We investigate the interaction of a massive globular cluster (GC) with a super massive black hole (SMBH), located at the centre of its host galaxy, by means of direct N-body simulations. The results show that tidal distortions induced by the stellar background and the SMBH act on a time shorter than that of dynamical friction decay for a 106 M⊙ GC whenever the SMBH mass exceeds ~108 M⊙. This implies an almost complete dissolution of the infalling GC before it reaches the inner region (≲5 pc) of the parent galaxy. The generalization of this result to a larger sample of infalling GCs shows that such destructive process may prevent the formation and growth of a bright galactic nucleus. Another interesting, serendipitous, result we obtained is that the close interaction between the SMBH and the GC produces a 'wave' of stars that escape from the cluster and, in a fraction, even from the whole galaxy.
The dearth of nuclear star clusters in bright galaxies / Arca-Sedda, M.; Capuzzo-Dolcetta, R.; Spera, M.. - In: MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY. - ISSN 0035-8711. - 456:3(2016), pp. 2457-2466. [10.1093/mnras/stv2835]
The dearth of nuclear star clusters in bright galaxies
Spera M.
2016-01-01
Abstract
We investigate the interaction of a massive globular cluster (GC) with a super massive black hole (SMBH), located at the centre of its host galaxy, by means of direct N-body simulations. The results show that tidal distortions induced by the stellar background and the SMBH act on a time shorter than that of dynamical friction decay for a 106 M⊙ GC whenever the SMBH mass exceeds ~108 M⊙. This implies an almost complete dissolution of the infalling GC before it reaches the inner region (≲5 pc) of the parent galaxy. The generalization of this result to a larger sample of infalling GCs shows that such destructive process may prevent the formation and growth of a bright galactic nucleus. Another interesting, serendipitous, result we obtained is that the close interaction between the SMBH and the GC produces a 'wave' of stars that escape from the cluster and, in a fraction, even from the whole galaxy.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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