• 천문학논총
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• 제30권2호
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• pp.345-347
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• 2015

We present evolutionary models of rotating self-gravitating systems (e.g. globular clusters, galaxy cores). These models are characterized by the presence of an initial axi-symmetry due to rotation. Central black hole seeds are included in our models, and black hole growth due to the consumption of stellar matter is simulated until the central potential dominates the kinematics of the core. Our goal is to study the long-term evolution (Gyr) of relaxed dense stellar systems which deviate from spherical symmetry, and their morphology and final kinematics. With this purpose in mind, we developed a 2D Fokker-Planck analytical code, and confirmed its results using detailed N-Body simulations, applying a high performance code developed for GPU machines. We conclude that the initial rotation significantly modifies the shape and lifetime of these systems, and cannot be neglected in the study of the evolution of globular clusters, and the galaxy itself. Our models give a constraint for the final intermediate black hole masses expected to be present in globular clusters.

• 천문학회지
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• 제46권4호
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• pp.173-181
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• 2013

We trace the dynamical evolution of dark matter (DM) content in NGC 6397, one of the native Galactic globular clusters (GCs). The relatively strong tidal field (Galactocentric radius of ~ 6 kpc) and short relaxation timescale (~0.3 Gyr) of the cluster can cause a significant amount of DM particles to evaporate from the cluster in the Hubble time. Thus, the cluster can initially contain a non-negligible amount of DM. Using the most advanced Fokker-Planck (FP) method, we calculate the dynamical evolution of GCs for numerous initial conditions to determine the maximum initial DM content in NGC 6397 that matches the present-day brightness and velocity dispersion profiles of the cluster. We find that the maximum allowed initial DM mass is slightly less than the initial stellar mass in the cluster. Our findings imply that NGC 6397 did not initially contain a significant amount of DM, and is similar to that of NGC 2419, the remotest and the most massive Galactic GC.

• 천문학회지
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• 제43권4호
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• pp.105-113
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• 2010

We study the dynamical evolution of the M87 globular cluster (GC) system using the most advanced and realistic Fokker-Planck (FP) model.By comparing our FP models with both mass function (MF) and radial distribution (RD) of the observed GC system, we find the best-fit initial (at M87's age of 2-3 Gyr) MF and RD for three GC groups: all GCs, blue GCs, and red GCs. We estimate the initial total mass in GCs to be $1.8^{+0.3}_{-0.2}{\times}10^{10}M_{\bigodot}$, which is about 100 times larger than that of the Milky Way GC system. We also find that the fraction of the total mass currently in GCs is 34\%. When blue and red GCs are fitted separately, blue GCs initially have a larger total mass and a shallower radial distribution than red GCs. If one assumes that most of the significant major merger events of M87 have ended by the age of 2-3 Gyr, our finding that blue (metal-poor) GCs initially had a shallower radial distribution supports the major merger scenario for the origin of metallicity bimodality.