# The Early Evolution of Star Clusters in Compressive and Extensive Tidal Fields

## TL;DR

This study uses N-body simulations to investigate how star clusters evolve when transitioning from compressive to extensive tidal fields, revealing effects on their structure, mass, and stability.

## Contribution

It introduces a detailed simulation framework for star cluster evolution through different tidal environments, highlighting the impact of tidal transitions on cluster properties.

## Key findings

- Clusters expand rapidly after transitioning to extensive tides.
- Mass loss is significant during the tidal transition.
- Clusters become more tidally filling and less massive.

## Abstract

We present N-body simulations of star clusters that initially evolve within a strong compressive tidal field and then transition into extensive tidal fields of varying strengths. While subject to compressive tides, clusters can undergo significant heating due to two-body interactions and mass loss due to stellar evolution. When the cluster transitions into an extensive tidal field it is super-virialized, which leads to a rapid expansion and significant mass loss before the cluster reaches virial equilibrium. After the transition, clusters are significantly less massive, more extended and therefore more tidally filling than clusters which have spent their entire lifetime in a similar extensive tidal field.