Dynamics of Star Clusters

The emphasis in these proceedings of lAD Symposium No. 113, Dynafrri-,'!s of Star Clusters. and·.~.Le. mab rPIHlon for orZ'lnizinp: thE" symposium in the spring of 1984, was the rapid increase during the preceeding year in our understanding of core collapse. The last I.A.D. Symposium to discuss the dynamics of star clusters at length was No.69, Dynamics of Stellar Systems~ held in Besan~on in 1974. For a few years afterwards, globular clusters receiveu much attention due to the discovery of X-ray bursters and the mounting evidence that X-ray sources in globular clusters were formed in completely different ways than those within our galaxy. Globular clusters, which until this time had a reputation for sedate old age, turned out to lead violent private lives at high energies. However, in the early 80's globular clusters seemed to lose some of the glamor of the 70's. The grand speculations of heavy black holes lurking in their centers had to make way for a variety of observational evidence which indicated that the X-ray sources are low-mass close binaries instead. But, though dynamical fashion turned to heavy galac­ tic halos and so on, some of the unsolved theoretical problems regard­ ing the evolution of star clusters kept their fascination for a number of relatively isolated workers. After several years of inconspicuous labor, a number of preprints suddenly appeared in the spring of 1983 that studied the evolution of globular clusters after core collapse.

`...clearly destined to be a primary reference in its field for many years.'
New Scientist (April 1986)