J-PLUS. Globular clusters candidates

We find 523 GC candidates in NGC 1023, of which ~300 are new. We identify subpopulations of GC candidates, where age and metallicity distributions have multiple peaks. By comparing our results with simulations, we report a possible broad age- metallicity relation, evidence that NGC 1023 experienced accretion events in the past.

The dominating age peak is at 1010 yr. We report a correlation between masses and ages that suggests that massive GC candidates are more likely to survive the turbulent history of the host galaxy. Modeling the light of NGC 1023, we find two spiral-like arms and detect a displacement of the galaxies photometric center with respect to the outer isophotes and center of GC distribution (~700 pc and ~1600 pc, respectively), which could be the result of ongoing interaction between NGC 1023 and NGC 1023A.

By studying the GC system of NGC 1023 with J-PLUS we showcase the power of multi-band surveys for this kind of study and find evidence of a complex accretion history of the host galaxy.