Speaker
Description
The earliest known proto-globular clusters (GCs) detected with the James
Webb Space Telescope were compact (effective radii ~parsecs) and
extremely dense, ideal to harbour energetic massive stars and possibly
intermediate mass black holes. The detailed conditions and time-scales
of star formation and stellar feedback during the earliest stages of
galaxy assembly are however still unclear. This is both due to the
limiting resolution (parsecs) and sensitivity in even the most optimal
gravitationally lensed detections; and the lack of complementary
high-fidelity simulations able to capture the key astrophysical
processes of clustered star formation on small, sub-parsec scales.
In the GRIFFIN project (Galaxy Realizations Including Feedback From
INdividual massive stars) we examine the formation and evolution of
resolved star clusters up to the GC-mass range using high-resolution
(sub-parsec, star-by-star) hydrodynamical simulations. Our
low-metallicity dwarf galaxy simulations account for the radiation,
stellar winds and supernovae of individual stars. I will briefly discuss
how massive star clusters form hierarchically and rapidly over
time-scales of less than 10 Myr, yet they are able to self-enrich
through stellar winds. Recently, we supplemented the methodology with a
regularised integrator to accurately solve the stellar gravitational
dynamics on small spatial scales. This was shown to be critically
important for the modelling of more realistic star cluster life cycles
from formation until disruption in the tidal field of the host galaxy. I
will conclude with future avenues toward unravelling the cosmic origin
of GCs.
