Constraints on Cluster Formation from Old Globular CLuster Systems

Abstract

The properties of old globular cluster systems (GCSs) in galaxy halos offer unique insight into the physical processes that conspire to form any generic star cluster, at any epoch. Presented here is a summary of the information obtained from (1) the specific frequencies (total populations) and spatial structures (density vs. galactocentric radius) of GCSs in early-type galaxies, as they relate to the efficiency (or probability) of bound cluster formation, and (2) the fundamental role of a scaling between cluster mass and energy among Galactic globulars in setting their other structural correlations, and the possible implications for star formation efficiency as a function of mass in gaseous protoclusters.