Constraining globular cluster formation through studies of young massive clusters - V. ALMA observations of clusters in the Antennae
Abstract
Some formation scenarios that have been put forward to explain multiple populations within globular clusters (GCs) require that the young massive cluster have large reservoirs of cold gas within them, which is necessary to form future generations of stars. In this paper, we use deep observations taken with Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to assess the amount of molecular gas within three young (50-200 Myr) massive (∼106 M⊙) clusters in the Antennae galaxies. No significant CO(3-2) emission was found associated with any of the three clusters. We place upper limits for the molecular gas within these clusters of ∼1 × 105 M⊙ (or <9 per cent of the current stellar mass). We briefly review different scenarios that propose multiple episodes of star formation and discuss some of their assumptions and implications. Our results are in tension with the predictions of GC formation scenarios that expect large reservoirs of cool gas within young massive clusters at these ages.
- Publication:
-
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Pub Date:
- April 2015
- DOI:
- 10.1093/mnras/stv163
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1501.05657
- Bibcode:
- 2015MNRAS.448.2224C
- Keywords:
-
- globular clusters: general;
- galaxies: star clusters: general;
- Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies
- E-Print:
- 9 pages, 2 figures, accepted by MNRAS