ESA Science & Technology - The ACS Virgo Cluster Survey. XV. The Formation Efficiencies of Globular Clusters in Early-Type Galaxies: The Effects of Mass and Environment

Publication date: 02 June 2008

Authors: Peng, E.W. et al.

Journal: ApJ
Volume: 681
Issue: 1
Page: 197-224
Year: 2008

Copyright: The American Astronomical Society

The fraction of stellar mass contained in globular clusters (GCs), also measured by number as the specific frequency, is a fundamental quantity that reflects both a galaxy's early star formation and its entire merging history. We present specific frequencies, luminosities, and mass fractions for the globular cluster systems of 100 early-type galaxies in the ACS Virgo Cluster Survey, the largest homogeneous catalog of its kind.

[This is an extract of the original abstract.]