ON STAR-FORMATION IN PRIMORDIAL PROTOGLOBULAR CLOUDS

Using a new physical model for star formation, we have tested the poss ibility that globular clusters (GCs) are formed from primordial mass f luctuations, the mass scale of which (10(8)-10(9) M(circle dot)) is se lected out of a cold dark matter spectrum by the mechanism of non-equi librium formation of H-2. We show that such clouds are able to convert about 0.002 of their total mass into a bound system (a GC) and about 0.02 into halo stars. The metal-enriched gas is dispersed from the GC by supernova explosions and forms the Galactic disc. The mass ratios b etween GCs, halo and disc depend on the predicted initial mass functio n which is a consequence of the universal statistics of fluid turbulen ce. They also depend on the ratio of baryonic to non-baryonic mass, X( b), and are comparable to the values observed in typical spiral galaxi es for X(b) approximate to 0.1-0.2. The computed mass and radius for a GC (5 x 10(5) M(circle dot) and 30 pc) are in good agreement with the average values in the Galaxy. The model predicts an exponential cut-o ff in the stellar initial mass function below 0.2 M(circle dot) in GCs and 0.7 M(circle dot) in the halo. The reasonably massive star format ion in primordial clouds leads to a large number of supernovae and to a high blue luminosity during the first 2 Gyr of the life of the Galax y.