Publication: The Universality of Initial Conditions for Globular Cluster Formation

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Title	The Universality of Initial Conditions for Globular Cluster Formation
Authors/Editors*	Sergey Mashchenko, Alison Sills
Where published*	Astrophysical Journal Letters
How published*	Journal
Year*	2004
Volume	605
Number	2
Pages	L121-L124
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Abstract	We investigate a simple model for globular cluster (GC) formation. We simulate the violent relaxation of initially homogeneous isothermal stellar spheres and show that it leads to the formation of clusters with radial density profiles that match the observed profiles of GCs. The best match is achieved for dynamically unevolved clusters. In this model, all the observed correlations between global GC parameters are accurately reproduced if one assumes that all the clusters initially had the same value of the stellar density and the velocity dispersion. This suggests that the gas that formed GCs had the same values of density and temperature throughout the universe.