Dynamical Evolution of Mass-Segregated Clusters
Abstract
We present the results of a survey of N-body simulations aimed at exploring the implications of primordial mass segregation on the dynamical evolution of star clusters. We show that, in a mass-segregated cluster, the effect of early mass loss due to stellar evolution is, in general, more destructive than for an unsegregated cluster with the same density profile and leads to shorter lifetimes, a faster initial evolution toward less concentrated structure and flattening of the stellar initial mass function.
- Publication:
-
Dynamical Evolution of Dense Stellar Systems
- Pub Date:
- May 2008
- DOI:
- 10.1017/S174392130801555X
- Bibcode:
- 2008IAUS..246..181V
- Keywords:
-
- globular clusters: general;
- methods: n-body simulations;
- stellar dynamics