RESUMEN
We discuss some of the key open questions regarding the formation and evolution of globular clusters (GCs) during galaxy formation and assembly within a cosmological framework. The current state of the art for both observations and simulations is described, and we briefly mention directions for future research. The oldest GCs have ages greater than or equal to 12.5 Gyr and formed around the time of reionization. Resolved colour-magnitude diagrams of Milky Way GCs and direct imaging of lensed proto-GCs at zâ¼6 with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) promise further insight. GCs are known to host multiple populations of stars with variations in their chemical abundances. Recently, such multiple populations have been detected in â¼2 Gyr old compact, massive star clusters. This suggests a common, single pathway for the formation of GCs at high and low redshift. The shape of the initial mass function for GCs remains unknown; however, for massive galaxies a power-law mass function is favoured. Significant progress has been made recently modelling GC formation in the context of galaxy formation, with success in reproducing many of the observed GC-galaxy scaling relations.
RESUMEN
We describe a quasiequilibrium profile of dark matter particles in the inner parsec of the Galaxy, rhodm proportional to r(-3/2). This "minicusp" profile is caused by scattering with the dense stellar cluster around the supermassive black hole in Sgr A* and is independent of the initial conditions. The implications for detection of gamma rays from annihilation of weakly interacting massive dark matter particle in the Galactic center are a mild enhancement of the flux and a characteristic central feature in the angular distribution which could be detectable by high-resolution atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes.