Bibcode
Sollima, A.
Bibliographical reference
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 388, Issue 1, pp. 307-322.
Advertised on:
7
2008
Citations
41
Refereed citations
40
Description
I present a simplified analytical model that simulates the evolution of
the binary population in a dynamically evolving globular cluster. A
number of simulations have been run spanning a wide range in initial
cluster and environmental conditions by taking into account the main
mechanisms of formation and destruction of binary systems. Following
this approach, I investigate the evolution of the fraction, the radial
distribution, the distribution of mass ratios and periods of the binary
population. According to these simulations, the fraction of surviving
binaries appears to be dominated by the processes of binary ionization
and evaporation. In particular, the frequency of binary systems changes
by a factor of 1-5 depending on the initial conditions and on the
assumed initial distribution of periods. The comparison with the
existing estimates of binary fractions in Galactic globular clusters
suggests that significant variations in the initial binary content could
exist among the analysed globular cluster. This model has been also used
to explain the observed discrepancy found between the most recent N-body
and Monte Carlo simulations in the literature.