Issue |
A&A
Volume 441, Number 3, October III 2005
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 949 - 960 | |
Section | Extragalactic astronomy | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20052914 | |
Published online | 23 September 2005 |
The star cluster population of M 51
III. Cluster disruption and formation history
1
Astronomical Institute, Utrecht University, Princetonplein 5, 3584 CC Utrecht, The Netherlands e-mail: gieles@astro.uu.nl
2
SRON Laboratory for Space Research, Sorbonnelaan 2, 3584 CA Utrecht, The Netherlands
Received:
21
February
2005
Accepted:
27
May
2005
In this work we concentrate on the evolution of the
cluster population of the interacting galaxy M 51 (NGC 5194), more
precisely the timescale of cluster disruption and possible variations
in the cluster formation rate. We present a method to compare observed
age vs. mass number density diagrams with predicted populations
including various physical input parameters like the cluster initial
mass function, cluster disruption, cluster formation rate and star
bursts. If we assume that the cluster formation rate increases at the
moments of the encounters with NGC 5195, we find an increase in the
cluster formation rate of a factor of , combined with a
disruption timescale which is slightly higher than when assuming a
constant formation rate (
yr vs.
yr). The measured cluster
disruption time is a factor of 5 shorter than expected on
theoretical grounds. This implies that the disk of M 51 is not a
preferred location for survival of young globular clusters, since even
clusters with masses on the order of
will be destroyed
within a few Gyr.
Key words: galaxies: spiral / galaxies: individual: M 51 / galaxies: star clusters
© ESO, 2005
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