[en] In the lenticular galaxy NGC 1023 a third population of globular clusters (GCs), called faint fuzzies (FFs), was discovered next to the blue and red GC populations by Larsen and Brodie. While these FFs have colors comparable to the red population, the new population is fainter, larger (R_eff>7 pc) and, most importantly, shows clear signs of corotation with the galactic disk of NGC 1023. We present N-body simulations verifying the hypothesis that these disk-associated FFs are related to the young massive cluster complexes (CCs) observed by Bastian et al. in M51, who discovered a mass-radius relation for these CCs. Our models have an initial configuration based on the observations from M51 and are placed on various orbits in a galactic potential derived for NGC 1023. All computations end up with a stable object containing 10%-60% of the initial CC mass after an integration time of 5 Gyr. A conversion to visual magnitudes demonstrates that the resulting objects cover exactly the observed range for FFs. Moreover, the simulated objects show projected half-mass radii between 3.6 and 13.4 pc, in good agreement with the observed FF sizes. We conclude that objects like the young massive CCs in M51 are likely progenitors of the FFs observed in NGC 1023.

[en] The ΛCDM standard cosmological model is strongly supported by multiple lines of evidence, particularly from observations at large scales such as the CMB and large scale structure. There are some indications, however, of problems at smaller scales. An alternative to the CDM approach is to modify the gravitational force, as exemplified by the MOdified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) idea. While evidence suggests MOND cannot account for dynamics at all scales without dark matter, it has been successful at galactic scales. Due to the complexity of the theory, however, most tests of MOND have extended no further than using a simple scaling relation to determine rotation curves or velocity dispersions. Therefore, to test the concept more thoroughly we require numerical simulations. We discuss the development and testing of a new N-body solver, using two distinct formulations of MOND, that is incorporated into the RAMSES code. The theory of MOND as a modification of Newtonian gravity is briefly summarised. We then show how it is implemented in the code, providing an example of an idealised test case and future applications. (paper)

[en] We develop, implement, and characterize an enhanced data reduction approach which delivers precise, accurate, radial velocities from moderate resolution spectroscopy with the fiber-fed VLT/FLAMES+GIRAFFE facility. This facility, with appropriate care, delivers radial velocities adequate to resolve the intrinsic velocity dispersions of the very faint dwarf spheroidal (dSph) galaxies. Importantly, repeated measurements let us reliably calibrate our individual velocity errors (0.2 kms^-1 ≤ δ_V ≤ 5 km s^-1) and directly detect stars with variable radial velocities. We show, by application to the Booetes I dSph, that the intrinsic velocity dispersion of this system is significantly below 6.5 km s^-1 reported by previous studies. Our data favor a two-population model of Booetes I, consisting of a majority 'cold' stellar component, with velocity dispersion 2.4^+0.9_-0.5 km s^-1, and a minority 'hot' stellar component, with velocity dispersion ∼9 km s^-1, although we cannot completely rule out a single component distribution with velocity dispersion 4.6^0.8_-0.6 km s^-1. We speculate that this complex velocity distribution actually reflects the distribution of velocity anisotropy in Booetes I, which is a measure of its formation processes.