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Young Massive Clusters - Formation Efficiencies and (Initial) Mass Functions
Astrophysics · Submitted 26 Jun 2006
abstract compiled · 2026-09-23 · no language-model review
The authors' main claim The overall formation efficiency of star clusters (relative to field stars) in the Galactic bulge may not have been much different from that in the disk today, but was probably significantly higher for metal-poor GCs in halos.
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The abstract, sentence by sentence
Globular clusters are often assumed to be good tracers of major star formation episodes in their host galaxies. While observations over the past 2 decades have confirmed the presence of young objects with globular cluster-like properties in many galaxies, it is still not well understood exactly how the formation efficiency of bound star clusters relative to field stars and their mass spectrum depend on external factors. The cluster initial mass function typically appears to be consistent with a power-law with a slope of about -2, but most attempts to constrain any upper limit on the CIMF have been limited by size-of-sample effects. However, evidence is starting to accumulate for possible truncation of the cluster mass function. It is tentatively suggested that the upper mass limit may currently be at about 10^5 Msun in the Milky Way disk, while there are indications that it is about 5x10^5 Msun in M51 and about 2x10^6 Msun in the Antennae. Some extreme starbursts (e.g. Arp 220, NGC 7252) are (or were) able to form clusters as massive as 10^7 Msun. The overall formation efficiency of star clusters (relative to field stars) in the Galactic bulge may not have been much different from that in the disk today, but was probably significantly higher for metal-poor GCs in halos.
background contribution method result interpretation main claim
| # | sentence | role | the authors' own work | states the main conclusion | strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| s0 | Globular clusters are often assumed to be good tracers of major star formation episodes in their host galaxies. | background 1.00 | 0.04 | 0.03 | asserted 0.53 |
| s1 | While observations over the past 2 decades have confirmed the presence of young objects with globular cluster-like properties in many galaxies, it is still not well understood exactly how the formation efficiency of bound star clusters relative to field stars and their mass spectrum depend on external factors. | gap 0.97 | 0.05 | 0.05 | asserted 0.92 |
| s2 | The cluster initial mass function typically appears to be consistent with a power-law with a slope of about -2, but most attempts to constrain any upper limit on the CIMF have been limited by size-of-sample effects. | background 0.70 | 0.08 | 0.05 | hedged possibility 0.85 |
| s3 | However, evidence is starting to accumulate for possible truncation of the cluster mass function. | background 0.51 | 0.11 | 0.07 | hedged possibility 0.96 |
| s4 | It is tentatively suggested that the upper mass limit may currently be at about 10^5 Msun in the Milky Way disk, while there are indications that it is about 5x10^5 Msun in M51 and about 2x10^6 Msun in the Antennae. | result 0.81 | 0.21 | 0.23 | hedged possibility 0.98 |
| s5 | Some extreme starbursts (e.g. Arp 220, NGC 7252) are (or were) able to form clusters as massive as 10^7 Msun. | result 0.89 | 0.15 | 0.09 | asserted 0.55 |
| s6 | The overall formation efficiency of star clusters (relative to field stars) in the Galactic bulge may not have been much different from that in the disk today, but was probably significantly higher for metal-poor GCs in halos. | result 0.65 | 0.26 | 0.27 | hedged possibility 1.00 |
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Original abstract
Globular clusters are often assumed to be good tracers of major star formation episodes in their host galaxies. While observations over the past 2 decades have confirmed the presence of young objects with globular cluster-like properties in many galaxies, it is still not well understood exactly how the formation efficiency of bound star clusters relative to field stars and their mass spectrum depend on external factors. The cluster initial mass function typically appears to be consistent with a power-law with a slope of about -2, but most attempts to constrain any upper limit on the CIMF have been limited by size-of-sample effects. However, evidence is starting to accumulate for possible truncation of the cluster mass function. It is tentatively suggested that the upper mass limit may currently be at about 10^5 Msun in the Milky Way disk, while there are indications that it is about 5x10^5 Msun in M51 and about 2x10^6 Msun in the Antennae. Some extreme starbursts (e.g. Arp 220, NGC 7252) are (or were) able to form clusters as massive as 10^7 Msun. The overall formation efficiency of star clusters (relative to field stars) in the Galactic bulge may not have been much different from that in the disk today, but was probably significantly higher for metal-poor GCs in halos.
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4 arXiv papers cite this in 7 sentences
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Cites it as support 1 paper
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This is also consistent with the fact that ellipticals have larger numbers of globular clusters than spirals, and that mergers are associated with the formation of massive clusters [ref] .
Massive perturbers and the efficient merger of binary massive black holes · Massive perturbers in elliptical galaxies · 0.96
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