Computer Science
Scientific paper
Jul 1999
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1999hst..prop.8293m&link_type=abstract
HST Proposal ID #8293
Computer Science
Hst Proposal Id #8293 Galaxy Populations And Interactions
Scientific paper
HST and ground-based observations have revealed that a large fraction of star formation in starburst environments occurs in compact super star clusters {SSCs}. SSCs appear to be gravitationally bound, implying a very high star-forming efficiency, which may be difficult to explain. We propose spatially-resolved long-slit spectroscopy of three of the nearest and brightest SSCs in NGC 1569. A fortuitous alignment allows positioning the three SSCs {A1, A2, and B} simultaneously in the slit. The HST + STIS resolution and sensitivity will allow resolving the clusters {half-light radius = 1.6 pc} into three radial bins at 1-4 pc. With our 3000-10, 000 Angstrom spectra, we will determine the dominant stellar populations at each radius, and hence the structural star-forming history of the clusters. The only SSC that has been studied in this way is R136 in the LMC, and it shows evidence for population segregation, suggesting the massive stars form last, in the already-established potential well of lower-mass stars. We will test this idea in three additional, more massive, SSCs. The measured radial stellar-population gradient, combined with Keck high-spectral-resolution data will refine the total mass estimate for the cluster and constrain the initial mass function. The mass estimate can reveal the presence or absence of low-mass stars, and thus address the open question of whether SSCs ultimately evolve into globular clusters.
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