Structural Parameters for Globular Clusters in NGC 5128. II. Hubble Space Telescope ACS Imaging and New Clusters

Abstract

We report the first results from an imaging program with the ACS on the Hubble Space Telescope designed to measure the structural characteristics of a wide range of globular clusters in NGC 5128, the nearest giant elliptical galaxy. From 12 ACS WFC fields we have measured a total of 62 previously known globular clusters and have discovered 69 new high-probability cluster candidates not found in any previous work. We present magnitudes and color indices for all of these, along with rough measurements of their effective diameters and ellipticities. The luminosity distribution of this nearly uncontaminated sample of clusters matches well with the normal globular cluster luminosity function for giant elliptical galaxies, and the cluster scale size and ellipticity distributions are similar to those in the Milky Way system. The indication from this survey is that many hundreds of individual clusters remain to be found with carefully designed search techniques in the future. A very rough estimate of the total cluster population from our data suggests N_GC~=1500 in NGC 5128 over all magnitudes and within a projected radius R=25^' from the galaxy center.

Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555. These observations are associated with program 10260. Support for program 10260 was provided in part by NASA through a grant from the Space Telescope Science Institute.