The Nuclei of `Warm' Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies -- Superstarbursts or AGN

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Hst Proposal Id #8190 Agn Hosts And Environment

Scientific paper

We propose high resolution spectroscopy with STIS of four of the nearest `warm' ultraluminous infrared galaxies {ULIGs} that were discovered in the IRAS database, and for which we have recently obtained WFPC2 images in B, I filters. These objects are thought to represent a critical evolutionary link between ULIGs and optically selected QSOs. Recent observations also suggest that these objects were much more numerous at high redshifts {z = 1-4}, and that they may account for a substantial fraction of the far-infrared/submillimeter as well as X-Ray background.. Our Cycle 5 PC observations show that the nuclear regions {<1-2^ } of all of these objects appear to contain a population of massive star clusters {M 10^6- 10^8 M_odot}, plus one or two `super knots' that are either the most massive star clusters yet observed {M > 10^10 M_odot .}, or emerging AGN. A single STIS slit position {0.2^ width} will allow us to simultaneously observe these `super knots' as well as spatially separate out the emission from a few of the surrounding less-luminous star clusters that will also fall in the slit. Use of the G140L, G470L, and G750L gratings will allow us to employ a very broad range of diagnostic lines that can be used to more precisely determine the mass and age of star clusters, to search for broad Sy 1 emission line wings, as well as measure the excitation properties of any putative AGN that might be present.

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