skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: CCD photometry of globular cluster core structure. I. NGC 6388, NGC 6624, and M15: one flat core and two cusps

Journal Article · · Astrophys. J.; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/165566· OSTI ID:5776533

The first results of a major survey of globular cluster core structure are reported. Surface brightness profiles for three clusters are presented: one with a normal flat core profile (NGC 6388), and two with central cusps (NGC 6624 and M15). The profiles are fitted with both seeing-convolved King models and seeing-convolved power laws. A King model provides a reasonable fit to the entire profile of NGC 6388, but there are no acceptable King profiles for NGC 6624 and M15. For these two clusters, a seeing-convolved power law provides a good fit to the inner part of the profile, while a King model gives a good fit to the outer part of the profile. The interpretation of the measured power-law slopes of the central surface brightness cusps of NGC 6624 and M15 are discussed in terms of models for core collapse in a multicomponent cluster. 58 references.

Research Organization:
Indiana Univ., Bloomington; Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA; E.O. Hulburt Center for Space Research, Washington, DC
OSTI ID:
5776533
Journal Information:
Astrophys. J.; (United States), Vol. 320
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English