast computational models which capture the evolution of star clusters from their initial conditions and the gravitational influence of a galaxy on the clusters over time, we will learn about the population of globular clusters in the Milky Way as a whole and its properties in earliest phases of the galaxy. This promises to place constraints on the formation of star clusters and the assembly of galaxies like our own.

Faculty Supervisor:

Vincent Henault-Brunet

Student:

Partner:

Universitat de Barcelona

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Other

University:

Saint Mary's University

Program: