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Issue A&A
Volume 378, Number 1, October IV 2001
Page(s) 97 - 101
Section Galactic structure and dynamics
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20011173



A&A 378, 97-101 (2001)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20011173

The self-enrichment of galactic halo globular clusters

The mass-metallicity relation
G. Parmentier1, 2 and G. Gilmore2

1  Institute of Astrophysics and Geophysics, University of Liège, avenue de Cointe 5, 4000 Liège, Belgium
2  Institute of Astronomy, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA, UK

(Received 10 July 2001 / Accepted 16 August 2001 )

Abstract
We discuss the existence of a mass-metallicity relation among galactic halo globular clusters. The lack of any luminosity-metallicity correlation in globular cluster systems has been used as an argument against self-enrichment models of cluster formation. We show that such a relation is statistically present among the galactic Old Halo globulars. This observational correlation implies that the least massive old clusters are the most metal-rich. This is in contradiction with the idea that, if globular clusters were self-enriched systems, the most metal-rich clusters would also be the most massive ones. We further show that this anti-correlation is as predicted by self-enrichment models.


Key words: Galaxy: evolution -- Galaxy: formation -- globular clusters: general -- Galaxy: halo

Offprint request: G. Parmentier, parmentier@astro.ulg.ac.be

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