| 1. |
- Adamo, Angela, et al.
(författare)
-
HIGH-RESOLUTION STUDY OF THE CLUSTER COMPLEXES IN A LENSED SPIRAL AT REDSHIFT 1.5 : CONSTRAINTS ON THE BULGE FORMATION AND DISK EVOLUTION
- 2013
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 766:2, s. 105-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We analyze the clump population of the spiral galaxy Sp 1149 at redshift 1.5. Located behind the galaxy cluster MACS J1149.5+2223, Sp 1149 has been significantly magnified allowing us to study the galaxy on physical scales down to similar to 100 pc. The galaxy cluster frame is among the targets of the Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble (CLASH), an ongoing Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Multi-Cycle Treasury program. We have used the publicly available multi-band imaging data set to reconstruct the spectral energy distributions of the clumps in Sp 1149, and derive, by means of stellar evolutionary models, their physical properties. We found that 40% of the clumps observed in Sp 1149 are older than 30 Myr and can be as old as 300 Myr. These are also the more massive (luminous) clumps in the galaxy. Among the complexes in the local reference sample, the star-forming knots in luminous blue compact galaxies could be considered progenitor analogs of these long-lived clumps. The remaining 60% of clumps have colors comparable to local cluster complexes, suggesting a similar young age. We observe that the Sp 1149 clumps follow the M proportional to R-2 relation similar to local cluster complexes, suggesting similar formation mechanisms although they may have different initial conditions (e.g., higher gas surface densities). We suggest that the galaxy is experiencing a slow decline in star formation rate and a likely transitional phase toward a more quiescent star formation mode. The older clumps have survived between 6 and 20 dynamical times and are all located at projected distances smaller than 4 kpc from the center. Their current location suggests migration toward the center and the possibility of being the building blocks of the bulge. On the other hand, the dynamical timescale of the younger clumps is significantly shorter, meaning that they are quite close to their birthplace. We show that the clumps of Sp 1149 may account for the expected metal-rich globular cluster population usually associated with the bulge and thick disk components of local spirals.
|
|
| 2. |
- Adamo, Angela, et al.
(författare)
-
On the Origin of the Red Excess in Very Young Super Star Clusters : The Case of SBS 0335-052E
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 725:2, s. 1620-1628
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The spectral energy distribution analysis of very young unresolved star clusters challenges our understanding of the cluster formation process. Studies of resolved massive clusters in the Milky Way and in the nearby Magellanic Clouds show us that the contribution from photoionized gas is very important during the first Myr of cluster evolution. We present our models which include both a self-consistent treatment of the photoionized gas and the stellar continuum and quantify the impact of such a nebular component on the total flux of young unresolved star clusters. A comparison with other available models is considered. The very young star clusters in the SBS 0335-052E dwarf starburst galaxy are used as a test for our models. Due to the low metallicity of the galactic medium our models predict a longer lasted nebular phase which contributes between 10% and 40% of the total near-infrared (NIR) fluxes at around 10 Myr. We thus propose a possible solution for the observed flux excess in the six bright super star clusters (SSCs) of SBS 0335-052E. Reines et al. showed that the observed cluster fluxes, in the red-optical and NIR range, sit irreconcilably above the stellar continuum models provided. We find that in the age range estimated from the Hα emission we can explain the red excess in all six SSCs as due to nebular emission, which at cluster ages around 10 Myr still affects the NIR wavebands substantially.
|
|
| 3. |
- Adamo, Angela, et al.
(författare)
-
Probing cluster formation under extreme conditions : massive star clusters in blue compact galaxies
- 2011
-
Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 417:3, s. 1904-1912
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The numerous and massive young star clusters in blue compact galaxies (BCGs) are used to investigate the properties of their hosts. We test whether BCGs follow claimed relations between cluster populations and their hosts, such as the fraction of the total luminosity contributed by the clusters as function of the mean star formation rate (SFR) density, the V-band luminosity of the brightest youngest cluster as related to the mean host SFR and the cluster formation efficiency (i.e. the fraction of star formation happening in star clusters) versus the density of the SFR. We find that BCGs follow the trends, supporting a scenario where cluster formation and environmental properties of the host are correlated. They occupy, in all the diagrams, the regions of higher SFRs, as expected by the extreme nature of the starbursts operating in these systems. We find that the star clusters contribute almost to the 20 per cent of the UV luminosity of the hosts. We suggest that the BCG starburst environment has most likely favoured the compression and collapse of the giant molecular clouds, enhancing the local star formation efficiency, so that massive clusters have been formed. The estimated cluster formation efficiency supports this scenario. BCGs have a cluster formation efficiency comparable to luminous IR galaxies and spiral starburst nuclei (the averaged value is similar to 35 per cent) which is much higher than the 8-10 per cent reported for quiescent spirals and dwarf star-forming galaxies.
|
|
| 4. |
- Adamo, Angela, et al.
