Journal
MONTHLY NOTICES OF THE ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY
Volume 445, Issue 2, Pages 1967-1976Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stu1898
Keywords
methods: numerical; binaries: general; stars: evolution; stars: kinematics and dynamics; stars: mass-loss; galaxies: star clusters: general
Categories
Funding
- CINECA [HP10CGUBV0, HP10C894X7]
- Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research (MIUR) [FIRB 2012 RBFR12PM1F]
- INAF [PRIN-2011-1]
- CONACyT [169554]
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We have run direct N-body simulations to investigate the impact of stellar evolution and dynamics on the structural properties of young massive (similar to 3 x 10(4) M-circle dot) star clusters (SCs) with different metallicities (Z = 1, 0.1, 0.01 Z(circle dot)). Metallicity drives the mass-loss by stellar winds and supernovae (SNe), with SCs losing more mass at high metallicity. We have simulated three sets of initial conditions, with different initial relaxation time-scale. We find that the evolution of the half-mass radius of SCs depends on how fast two-body relaxation is with respect to the lifetime of massive stars. If core collapse is slow in comparison with stellar evolution, then mass-loss by stellar winds and SNe is the dominant mechanism driving SC evolution, and metal-rich SCs expand more than metal-poor ones. In contrast, if core collapse occurs on a comparable time-scale with respect to the lifetime of massive stars, then SC evolution depends on the interplay between mass-loss and three-body encounters: dynamical heating by three-body encounters (mass-loss by stellar winds and SNe) is the dominant process driving the expansion of the core in metal-poor (metal-rich) SCs. As a consequence, the half-mass radius of metal-poor SCs expands more than that of metal-rich ones. We also find core radius oscillations, which grow in number and amplitude as metallicity decreases.
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