A simple two-component description of mass segregation for anisotropic globular clusters

TL;DR

This paper introduces a simple two-component model that effectively describes mass segregation and anisotropy in globular clusters, aligning well with detailed numerical simulations and surpassing traditional models like King models.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel two-component distribution function model tailored for globular clusters, capturing mass segregation and anisotropy more accurately than existing one-component models.

Findings

Two-component models match simulation data well.

Traditional King models fail to describe anisotropy.

Model captures partial energy equipartition and radial anisotropy.

Abstract

As a result of the slow action of two-body encounters, globular clusters develop mass segregation and attain a condition of only partial energy equipartition even in their central, most relaxed regions. Realistic numerical simulations show that, during the process, a radially-biased anisotropy profile slowly builds up, mimicking that resulting from incomplete violent relaxation. Commonly used dynamical models, such as the one-component King models, cannot describe these properties. Here we show that simple two-component models based on a distribution function originally conceived to describe elliptical galaxies, recently truncated and adapted to the context of globular clusters, can describe in detail what is observed in complex and realistic numerical simulations.