A Model for the Globular Cluster Luminosity Function

We develop the idea (Harris & Pudritz 1994, ApJ, 429, 177) that, like currently forming star clusters and associations, globular clusters (mean mass ≃ ×105M⊙) were born in the ‘cores’ of much larger (~ 108-109M⊙) star-forming complexes which we call ‘supergiant molecular clouds,’ or SGMCs. The number N(m) of protoclusters at mass m is then determined by a steady-state balance between their growth by core-core collisions, and their …