Stellar populations of the M87 globular cluster system

Globular clusters (GCs) are one of the excellent tools to trace the assembly history of their host galaxies. Especially, the ages and abundances of the GCs give important clues about the star formation epochs and merging progenitors. We investigate the stellar population of the GCs in M87 based on a stacking analysis using about 900 MMT/Hectospec spectra of the GCs. We measure the ages, [Z/H], and [a/Fe] from the stacked spectra of the GCs within radial bins based on Lick indices. We find clear radial gradients for [Z/H] and [a/Fe] in the GC system. In addition to the radial trends, we investigate the stellar populations of the GC subgroups divided according to colors, radial velocities, and spatial locations. We discuss the formation history of M87 based on the stellar populations of the GCs.