Physics – Optics
Scientific paper
Dec 2007
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007aas...211.7303m&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #211, #73.03; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 39, p.864
Physics
Optics
Scientific paper
We present the highest spatial resolution infrared images ever obtained of super star clusters (SSCs) in nearby starburst galaxies M82 and NGC 1569. The vast majority of stars form in massive star clusters. Circumstantial evidence and n-body simulations indicate that a large fraction of these clusters rapidly fall apart around an age of 10 Myr. SSCs in nearby starbursts provide an opportunity for detailed studies of the dissolution of the clusters. Our near-IR images were obtained with the laser guide star adaptive optics system at the Keck Observatory, affording several times better resolution than HST in 2-micron light. Our observations reveal substantial light in excess of best-fit equilibrium profiles, and we identify individual stars clearly associated with the clusters out to distances of many halflight radii. From this we infer that these young clusters are seen in the process of losing stars to the field. Our very high spatial resolution (40 milli-arcseconds) allows us to perform photometry in these crowded fields and characterize the relation of the cluster to the ambient field star population. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0502649.
Graham James R.
McCrady Nate
Vacca William D.
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