(författare)
-
Probing the near-IR flux excess in young star clusters
- 2011
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report the results of a recent study of young star clusters (YSCs) in luminous blue compact galaxies (BCGs). The age distributions of the YSCs suggest that the starburst episode in Haro 11, ESO 185-IG13, and Mrk 930 started not more than 30-40 Myr ago. A peak of cluster formation only 3 - 4 Myr old is observed, unveiling a unique sample of clusters still partially embedded. A considerable fraction of clusters (30 - 50%), mainly younger than 10 Myr, shows an observed flux excess between 0.8 and 2.2 micron. This so-called near-infrared (NIR) excess is impossible to reproduce even with the most recent spectral synthesis models (that include a self-consistent treatment of the photoionized gas). We have used these YSCs to probe the very early evolution phase of star clusters. In all the three host galaxies, the analysis is limited to the optically brightest objects, i.e., systems that are only partially embedded by their natal cocoons (since deeply embedded clusters are probably too faint to be detected). We discuss possible explanations for this NIR excess, in the context of IR studies of both extragalactic young star clusters and resolved massive star forming regions in the Milky Way and in the nearby Magellanic Clouds.
|
|
| 5. |
- Adamo, Angela, et al.
(författare)
-
Star cluster formation and evolution in Mrk 930 : properties of a metal-poor starburst
- 2011
-
Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 415:3, s. 2388-2406
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present the analysis of the large population of star clusters in the blue compact galaxy (BCG) Mrk 930. The study has been conducted by means of a photometric analysis of multiband data obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). We have reconstructed the spectral energy distributions of the star clusters and estimated the age, mass and extinction for a representative sample. Similar to previous studies of star clusters in BCGs, we observe a very young cluster population with 70 per cent of the systems formed less than 10 Myr ago. In Mrk 930, the peak in the star cluster age distribution at 4 Myr is corroborated by the presence of Wolf-Rayet spectral features, and by the observed optical and infrared (IR) line ratios [OIII]/H beta and [Ne III]/[Ne II]. The recovered extinction in these very young clusters shows large variations, with a decrease at older ages. It is likely that our analysis is limited to the optically brightest objects (i.e. systems only partially embedded in their natal cocoons; the deeply embedded clusters being undetected). We map the extinction across the galaxy using low-resolution spectra and the H alpha-to-H beta ratio, as obtained from ground-based narrow band imaging. These results are compared with the extinction distribution recovered from the clusters. We find that the mean optical extinction derived in the starburst regions is close to the averaged value observed in the clusters [more than 80 per cent of the systems have E(B - V) <= 0.2mag], but locally, do not trace the more extinguished clusters. Previous HST studies of BCGs have revealed a population of young and extremely red super star clusters. We detect a considerable fraction of clusters affected by a red excess also in Mrk 930. The nature of the red excess, which turns up at near-IR wavelengths (I band and longwards), remains unknown. We compare the cluster formation history and the star formation history, the latter derived from the fit of spectral population synthesis models to the spectra. We find a general agreement between the two independently estimated quantities. Using the cluster properties, we perform a study of the host environmental properties. We find that the cluster formation efficiency (the fraction of star formation happening in clusters) is significantly higher, suggesting a key role of the environment for the formation of these massive objects.
