Collaborative Research: Fireworks at the Ballet: Globular Cluster Formation, Bulge Dynamics and the Role of Central Black Holes in Galaxy Mergers

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AST-0307854Mac LowGalaxy collisions and mergers are the most spectacular events in the hierarchical formation of galaxies. Two aspects of these collisions will be studied here. Firstly, the observation of apparently young globular cluster (GC) candidates in colliding galaxies suggests that GC formation may occur in all galaxy collisions. High-resolution simulations will be performed to study this formation, using up to a million particles to follow dark matter, gas, and stars. Secondly, these high-resolution simulations will be used to calibrate a larger parameter study at lower resolution to address the origin of the astonishingly tight relationship between spheroid velocity dispersion and the mass of the central super-massive black hole. The main focus will be on factors determining the change of velocity dispersion during galaxy collisions. This research will inform the new Space Show currently under development at the Hayden Planetarium of the American Museum of Natural History, which will include a segment on galaxy collisions. Some work will be carried out in an international collaboration with Germany, and some will support the dissertation of a female graduate student.