What term describes the process ejecting stars via internal velocity kicks in an open cluster?
Answer
Evaporation
Evaporation is the primary internal mechanism responsible for the dissolution of an open cluster over time. It occurs when stars within the loosely bound group experience close gravitational encounters with one another. During these interactions, a star can gain sufficient random velocity, exceeding the cluster's escape velocity, and be flung out into the general galactic field. This process slowly strips away the members, especially those in the outer, less dense regions, contributing significantly to the cluster's transient nature, contrasting with the strong cohesion that prevents this in dense globular clusters.
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