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Abstract:

Nuclear star clusters (NSCs) are commonly found in the centers of galaxies, but their dominant formation mechanisms remain elusive. We perform a consistent analysis of stellar populations of 97 nearby NSCs, based on spectroscopic data from the Very Large Telescope. The sample covers a galaxy stellar mass range of 107–1011 M⊙ and is more than 3 times larger than any previous study. We identify three galaxy stellar mass regimes with distinct NSC properties. In the low-mass regime of logMhost ≲ 8.5 (Mhost is in units of M⊙), nearly all NSCs have metallicities lower than their circum-NSC host but similar to those of typical red globular clusters (GCs), supporting the GC inspiral–merger scenario of NSC formation. In the high-mass regime of logMhost ≳ 9.5, nearly all NSCs have higher metallicities than their circum-NSC host and red GCs, suggesting significant contributions from in situ star formation. In the intermediate-mass regime, a comparable fraction of NSCs have higher or lower metallicities than their circum-NSC host and red GCs, with no clear dependence on NSC mass, suggesting intermittent in situ star formation. The majority of NSCs with higher metallicities than their host exhibit a negative age–metallicity correlation, providing clear evidence of long-term chemical enrichment. The average metallicity difference between NSC and host peaks broadly around logMhost∼9.8 and declines toward both higher and lower galaxy masses. We find that the efficiency of dynamical-friction-driven inspiral of GCs observed in present-day galaxies can explain the NSC mass at logMhost≲9.5 but falls short of observed ones at higher galaxy mass, reinforcing our conclusions based on stellar population analysis.