GC number density profiles using Gaia DR2

Proper motions are used for accurate membership selection, especially crucial in the cluster outskirts. Due to the severe crowding in the centres, the Gaia data are supplemented by literature data from HST and surface brightness measurements, where available.

This results in 81 clusters with a complete density profile covering the full tidal radius (and beyond) for each cluster. We model the density profiles using a set of single-mass models ranging from King and Wilson models to generalized lowered isothermal LIMEPY models and the recently introduced SPES models, which allow for the inclusion of potential escapers. We find that both King and Wilson models are too simple to fully reproduce the density profiles, with King (Wilson) models on average underestimating (overestimating) the radial extent of the clusters.