scholarly journals Tidally-induced Super Star Clusters in M82

2002 ◽  
Vol 207 ◽  
pp. 477-478
Author(s):  
R. de Grijs ◽  
R.W O'Connell ◽  
J.S. Gallagher

Using new HST imaging, we identify a large, evolved system of super star clusters in a disk region just outside the starburst core in the prototypical starburst galaxy M82, “M82 B.” This region has been suspected to be a fossil starburst site in which an intense episode of star formation occurred over 100 Myr ago, which is now confirmed by our derived age distribution. It suggests steady, continuing cluster formation at a modest rate at early times (> 2 Gyr ago), followed by a concentrated formation episode ∼ 600 Myr ago and more recent suppression of cluster formation. The peak episode coincides with independent dynamical estimates for the last tidal encounter with M81.

2021 ◽  
Vol 923 (2) ◽  
pp. 278
Author(s):  
S. T. Linden ◽  
A. S. Evans ◽  
K. Larson ◽  
G. C. Privon ◽  
L. Armus ◽  
...  

Abstract We present the results of a Hubble Space Telescope WFC3 near-UV and Advanced Camera for Surveys Wide Field Channel optical study into the star cluster populations of a sample of 10 luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs) in the Great Observatories All-Sky LIRG Survey. Through integrated broadband photometry we have derived ages, masses, and extinctions for a total of 1027 star clusters in galaxies with d L < 110 Mpc in order to avoid issues related to cluster bending. The measured cluster age distribution slope of dN / d τ ∝ τ − 0.5 + / − 0.12 is steeper than what has been observed in lower-luminosity star-forming galaxies. Further, differences in the slope of the observed cluster age distribution between inner- ( dN / d τ ∝ τ − 1.07 + / − 0.12 ) and outer-disk ( dN / d τ ∝ τ − 0.37 + / − 0.09 ) star clusters provide evidence of mass-dependent cluster destruction in the central regions of LIRGs driven primarily by the combined effect of strong tidal shocks and encounters with massive giant molecular clouds. Excluding the nuclear ring surrounding the Seyfert 1 nucleus in NGC 7469, the derived cluster mass function (CMF; dN / dM ∝ M α ) offers marginal evidence for a truncation in the power law at M t ∼ 2×106 M ⊙ for our three most cluster-rich sources, which are all classified as early stage mergers. Finally, we find evidence of a flattening of the CMF slope of dN / dM ∝ M − 1.42 ± 0.1 for clusters in late-stage mergers relative to early stage (α = −1.65 ± 0.02), which we attribute to an increase in the formation of massive clusters over the course of the interaction.


2020 ◽  
Vol 497 (3) ◽  
pp. 3830-3845 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hajime Fukushima ◽  
Hidenobu Yajima ◽  
Kazuyuki Sugimura ◽  
Takashi Hosokawa ◽  
Kazuyuki Omukai ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT We study star cluster formation in various environments with different metallicities and column densities by performing a suite of 3D radiation hydrodynamics simulations. We find that the photoionization feedback from massive stars controls the star formation efficiency (SFE) in a star-forming cloud, and its impact sensitively depends on the gas metallicity Z and initial cloud surface density Σ. At Z = 1 Z⊙, SFE increases as a power law from 0.03 at Σ = 10 M⊙ pc−2 to 0.3 at $\Sigma = 300\,\mathrm{M}_{\odot }\, {\rm pc^{-2}}$. In low-metallicity cases $10^{-2}\!-\!10^{-1}\, \mathrm{Z}_{\odot }$, star clusters form from atomic warm gases because the molecule formation time is not short enough with respect to the cooling or dynamical time. In addition, the whole cloud is disrupted more easily by expanding H ii bubbles that have higher temperature owing to less efficient cooling. With smaller dust attenuation, the ionizing radiation feedback from nearby massive stars is stronger and terminate star formation in dense clumps. These effects result in inefficient star formation in low-metallicity environments: the SFE drops by a factor of ∼3 at Z = 10−2 Z⊙ compared to the results for Z = 1 Z⊙, regardless of Σ. Newborn star clusters are also gravitationally less bound. We further develop a new semi-analytical model that can reproduce the simulation results well, particularly the observed dependencies of the SFEs on the cloud surface densities and metallicities.


