Globular Clusters in Dwarf Elliptical Galaxies

Abstract

Globular clusters (GCs) provide one way of determining when the most important periods of star formation in dwarf elliptical (dE) galaxies occurred. Thus, they are also useful for comparing the star formation histories of dwarf and giant galaxies. We present results on the GC systems of 24 nearby dE galaxies imaged with the Hubble Space Telescope. We find that the specific GC frequency, S_N, increases with M_V. Also, S_N in dEs is more like the values found in giant ellipticals rather than in spirals, and the mean S_N for nucleated dEs is roughly a factor of 2 higher than for non-nucleated dEs. The colors suggest that most of the GCs formed before the bulk of the stars in the galaxies.