A long-lasting compact group

The dynamical evolution of a compact group of four galaxies has been studied using Aarseth's NBODY2 code. An important departure from previous studies is the wider range of masses chosen for the individual galaxies, which are representative of those existing in Hickson's catalog. The first merging occurs after 4.3 billion yr, while the group lasts for as many as nine billion yr before merging into a single remnant. Two other simulations test the dependence of the results on the galaxy models adopted and the general set of initial conditions. Another run, with four identical galaxies and no special initial conditions, is used as a standard of reference. 13 refs