| Abstract: Star clusters are dynamically active environments where two-body relaxation drives the mass segregation of stellar populations. Blue straggler stars (BSSs), formed through stellar collisions or binary evolution, are more massive than the average cluster star and therefore serve as excellent tracers of a cluster’s dynamical history. Factors that may lead to or can influence delay in the dynamical segregation-such as tidal mass loss, core evolution, and the presence of dark remnants-are investigated in this study using realistic N-body simulations of the globular cluster NGC 6838 generated with the MOCCA code. We compare models containing an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH), a subsystem of stellar-mass black holes (BHS), and a model devoid of both. Our analysis reveals that the degree and timing of BSS mass segregation, quantified by the A+rh parameter, are strongly sensitive to the cluster’s internal dynamical state. The IMBH model produces rapid and strong BSS segregation from early times, consistent with its short half-mass relaxation time, whereas the model evolving toward core collapse also shows significant present-day segregation. In contrast, the BHS model-which experiences core expansion due to BH heating-exhibits delayed and weaker segregation, with BSS formation dominated by binary evolution channels. These results directly link measurable BSS radial distributions to the underlying population of dark remnants and the cluster’s tidal history, highlighting key factors that influence delays in dynamical segregation. |
