N-emitters as possible signposts of globular cluster formation
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Based on the unusual chemical abundance ratios of N-emitters, which resemble those of globular cluster (GC) stars, their compactness, high interstellar medium (ISM) densities, and other properties, it has been suggested that N-emitters could indicate the formation sites of globulars. A recent statistical study of the N-emitter population has quantified the frequency f N of these rare objects and their redshift evolution (Morel et al. 2025, A&A, submitted, [arXiv:2511.20484]). Using these results, we tested whether N-emitters trace the formation of GCs and used the observed cosmic star formation rate density evolution to predict the cosmological evolution of the GC population with time, their age distribution, and the total present-day stellar mass density formed in globulars. The predicted age distribution of GCs strongly resembles the typical asymmetric observed distributions in the Galaxy and ellipiticals, with a peak at ∼11.5–12 Gyr and a longer tail extending to younger ages. We derive a total stellar mass density formed in N-emitters down to redshift zero of (2 − 4)×10 5 M ⊙ Mpc −3 , which matches within a factor of ∼2 the observed fraction of stellar mass found in the GC population at z = 0. These results provide additional indirect arguments supporting that N-emitters could represent signposts of a short phase of GC formation.
Source: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Authors: D. Schaerer, R. Marques-Chaves, H. Atek, N. Prantzos, C. Charbonnel, M. Talia, I. Morel, M. Dessauges-Zavadsky, Y. I. Izotov, N. Guseva
Institutions: University of Geneva, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, Institut d'Astrophysique de Paris, Sorbonne Université, University of Bologna, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Bogolyubov Institute for Theoretical Physics
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,865
OpenAlex ID: W4417530713