N-emitters as possible sign-posts of GC formation
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arXiv
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
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2025
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| _version_ | 1866918406906707968 |
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| author | Schaerer, D. Marques-Chaves, R. Atek, H. Prantzos, N. Charbonnel, C. Talia, M. Morel, I. Dessauges-Zavadsky, M. Izotov, Y. I. Guseva, N. |
| author_facet | Schaerer, D. Marques-Chaves, R. Atek, H. Prantzos, N. Charbonnel, C. Talia, M. Morel, I. Dessauges-Zavadsky, M. Izotov, Y. I. Guseva, N. |
| contents | Based on the finding of unusual chemical abundance ratios of N-emitters, which resemble those of globular cluster (GC) stars, their compactness, high ISM densities and other properties, it has been suggested that N-emitters could indicate the formation sites of globulars. A recent statistical study of the N-emitter population has quantified the frequency $f_N$ of these rare objects and their redshift evolution (Morel et al. 2025). Using these results we here test if N-emitters trace the formation of GCs and use the observed cosmic star-formation rate density evolution to predict the cosmological evolution of the GC population with time, their age distribution, and the total present-day stellar mass density formed in globulars. The predicted age distribution of GCs strongly resembles the typical asymmetric observed distributions in the Galaxy and ellipiticals, with a peak at $\sim 11.5-12$ Gyr and a longer tail extending to younger ages. We derive a total stellar mass density formed in N-emitters down to redshift zero of $(2-7) \times 10^5$ M$_{\odot}$ Mpc$^{-3}$, which matches within a factor $\sim 2$ the observed fraction of stellar mass found in the GC population at $z=0$. These results provide additional indirect arguments supporting the hypothesis that N-emitters could represent sign-posts of a short phase of GC formation. |
| format | Preprint |
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arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2512_16549 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | N-emitters as possible sign-posts of GC formation Schaerer, D. Marques-Chaves, R. Atek, H. Prantzos, N. Charbonnel, C. Talia, M. Morel, I. Dessauges-Zavadsky, M. Izotov, Y. I. Guseva, N. Astrophysics of Galaxies Based on the finding of unusual chemical abundance ratios of N-emitters, which resemble those of globular cluster (GC) stars, their compactness, high ISM densities and other properties, it has been suggested that N-emitters could indicate the formation sites of globulars. A recent statistical study of the N-emitter population has quantified the frequency $f_N$ of these rare objects and their redshift evolution (Morel et al. 2025). Using these results we here test if N-emitters trace the formation of GCs and use the observed cosmic star-formation rate density evolution to predict the cosmological evolution of the GC population with time, their age distribution, and the total present-day stellar mass density formed in globulars. The predicted age distribution of GCs strongly resembles the typical asymmetric observed distributions in the Galaxy and ellipiticals, with a peak at $\sim 11.5-12$ Gyr and a longer tail extending to younger ages. We derive a total stellar mass density formed in N-emitters down to redshift zero of $(2-7) \times 10^5$ M$_{\odot}$ Mpc$^{-3}$, which matches within a factor $\sim 2$ the observed fraction of stellar mass found in the GC population at $z=0$. These results provide additional indirect arguments supporting the hypothesis that N-emitters could represent sign-posts of a short phase of GC formation. |
| title | N-emitters as possible sign-posts of GC formation |
| topic | Astrophysics of Galaxies |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.16549 |