Catalogue of model star clusters in the Milky Way and M31 galaxies

TL;DR

This paper presents a comprehensive simulated catalogue of globular clusters in Milky Way and Andromeda-like galaxies, linking their properties to galaxy formation histories and effects of mergers.

Contribution

It introduces a new, calibrated model-based catalogue of GCs in MW and M31 analogues, connecting cluster properties to galaxy assembly processes.

Findings

M31 clusters show wider age and metallicity ranges than MW.

M31's recent merger influenced GC orbital energies and ex-situ populations.

Catalogue successfully reproduces observed GC system characteristics.

Abstract

Detailed understanding of the formation and evolution of globular clusters (GCs) has been recently advanced through a combination of numerical simulations and analytical models. We employ a state-of-the-art model to create a comprehensive catalogue of simulated clusters in three Milky Way (MW) and three Andromeda (M31) analogue galaxies. Our catalogue aims to connect the chemical and kinematic properties of GCs to the assembly histories of their host galaxies. We apply the model to a selected sample of simulated galaxies that closely match the virial mass, circular velocity profile, and defining assembly events of the MW and M31. The resulting catalogue has been calibrated to successfully reproduce key characteristics of the observed GC systems, including total cluster mass, mass function, metallicity distribution, radial profile, and velocity dispersion. We find that clusters in M31 span a wider range of age and metallicity, relative to the MW, possibly due to M31's recent major merger. Such a merger also heated up the in-situ GC population to higher orbital energy and introduced a large number of ex-situ clusters at large radii. Understanding the impacts of galaxy mergers and accretion on the GC populations is crucial for uncovering the galaxy assembly histories.