Star Clusters And The Duration Of Starbursts

Details Star Clusters And The Duration Of Starbursts Star Clusters And The Duration Of Starbursts

Jul 1996

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1996hst..prop.6639m&link_type=abstract

HST Proposal ID #6639

Physics

Hst Proposal Id #6639 Galaxies &Amp, Clusters

Scientific paper

Starbursts are a fascinating but poorly understood phenomenon that probably play a key role in galaxy evolution. Here, we propose to determine one of their most basic properties, namely the duration, Delta t, of the burst. This quantity is crucial for understanding how starbursts work {what turns them on and what turns them off}, for estimating the fraction of galaxies that undergo starbusts, and for determining how effective starbursts are at heating and enriching the inter- galactic medium {via galactic winds}. One thing we do know about starbursts is that they efficiently manufacture star clusters. Each individual cluster is expected to form over a timescale < 1 Myr, and each is thus a ``true'' instantaneous burst. Here we propose using the clusters found in starbursts as a fossil record that will provide a direct measurement of Delta t. This will be done by obtaining broad band photometry of a sample of starbursts already observed in the ultraviolet with the FOC. The new observations, alone, and in conjunction with the previous observations will be used to determine the colors of the clusters. The ages, t, of the clusters will be estimated from two color diagrams, to an accuracy of a factor of 2. The width of the t distribution of the clusters then provides a direct estimate of Delta t for the surrounding starburst in which they reside.

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