Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg

Open star clusters live longer than previously assumed


Open star clusters offer astronomers the unique opportunity to observe stars of comparable age and chemical composition at the same distance. A study under the direction of Associate Professor Dr Geneviève Parmentier at the Centre for Astronomy of Heidelberg University now shows that these clusters can have a much longer lifespan than previously assumed. The researchers used simulations to investigate how the formation conditions of a star cluster affect its long-term evolution. The simulations indicate that these star clusters exist for up to a billion years – 100 times longer than previously assumed.

ORIGINAL PUBLICATION
"B. Shukirgaliyev, G. Parmentier, A. Just, P. Berczik: The long-term evolution of star clusters formed with a centrally-peaked star-formation-efficiency profile." The Astrophysical Journal (2018): 863: 171 (13pp); doi: <link http: iopscience.iop.org article aad3bf meta>10.3847/1538-4357/aad3bf

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CONTACT
Dr Renate Hubele
Collaborative Research Centre 881 "The Milky Way System"
Tel: +49 6221 529-291
<link>hubele@hda-hd.de

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