Further properties of the dynamical clock A+ indicator in a toy model of pure dynamical friction

M. Pasquato

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    The Alessandrini A+ indicator is a measure of star cluster dynamical evolu-tion based on the mass-segregation of blue straggler stars. A+ is defined as the integral of the cumulative distribution of blue stragglers over log radius, minus a term related to the reference population used. In a companion paper I introduced a model of dynamical friction and calculated the A+ indicator analytically. Here I show further properties of the time evolution of A+, focusing on the physical interpretation of its time derivative dA+=dt. I find that dA+=dt is the mean of the reciprocal dyamical friction timescale, weighted by the density of blue stragglers. I show that it is non-negative (as expected based on monotonicity) due to the den-sity of blue-stragglers being non-negative and that, for a radially non-decreasing dynamical friction timescale, dA+=dt is also non-decreasing with time, making A+ a convex function.

    Original languageEnglish (US)
    Pages (from-to)7-10
    Number of pages4
    JournalRevista Mexicana de Astronomia y Astrofisica
    Volume56
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Apr 2020

    Keywords

    • Blue stragglers
    • Globular clusters: General
    • Methods: Analytical

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Astronomy and Astrophysics
    • Space and Planetary Science

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