|
|
| 6. |
- Adamo, Angela, 1981-
(författare)
-
Super Star Clusters in Blue Compact Galaxies : Evidence for a near-infrared flux excess and properties of the starburst phase
- 2011
-
Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Luminous Blue compact galaxies (BCGs) are metal-poor actively star-forming systems, characterised by bright ultraviolet and blue luminosities. Hubble Space Telescope high-resolution data have revealed that the luminous star-forming knots in these galaxies are composed of hundreds of young massive star clusters. In this work we present a systematic study of the star cluster populations in BCGs with important implications for the formation history of their host systems. The studied galaxies show recently increased star formation rates and a high fraction of massive clusters, probably as a result of minor/major merger events. The age distributions have a peak of cluster formation at only 3 - 4 Myr, unveiling a unique sample of clusters still partially embedded. A considerable fraction of clusters (30 - 50 %), mainly younger than 10 Myr, shows an observed flux excess between 0.8 and 2.2 μm. This so-called near-infrared (NIR) excess is impossible to reproduce even with the most recent spectral synthesis models (that include a self-consistent treatment of the photoionized gas). The origin of the NIR excess, which still remains unexplained, challenges our understanding of the cluster formation process under extreme conditions. The results achieved in this work have produced important insights into the cluster formation process in BCGs. We suggest that the BCG environment has most likely favoured the compression and collapse of giant molecular clouds into compact massive star clusters. The cluster formation efficiency (i.e., the fraction of star formation happening in star clusters) in BCGs is higher than the reported 8 - 10 %, for quiescent spirals and local star-forming galaxies. Luminous BCGs have a cluster formation efficiency comparable to luminous infrared galaxies and spiral starburst nuclei (the averaged value is about 30 %), suggesting an important role of the merger event in the cluster formation.
|
|
| 7. |
- Adamo, Angela, et al.
(författare)
-
Super star clusters in Haro 11: properties of a very young starburst and evidence for a near-infrared flux excess
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 407:2, s. 870-890
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We have used multiband imaging to investigate the nature of an extreme starburst environment in the nearby Lyman break galaxy analogue Haro 11 (ESO350-IG038) by means of its stellar cluster population. The central starburst region has been observed in eight different high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope (HST) wavebands, sampling the stellar and gas components from UV to near-infrared. Photometric imaging of the galaxy was also carried out at 2.16μm by NaCo AO instrument at the ESO Very Large Telescope. We constructed integrated spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for about 200 star clusters located in the active star-forming regions and compared them with single stellar population models (suitable for physical properties of very young cluster population) in order to derive ages, masses and extinctions of the star clusters. The cluster age distribution we recover confirms that the present starburst has lasted for 40Myr, and shows a peak of cluster formation only 3.5 Myr old. With such an extremely young cluster population, Haro 11 represents a unique opportunity to investigate the youngest phase of the cluster formation process and evolution in starburst systems. We looked for possible relations between cluster ages, extinctions and masses. Extinction tends to diminish as a function of the cluster age, but the spread is large and reaches the highest dispersion for clusters in partial embedded phases (<5Myr). A fraction of low-mass (below 104 Msolar), very young (1-3Myr) clusters is missing, either because they are embedded in the parental molecular cloud and heavily extinguished, or because of blending with neighbouring clusters. The range of the cluster masses is wide; we observe that more than 30 per cent of the clusters have masses above 105 Msolar, qualifying them as super star clusters. Almost half of the cluster sample is affected by flux excesses at wavelengths >8000Å which cannot be explained by simple stellar evolutionary models. Fitting SED models over all wavebands leads to systematic overestimates of cluster ages and incorrect masses for the stellar population supplying the light in these clusters. We show that the red excess affects also the HST F814W filter, which is typically used to constrain cluster physical properties. The clusters which show the red excess are younger than 40Myr we discuss possible physical explanations for the phenomenon. Finally, we estimate that Haro 11 has produced bound clusters at a rate almost a factor of 10 higher than the massive and regular spirals, like the Milky Way. The present cluster formation efficiency is ~38 per cent of the galactic star formation rate.
|
|
| 8. |
- Adamo, Angela, et al.
(författare)
-
The Extremely Young Star Cluster Population In Haro 11
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Galaxy Wars. - San Francisco : Astronomical Society of the Pacific. - 9781583817261 ; , s. 74-
-
Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- We have performed a deep multi-band photometric analysis of the star cluster population of Haro 11. This starburst galaxy (log L_FUV = 10.3 L_sun) is considered a nearby analogue of Lyman break galaxies (LBGs) at high redshift. The study of the numerous star clusters in the systems is an effective way to investigate the formation and evolution of the starburst phase. In fact, the SED fitting models have revealed a surprisingly young star cluster population, with ages between 0.5 and 40 Myr, and estimated masses between 10^3 and 10^7 solar masses. An independent age estimation has been done with the EW(Halpha) analysis of each cluster. This last analysis has confirmed the young ages of the clusters. We noticed that the clusters with ages between 1 and 10 Myr show a flux excess in H (NIC3/F160W) and/or I (WFPC2/F814W) bands with respect to the evolutionary models. Once more Haro 11 represents a challenge to our understanding.
|
|
| 9. |
- Adamo, Angela, et al.
