Dynamical friction of star clusters against disk field stars in galaxies: Implications on stellar nucleus formation and globular cluster luminosity functions

Abstract

We numerically investigate orbital evolution of star clusters (SCs) under the influence of dynamical friction by field stars of their host disk galaxies embedded in dark matter halos. We find that SCs with masses larger than 2 * 10^5 M_sun can show significant orbital decay within less than 1 Gyr due to dynamical friction by disk field stars in galaxies with disk masses M_d less than 10^9 M_sun. We also find that orbital decay of SCs due to dynamical friction is more remarkable in disk galaxies with smaller M_d and higher mass-ratios of disks to dark matter halos. The half-number radii R_h, sc and mean masses within R_h,sc of the SC systems (SCSs) in low-mass disk galaxies with M_d < 10^9 M_sun are found to evolve significantly with time owing to dynamical friction of SCs. More massive SCs that can spiral-in to the central regions of disks can form multiple SC systems with smaller velocity dispersions so that they can merge with one another to form single stellar nuclei with their masses comparable to ~0.4% of their host disk masses. Based on these results, we suggest that luminosity functions (LFs) for more massive globular clusters (GCs) with masses larger than 2 * 10^5 M_sun can steepen owing to transformation of the more massive GCs into single stellar nuclei through GC merging in less luminous galaxies. We also suggest that the half-number radii of GC systems can evolve owing to dynamical friction only for galaxies with their total masses smaller than ~ 10^{10} M_sun.