Intermediate-age Globular Clusters in Four Galaxy Merger Remnants
  We present the results of combining Hubble Space Telescope optical photometry
with ground-based Ks-band photometry from the Gemini imagers NIRI and
FLAMINGOS-I to study the globular-cluster populations in four early-type
galaxies that are candidate remnants of recent mergers (NGC1700, NGC2865,
NGC4382, and NGC7727). These galaxies were chosen based on their blue colors
and fine structure, such as shells and ripples that are indicative of past
interactions. We fit the combined VIKs globular-cluster data with simple toy
models of mixed cluster populations that contain three subpopulations of
different age and metallicity. The fits, done via Chi-square mapping of the
parameter space, yield clear evidence for the presence of intermediate-age
clusters in each galaxy. We find that the ages of 1-2 Gyr for these
globular-cluster subpopulations are consistent with the previously estimated
merger ages for the host galaxies.
