Other
Scientific paper
Jul 2007
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007hst..prop11134k&link_type=abstract
HST Proposal ID #11134. Cycle 16
Other
Scientific paper
The spectacular HST images of the interiors of merging galaxies such as the Antennae and NGC 7252 have revealed rich and diverse populations of star clusters created over the course of the interaction. Intriguingly, our WFPC2 study of tidal tails in these and other interacting pairs has shown that star cluster birth in the tails does not follow a similarly straightforward evolution. In fact, cluster formation in these relatively sparse environments is not guaranteed -- only one of six tails in our initial study showed evidence for a significant population of young star clusters. The tail environment thus offers the opportunity to probe star cluster formation on the edge of the physical parameter space e.g., of stellar and gas mass, density, and pressure that permits it to occur. We propose to signficantly extend our pilot sample of optically bright, gas-rich tidal tails by a factor of 4 in number to include a more diverse population of tails, encompassing major and minor mergers, gas-rich and gas-poor tails, as well as early, late, and merged interaction stages. With 21 orbits of HST WFPC2 imaging in the F606W and F814W filters, we can identify, roughly age-date, and measure sizes of star clusters to determine what physical parameters affect star cluster formation. WFPC2 imaging has been used effectively in our initial study of four mergers, and it will be possible in this program to reach similar limits of Mv=-8.5 for each of 16 more tails. With the much larger sample we expect to isolate which factors, such as merger stage, HI content, and merger mass ratio, drive the formation of star clusters.;
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