Empirical Measurement of the Dynamical Ages of Three Globular Clusters and Some Considerations on the Use of the Dynamical Clock

Abstract

We have used the “dynamical clock” to measure the level of dynamical evolution reached by three Galactic globular clusters (namely, NGC 3201, NGC 6316, and NGC 6440). This is an empirical method that quantifies the level of central segregation of blue straggler stars (BSSs) within the cluster half-mass radius by means of the ${A}_{\mathrm{rh}}^{+}$ parameter, defined as the area enclosed between the cumulative radial distribution of BSSs and that of a lighter population. The total sample with homogeneous determinations of ${A}_{\mathrm{rh}}^{+}$ currently includes 59 clusters: 52 old GCs in the Milky Way (including the three investigated here), five old clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud, and two young systems in the Small Magellanic Cloud. The three objects studied here nicely nest into the correlation between ${A}_{\mathrm{rh}}^{+}$ and the central relaxation time defined by the previous sample, thus proving and consolidating the use of the dynamical clock as an excellent tracer of the stage of dynamical evolution of a star cluster in different galactic environments. Finally, we discuss the advantages of using the dynamical clock as an indicator of the dynamical ages of star clusters, compared to the present-day central relaxation time.

Keywords

• Globular star clusters
• Blue straggler stars
• Photometry