Observational Evidence for a Dark Side to NGC5128's Globular Cluster System

TL;DR

This study investigates the dynamical properties of 125 compact stellar systems in NGC5128, revealing evidence for a new type of star cluster with distinct dark matter or black hole components, differing from classical globular clusters.

Contribution

It introduces a new class of star clusters with unique dynamical mass scaling relations, indicating different formation and evolution processes from traditional globular clusters.

Findings

Two distinct dynamical mass-to-light ratio sequences identified

Steeper sequence suggests presence of dark matter or black holes

First dynamical mass measurements for 89 CSSs in NGC5128

Abstract

We present a study of the dynamical properties of 125 compact stellar systems (CSSs) in the nearby giant elliptical galaxy NGC5128, using high-resolution spectra (R 26,000) obtained with VLT/FLAMES. Our results provide evidence for a new type of star cluster, based on the CSS dynamical mass scaling relations. All radial velocity (v_r) and line-of-sight velocity dispersion (sigma_los) measurements are performed with the penalized pixel fitting (ppxf) technique, which provided sigma_ppxf estimates for 115 targets. The sigma_ppxf estimates are corrected to the 2D projected half-light radii, sigma_{1/2}, as well as the cluster cores, sigma_0, accounting for observational/aperture effects and are combined with structural parameters, from high spatial resolution imaging, in order to derive total dynamical masses (M_dyn) for 112 members of NGC5128's star cluster system. In total, 89 CSSs have dynamical masses measured for the first time along with the corresponding dynamical mass-to-light ratios (Upsilon_V^dyn). We find two distinct sequences in the Upsilon_V^dyn - M_dyn plane, which are well approximated by power laws of the forms Upsilon_V^dyn M_dyn^0.33+\-0.04 and Upsilon_V^dyn - M_dyn^0.79+\-0.04. The shallower sequence corresponds to the very bright tail of the globular cluster luminosity function (GCLF), while the steeper relation appears to be populated by a distinct group of objects which require significant dark gravitating components such as central massive black holes and/or exotically concentrated dark matter distributions. This result would suggest that the formation and evolution of these CSSs are markedly different from the "classical" globular clusters in NGC5128 and the Local Group, despite the fact that these clusters have luminosities similar to the GCLF turn-over magnitude. We include a thorough discussion of myriad factors potentially influencing our measurements.