High-resolution simulations of stellar collisions between equal-mass main-sequence stars in globular clusters
Abstract
We performed high-resolution simulations of two stellar collisions relevant for stars in globular clusters. We considered one head-on collision and one off-axis collision between two 0.6-Msolar main-sequence stars. We show that a resolution of about 100000 particles is sufficient for most studies of the structure and evolution of blue stragglers. We demonstrate conclusively that collision products between main-sequence stars in globular clusters do not have surface convection zones larger than 0.004Msolar after the collision, nor do they develop convection zones during the `pre-main-sequence' thermal relaxation phase of their post-collision evolution. Therefore, any mechanism which requires a surface convection zone (i.e. chemical mixing or angular momentum loss via a magnetic wind) cannot operate in these stars. We show that no disc of material surrounding the collision product is produced in off-axis collisions. The lack of both a convection zone and a disc proves a continuing problem for the angular momentum evolution of blue stragglers in globular clusters.
- Publication:
-
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Pub Date:
- May 2002
- DOI:
- 10.1046/j.1365-8711.2002.05266.x
- arXiv:
- arXiv:astro-ph/0112284
- Bibcode:
- 2002MNRAS.332...49S
- Keywords:
-
- convection;
- hydrodynamics;
- blue stragglers;
- stars: rotation;
- globular clusters: general;
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 7 pages, 5 figures, accepted by MNRAS