Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/1959.3/1852

Title

The globular cluster system of the young elliptical NGC 6702

Author(s)

Georgakakis, Antonis;  Forbes, Duncan A.;  Brodie, Jean P.

Abstract

We study the globular cluster (GC) system of the dust-lane elliptical galaxy NGC 6702, using B-, V- and I-band imaging observations carried out at the Keck telescope. This galaxy has a spectroscopic age of ~2Gyr suggesting recent star formation. We find strong evidence for a bimodal GC colour distribution, with the blue peak having a colour similar to that of the Galactic halo GCs. Assuming that the blue GCs are indeed old and metal-poor, we estimate an age of 2-5Gyr and supersolar metallicity for the red GC subpopulation. Despite the large uncertainties, this is in reasonable agreement with the spectroscopic galaxy age. Additionally, we estimate a specific frequency of SN=2.3+/-1.1 for NGC 6702. We predict that passive evolution of NGC 6702 will further increase its specific frequency to SN~2.7 within 10Gyr, in closer agreement to that of typical present-day ellipticals. We also discuss evidence that the merger/accretion event that took place a few Gyr ago involved a high gas fraction.

Publication type

Journal article

Research centre

Swinburne University of Technology. School of Biophysical Science and Electrical Engineering. Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing

Source

Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. 324, no. 4 (2002), pp. 785-796

Publication year

2001

Keyword(s)

globular clusters: general;  galaxies: individual: NGC 6702;  galaxies: star clusters

Publisher

Blackwell Science Ltd.

ISSN

0035-8711

Publisher URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-8711.2001.04210.x

Copyright

Copyright © 2001 The Royal Astronomical Society. Author's final draft reproduced here in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher.

Full text

Peer reviewed