Peter Smith   (Canada)

pesmith @ mpia.de

A global dynamical model of Omega Cen

Omega Centauri is the most massive globular cluster in the Milky Way and is host to complex stellar populations spanning a wide range of metallicities and ages. Because of these complex stellar populations, Omega Cen is widely accepted to be the stripped core of a dwarf galaxy accreted by the Milky Way. This means that Omega Cen is our nearest nuclear star cluster, allowing us to study in great detail a class of objects that are typically too far away to study in a fully resolved manner.

Our collaboration has recently assembled an unprecedented dataset covering the half-light radius of Omega Cen, comprising an extensive sample of stellar kinematics, chemical abundances, and ages. My project will focus on combining these datasets to create a global dynamical model of Omega Cen, with the goal of identifying any kinematic differences between the stellar populations within Omega Cen and ultimately understanding the formation of this object.

Supervisor:    Nadine Neumayer  (MPIA)