Dynamical friction on globular clusters in core-triaxial galaxies: is it a cause of massive black hole accretion?

The present work extends and deepens previous examinations of the evolution of globular cluster orbits in elliptical galaxies, by means of numerical integrations of a wide set of orbits in five self-consistent triaxial galactic models characterized by a central core and different axial ratios. These models are valid and complete in the representation of regular orbits in elliptical galaxies. Dynamical friction is definitely shown to be an efficient cause of evolution for the globular cluster systems in elliptical galaxies of any mass or axial ratio. Moreover, our statistically significant sample of computed orbits confirms that the globular cluster orbital decay times are, at least for clusters moving on box orbits, much shorter than the age of the galaxies. Consequently, the mass carried into the innermost galactic region in the form of decayed globular clusters may have contributed significantly to feeding and accreting a compact object therein.