Formation and dynamical evolution of multiple stellar generations in globular clusters

Abstract

We study the formation and dynamical evolution of clusters with multiple stellar generations. Observational studies have found that some globular clusters host a population of second generation (SG) stars which show chemical anomalies and must have formed from gas containing matter processed in the envelopes of first generation (FG) cluster stars. We study the SG formation process by means of one-dimensional (1D) hydrodynamical simulations, starting from a FG already in place and assuming that the SG is formed by the gas ejected by the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars. This gas collects in a cooling flow into the cluster core, where it forms SG stars. The SG subsystem emerging from this process is initially strongly concentrated in the cluster innermost regions and its structural properties are largely independent of the FG initial properties. We also present the results of a model in which pristine gas contributes to the SG formation. In this model a very helium-rich SG population and one with a moderate helium enrichment form; the resulting SG bimodal helium distribution resembles that observed for SG stars in NGC 2808.