"Dark" systems in globular clusters: GWs emission and limits on the formation of IMBHs

TL;DR

This paper investigates the nature of central mass overabundance in globular clusters, exploring whether it indicates intermediate mass black holes or massive stellar systems, using semi-analytic models and N-body simulations.

Contribution

It introduces a semi-analytic approach combined with N-body simulations to study the formation of massive stellar systems in globular clusters.

Findings

Insights into the formation of massive stellar systems in GCs.

Implications for IMBH formation and gravitational wave emission.

Foundation for future research on GC central mass overabundance.

Abstract

Many observed globular clusters (GCs) seem to show a central overabundance of mass whose nature has not yet fully understood. Indeed, it is not clear whether it is due to a central intermediate mass black hole (IMBH) or to a massive stellar system (MSS) composed of mass segregated stars. In this contribution we present a semi-analytic approach to the problem complemented by 12 $N$-body simulations in which we followed the formation of MSSs in GCs with masses up to $3\times 10^5$ \Ms. Some implications for the formation of IMBHs and gravitational waves emission are discussed in perspective of a future work.