Galactic GC mean proper motions & velocities

Combining the velocity dispersion profiles derived here with new measurements of the internal mass functions allows us to model the internal kinematics of 144 clusters, more than 90 per cent of the currently known Galactic globular cluster population.

We also derive the initial cluster masses by calculating the cluster orbits backwards in time applying suitable recipes to account for mass-loss and dynamical friction. We find a correlation between the stellar mass function of a globular cluster and the amount of mass lost from the cluster, pointing to dynamical evolution as one of the mechanisms shaping the mass function of stars in clusters. The mass functions also show strong evidence that globular clusters started with a bottom-light initial mass function.