2017 ◽  
Vol 842 (1) ◽  
pp. 47 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Vanzella ◽  
M. Castellano ◽  
M. Meneghetti ◽  
A. Mercurio ◽  
G. B. Caminha ◽  
...  

1999 ◽  
Vol 193 ◽  
pp. 517-522
Author(s):  
Kelsey E. Johnson

In an effort to better understand how the properties of star formation in starburst galaxies depend on various environmental parameters, I present a comparison between two well-known WR galaxies: the interacting galaxy system NGC 1741 in the Hickson Compact Group 31, and the dwarf galaxy He2-10. The high spatial resolution of HST has allowed identification of a large number of starburst knots, or ‘super star clusters’ in these WR galaxies. Broad-band photometry and the latest stellar synthesis models are used to estimate the ages and masses of the super star clusters. The properties of the clusters are then used to compare and contrast the overall star-formation histories in the two WR galaxies.


2002 ◽  
Vol 207 ◽  
pp. 421-427 ◽  
Author(s):  
Søren S. Larsen

Populations of young star clusters show significant differences even among “normal” disk galaxies. In this contribution I discuss how properties of young cluster systems are related to those of their host galaxies, based on a recent study of clusters in a sample of 22 nearby spiral galaxies. Luminous young clusters similar to the “super” star clusters observed in starbursts and mergers exist in several of these galaxies, and it is found that the luminosity of the brightest star cluster as well as the specific luminosity of the cluster systems both correlate well with the host galaxy star formation rate. When considering star clusters in different environments the traditional distinction between “open”, “massive” and “globular” clusters breaks down, underscoring the need for a universal physical description of cluster formation.


2006 ◽  
Vol 2 (S237) ◽  
pp. 323-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre-Alain Duc ◽  
Frédéric Bournaud ◽  
Médéric Boquien

AbstractStar formation may take place in a variety of locations in interacting systems: in the dense core of mergers, in the shock regions at the interface of the colliding galaxies and even within the tidal debris expelled into the intergalactic medium. Along tidal tails, objects may be formed with masses ranging from those of super-star clusters to dwarf galaxies: the so-called Tidal Dwarf Galaxies (TDGs). Based on a set of multi-wavelength observations and extensive numerical simulations, we show how TDGs may simultaneously be used as laboratories to study the process of star-formation (SFE, IMF) in a specific environment and as probes of various cosmological properties, such as the distribution of dark matter and satellites around galaxies.


2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (S270) ◽  
pp. 381-384
Author(s):  
Oleg Y. Gnedin

AbstractModern hydrodynamic simulations of galaxy formation are able to predict accurately the rates and locations of the assembly of giant molecular clouds in early galaxies. These clouds could host star clusters with the masses and sizes of real globular clusters. I describe current state-of-the-art simulations aimed at understanding the origin of the cluster mass function and metallicity distribution. Metallicity bimodality of globular cluster systems appears to be a natural outcome of hierarchical formation and gradually declining fraction of cold gas in galaxies. Globular cluster formation was most prominent at redshifts z > 3, when massive star clusters may have contributed as much as 20% of all galactic star formation.


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (S316) ◽  
pp. 70-76
Author(s):  
Zara Randriamanakoto ◽  
Petri Väisänen

AbstractSuper star clusters (SSCs) represent the youngest and most massive form of known gravitationally bound star clusters in the Universe. They are born abundantly in environments that trigger strong and violent star formation. We investigate the properties of these massive SSCs in a sample of 42 nearby starbursts and luminous infrared galaxies. The targets form the sample of the SUperNovae and starBursts in the InfraReD (SUNBIRD) survey that were imaged using near-infrared (NIR) K-band adaptive optics mounted on the Gemini/NIRI and the VLT/NaCo instruments. Results from i) the fitted power-laws to the SSC K-band luminosity functions, ii) the NIR brightest star cluster magnitude − star formation rate (SFR) relation and iii) the star cluster age and mass distributions have shown the importance of studying SSC host galaxies with high SFR levels to determine the role of the galactic environments in the star cluster formation, evolution and disruption mechanisms.


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