  A satisfactory theory for the formation of globular star clusters (GCs) has
long been elusive, perhaps because their true progenitors had not yet been
guessed. In this paper I propose a causal relationship between the strongly
decreasing densities of Lyman alpha (LyA) clouds at high redshift and the
formation of GCs - namely that GCs were created by the accretion of LyA clouds
onto protogalaxies. I describe a scenario which involves an inherently stable
and orderly cycling of compression and cooling in the central cores of clouds
during the extended period of dissipation in the outer regins of gas-rich proto
galaxies, culminating in a burst of efficient star formation. I demonstrate
that the comoving density of GCs is comparable to that of LyA clouds at high
redshift, that the energetic requirements for compression to core GC densities
can be met, and that the time-scale for cooling is within obvious limits
imposed by dynamical stability.
  This dissipative process requires there to be a large column of dissipated
gas about the attractor in order to form GCs. In addition, the energy
requirements for compression requires attractor masses greater than that
capable of sustaining circular velocities of ~40 km/s. If this scenario is
supported by numerical simulations, then by implication, the GCs were formed at
modest redshifts of z~1-3. This knowledge could help to break the degeneracy
between lookback time and redshift. The model is consistent with a picture of
hierarchical galaxy growth over time scales of many billions of years.