(författare)
-
The Massive Star Clusters in the Dwarf Merger ESO 185-IG13 : is the Red Excess Ubiquitous in Starbursts?
- 2011
-
Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 414:3, s. 1793-1812
-
Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- We have investigated the starburst properties of the luminous blue compact galaxy ESO 185-IG13. The galaxy has been imaged with the high resolution cameras onboard to the Hubble Space Telescope. From the UV to the IR, the data reveal a system shaped by hundreds of young star clusters, and fine structures, like a tidal stream and a shell. The presence of numerous clusters and the perturbed morphology indicate that the galaxy has been involved in a recent merger event. Using previous simulations of shell formation in galaxy mergers we constrain potential progenitors of ESO 185-IG13. The analysis of the star cluster population is used to investigate the properties of the present starburst and to date the final merger event, which has produced hundreds of clusters younger than 100 Myr. We have found a peak of cluster formation only 3.5 Myr old. A large fraction of these clusters will not survive after 10-20 Myr, due to the "infant mortality" caused by gas expulsion. However, this sample of clusters represents an unique chance to investigate the youngest phases of cluster evolution. As already observed in the analog blue compact galaxy Haro 11, a fraction of young clusters are affected by a flux excess at wavelengths longer than 8000 \AA. Ages, masses, and extinctions of clusters with this NIR excess are estimated from UV and optical data. We discuss similarities and differences of the observed NIR excess in ESO 185-IG13 clusters with other cases in the literature. The cluster ages and masses are used to distinguish among the potential causes of the excess. We observe, as in Haro 11, that the use of the IR and the (commonly used) I band data results in overestimates of age and mass in clusters affected by the NIR excess. This has important implications for a number of related studies of star clusters.
|
|
| 10. |
- Atek, Hakim, et al.
(författare)
-
Influence of physical galaxy properties on Ly alpha escape in star-forming galaxies
- 2014
-
Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 561, s. A89-
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Among the different observational techniques used to select high-redshift galaxies, the hydrogen recombination line Lyman-alpha (Ly alpha) is of particular interest because it gives access to the measurement of cosmological quantities such as the star formation rate (SFR) of distant galaxy populations. However, interpreting this line and calibrating such observables are still subject to serious uncertainties. Aims. In this context, it important to understand the mechanisms responsible for the attenuation of Ly alpha emission, and under what conditions the Ly alpha emission line can be used as a reliable star formation diagnostic tool. Methods. We used a sample of 24 Ly alpha emitters at z similar to 0.3 with an optical spectroscopic follow-up to calculate the Ly alpha escape fraction and its dependence upon different physical properties. We also examined the reliability of Ly alpha as a SFR indicator. We combined these observations with a compilation of Ly alpha emitters selected at z = 0-0.3 from the literature to assemble a larger sample. Results. We confirm that the Ly alpha escape fraction clearly depends on the dust extinction following the relation f(esc)(Ly alpha) = C-Ly alpha x 10(-0.4 E(B-V) kLy alpha) where k(Ly alpha) similar to 6.67 and C-Ly alpha = 0.22. However, the correlation does not follow the expected curve for a simple dust attenuation. A higher attenuation can be attributed to a scattering process, while f(esc)(Ly alpha) values that are clearly above the continuum extinction curve can be the result of various mechanisms that can lead to an enhancement of the Ly alpha output. We also observe that the strength of Ly alpha and the escape fraction appear unrelated to the galaxy metallicity. Regarding the reliability of Ly alpha as a SFR indicator, we show that the deviation of SFR(Ly alpha) from the true SFR (as traced by the UV continuum) is a function of the observed SFR(UV), which can be seen as the decrease in f(esc)(Ly alpha) with increasing UV luminosity. Moreover, we observe redshift dependence of this relationship, revealing the underlying evolution of f(esc)(Ly alpha) with redshift.
|
|
