Mapping out the origins of compact stellar systems. Issue Volume 12:Issue S316(2015) (31st March 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Romanowsky, Aaron J.; Brodie, Jean P.
• Editors: Charbonnel, Corinne; Nota, Antonella
• Is Part Of: Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union. Volume 12:Issue S316(2015)
• Page Start: 105
• Page End: 110
• Publication Date: 2017-03-31
• Subjects: galaxies: star clusters, -- galaxies: nuclei, -- galaxies: halos; Astronomy -- Congresses; Astronomy -- Periodicals; 520
• DOI: 10.1017/S1743921315010662
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1743-9213

Abstract

Abstract: We present a suite of extragalactic explorations of the origins and nature of globular clusters (GCs) and ultra-compact dwarfs (UCDs), and the connections between them. An example of GC metallicity bimodality is shown to reflect underlying, distinct metal-poor and metal-rich stellar halo populations. Metallicity-matching methods are used to trace the birth sites and epochs of GCs in giant E/S0s, pointing to clumpy disk galaxies at z ~ 3 for the metal-rich GCs, and to a combination of accreted and in-situ formation modes at z ~ 5–6 for the metal-poor GCs. An increasingly diverse zoo of compact stellar systems is being discovered, including objects that bridge the gaps between UCDs and faint fuzzies, and between UCDs and compact ellipticals. Many of these have properties pointing to origins as the stripped nuclei of larger galaxies, and a smoking-gun example is presented of an ω Cen-like star cluster embedded in a tidal stream.