Simulations of nuclear cluster formation .

Preliminary results are presented about a fully self-consistent N-body simulation of a sample of four massive globular clusters in close interaction within the central region of a galaxy. The N-body representation (with N=1.5× 106 particles in total) of both the clusters and the galaxy allows to include in a natural and self-consistent way dynamical friction and tidal interactions. The results confirm the decay and merging of globulars as a viable scenario for the formation/accretion of compact nuclear clusters. Specifically: i) the frictional orbital decay is ˜ 2 times faster than that predicted by the generalized Chandrasekhar formula; ii) the progenitor clusters merge in less than 20 galactic core-crossing time (t_b); iii) the NC configuration keeps a quasi-stable state at least within ˜ 70 t_b