SCYON Abstract

Received on December 11 2006

2D Fokker-Planck models of rotating clusters

Authors J. Fiestas (1,2), R. Spurzem (1,2), and E. Kim (3)
Affiliation
(1) Zentrum fuer Astronomie Heidelberg
(2) Rhein Stellar-Dynamical Network
(3) Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
Accepted byMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Contactfiestas@ari.uni-heidelberg.de
URLhttp://arxiv.org/pdf/astro-ph/0609056
Links

Abstract

Globular clusters rotate significantly, and with the increasing amount of detailed morphological and kinematical data obtained in recent years on galactic globular clusters many interesting features show up. We show how our theoretical evolutionary models of rotating clusters can be used to obtain fits, which at least properly model the overall rotation and its implied kinematics in full 2D detail (dispersions, rotation velocities). Our simplified equal mass axisymmetric rotating model provides detailed two-dimensional kinematical and morphological datafor star clusters. The degree of rotation is not dominant in energy, but also non-negligible for the phase space distribution function, shape and kinematics of clusters. Therefore the models are well applicable for galactic globular clusters. Since previously published papers onthat matter by us made it difficult to do detailed comparisons with observations we provide a much more comprehensive and easy-to-use set of data here, which uses as entries dynamical age and flattening of observed cluster and then offers a limited range of applicable models in full detail. The method, data structure and some exemplary comparison with observations are presented. Future work will improve modelling and data base to take a central black hole, a mass spectrum and stellar evolution into account.