STAR CLUSTER ECOLOGY .1. A CLUSTER CORE WITH ENCOUNTERS BETWEEN SINGLE STARS

Star clusters with a high central density contain an ecological networ k of evolving binaries, affected by interactions with passing stars, w hile in turn affecting the energy budget of the cluster as a whole by giving off binding energy, This is the first paper in a series aimed a t providing the tools for increasingly realistic simulations of these ecological networks. Here we model the core of a globular star cluster . The two main approximations are: a density of stars constant in spac e and time, and a purely single star population in which collisions be tween the evolving stars are modeled. In future papers in this series, we will relax these crude approximations. Here, however, they serve t o set the stage before proceeding to the additional complexity of bina ry star interactions, in paper Il, and background dynamical evolution, in later papers.