We present a hydro-dynamical simulation at sub-parsec and few solar mass resolution of a merger between two gas-rich dwarf galaxies .
Our simulation includes a detailed model for the multi-phase interstellar medium ( ISM ) and is able to follow the entire formation history of spatially resolved star clusters , including feedback from individual massive stars .
Shortly after the merger we find a population of \sim 900 stellar clusters with masses above 10 ^ { 2.5 } { M _ { \odot } } and a cluster mass function ( CMF ) , which is well fitted with a power-law with a slope of \alpha = -1.70 \pm 0.08 .
We describe here in detail the formation of the three most massive clusters ( M _ { * } \gtrsim 10 ^ { 5 } M _ { \odot } ) , which populate the high-mass end of the CMF .
The simulated clusters form rapidly on a timescale of 6 – 8 Myr in converging flows of dense gas .
The embedded merger phase has extremely high star formation rate surface densities of \Sigma _ { \mathrm { SFR } } > 10 \mathrm { M } _ { \odot } \mathrm { yr } ^ { -1 } \mathrm { kpc } ^ { % -2 } and thermal gas pressures in excess of P _ { th } \sim 10 ^ { 7 } \mathrm { k } _ { B } ( K \mathrm { cm } ^ { -3 } ) ^ { -1 } .
The formation process is terminated by rapid gas expulsion driven by the first generation of supernovae , after which the cluster centers relax and both their structure and kinematics become indistinguishable from observed local globular clusters .
The simulation presented here provides a general model for the formation of metal-poor globular clusters in chemically unevolved starbursting environments of low-mass dwarf galaxies , which are common at high redshifts .