Sizes of Confirmed NGC 5128 Globular Clusters

AbstractWe present results from a new wide-field study of the NGC 5128 globular cluster system. We have obtained new high resolution images with the Magellan 6.4m + IMACS camera. Our images cover an area of 1.2x1.2 sq. degrees and have a seeing of 0.45″. This allows us to not only resolve most of the globular clusters (GCs) but also derive their structural parameters. These are combined with existing Washington photometry in order to select by metallicity. We present here results for a subsample of 359 GCs which includes all currently confirmed GC members of the system. Our derived sizes are in very good agreement with those derived from ACS data. We find, as expected, that the metal-rich GCs in the inner regions (r < 10′) are 26% smaller than their metal-poor components, but in the outer region this normal trend is reversed. We compare our GCs to previous results for GCs, UCDs, etc. in the luminosity - size plane and find substantial overlap between different types of objects, indicating more of a continuum in these properties.

Sizes of Confirmed NGC 5128 Globular Clusters Journal Articles