1. |
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- 2019
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)
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2. |
- Adamo, Angela, 1981-
(författare)
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Super Star Clusters in Blue Compact Galaxies : Evidence for a near-infrared flux excess and properties of the starburst phase
- 2011
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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.
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3. |
- Adamo, Angela, 1981-, et al.
(författare)
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The ages and metallicities of the globular clusters in the Sparkler
- 2023
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 525:1, s. L6-L10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- JWST observations of the strongly lensed galaxy the Sparkler have revealed a population of gravitationally bound globular cluster (GC) candidates. Different analyses have resulted in broadly similar ages but significantly different metallicities, questioning the assembly history that has led to the formation of such a population. In this letter, we reanalyse the two sets of photometry available in the literature with the code MCMAME especially tailored to fit physical properties of GCs. We find the ages and metallicities from both data sets are consistent within 1σ uncertainties. A significant group of GCs is consistent with being old and metal poor ([Fe/H] ∼ −1.7). For this group, the ages do not converge, hence, we conclude that they are definitively older than 1 Gyr and can be as old as the age of the Universe. The remaining GCs have younger ages and a metallicity spread. The ages and metallicities distribution of GCs in the Sparkler are consistent with those observed in Local Group’s galaxies at similar lookback times. Comparing with predictions from E-MOSAICS simulations we confirm that the Sparkler GC population traces the self-enrichment history of a galaxy which might become a few times 109 M⊙ massive system at redshift z = 0.
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4. |
- Bortolini, Giacomo, 1996-, et al.
(författare)
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The spatially resolved star formation history of the dwarf spiral galaxy NGC 5474
- 2024
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 527:3, s. 5339-5355
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We study the resolved stellar populations and derive the star formation history of NGC 5474, a peculiar star-forming dwarf galaxy at a distance of ∼7 Mpc, using Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys data from the Legacy Extragalactic UV Survey (LEGUS) programme. We apply an improved colour–magnitude diagram fitting technique based on the code SFERA and use the latest PARSEC–COLIBRI stellar models. Our results are the following. The off-centre bulge-like structure, suggested to constitute the bulge of the galaxy, is dominated by star formation (SF) activity initiated 14 Gyr ago and lasted at least up to 1 Gyr ago. Nevertheless, this component shows clear evidence of prolonged SF activity (lasting until ∼10 Myr ago). We estimate the total stellar mass of the bulge-like structure to be (5.0 ± 0.3) × 108 M⊙. Such a mass is consistent with published suggestions that this structure is in fact an independent system orbiting around and not within NGC 5474’s disc. The stellar overdensity located to the South–West of the bulge-like structure shows a significant SF event older than 1 Gyr, while it is characterized by two recent peaks of SF, around ∼10 and ∼100 Myr ago. In the last Gyr, the behaviour of the stellar disc is consistent with what is known in the literature as ‘gasping’. The synchronized burst at 10–35 Myr in all components might hint to the recent gravitational interaction between the stellar bulge-like structure and the disc of NGC 5474.
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5. |
- Calzetti, Daniela, et al.
(författare)
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Dust-buried Compact Sources in the Dwarf Galaxy NGC 4449
- 2023
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 946:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Multiwavelength images from the Hubble Space Telescope covering the wavelength range 0.27–1.6 μm show that the central area of the nearby dwarf galaxy NGC 4449 contains several tens of compact sources that are emitting in the hydrogen recombination line Paβ (1.2818 μm) but are only marginally detected in Hα (0.6563 μm) and undetected at wavelengths λ ≤ 0.55 μm. An analysis of the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of these sources indicates that they are likely relatively young stellar clusters heavily attenuated by dust. The selection function used to identify the sources prevents meaningful statistical analyses of their age, mass, and dust extinction distributions. However, these cluster candidates have ages ∼5–6 Myr and AV > 6 mag, according to their SED fits, and are extremely compact, with typical deconvolved radii of 1 pc. The dusty clusters are located at the periphery of the dark clouds within the galaxy and appear to be partially embedded. Density and pressure considerations indicate that the H ii regions surrounding these clusters may be stalled, and that pre-supernova (pre-SN) feedback has not been able to clear the clusters of their natal cocoons. These findings are in potential tension with existing models that regulate star formation with pre-SN feedback, since pre-SN feedback acts on short timescales, ≲4 Myr, for a standard stellar initial mass function. The existence of a population of dusty stellar clusters with ages >4 Myr, if confirmed by future observations, paints a more complex picture for the role of stellar feedback in controlling star formation.
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6. |
- Claeyssens, Adélaïde, 1996-, et al.
(författare)
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Star formation at the smallest scales : a JWST study of the clump populations in SMACS0723
- 2023
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 520:2, s. 2180-2203
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present the clump populations detected in 18 lensed galaxies at redshifts 1--8.5 within the lensing cluster field SMACS0723. The recent JWST Early Release Observations of this poorly known region of the sky have revealed numerous point-like sources within and surrounding their host galaxies, undetected in the shallower Hubble Space Telescope images. We use JWST multi-and photometry and the lensing model of this galaxy cluster to estimate the intrinsic sizes and magnitudes of the stellar clumps. We derive optical restframe effective radii from <10 to hundreds pc and masses ranging from ∼105 to 109 M ⊙, overlapping with massive star clusters in the local universe. Clump ages range from 1 Myr to 1 Gyr. We compare the crossing time to the age of the clumps and determine that between 45 and 60 per cent of the detected clumps are consistent with being gravitationally bound. On average, the dearth of Gyr old clumps suggests that the dissolution time scales are shorter than 1 Gyr. We see a significant increase in the luminosity (mass) surface density of the clumps with redshift. Clumps in reionization era galaxies have stellar densities higher than star clusters in the local universe. We zoom in into single galaxies at redshift <6 and find for two galaxies, the Sparkler and the Firework, that their star clusters/clumps show distinctive colour distributions and location surrounding their host galaxy that are compatible with being accredited or formed during merger events. The ages of some of the compact clusters are between 1 and 4 Gyr, e.g. globular cluster precursors formed around 9--12 Gyr ago. Our study, conducted on a small sample of galaxies, shows the potential of JWST observations for understanding the conditions under which star clusters form in rapidly evolving galaxies.
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7. |
- Cook, D. O., et al.
(författare)
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Fraction of stars in clusters for the LEGUS dwarf galaxies
- 2023
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 519:3, s. 3749-3775
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We study the young star cluster populations in 23 dwarf and irregular galaxies observed by the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Legacy ExtraGalactic Ultraviolet Survey (LEGUS), and examine relationships between the ensemble properties of the cluster populations and those of their host galaxies: star formation rate (SFR) density (ΣSFR). A strength of this analysis is the availability of SFRs measured from temporally resolved star formation histories that provide the means to match cluster and host galaxy properties on several time-scales (1–10, 1–100, and 10–100 Myr). Nevertheless, studies of this kind are challenging for dwarf galaxies due to the small numbers of clusters in each system. We mitigate these issues by combining the clusters across different galaxies with similar ΣSFR properties. We find good agreement with a well-established relationship (MVbrightest–SFR), but find no significant correlations between ΣSFR and the slopes of the cluster luminosity function, mass function, nor the age distribution. We also find no significant trend between the fraction of stars in bound clusters at different age ranges (Γ1–10, Γ10–100, and Γ1–100) and ΣSFR of the host galaxy. Our data show a decrease in Γ over time (from 1–10 to 10–100 Myr) suggesting early cluster dissolution, though the presence of unbound clusters in the youngest time bin makes it difficult to quantify the degree of dissolution. While our data do not exhibit strong correlations between ΣSFR and ensemble cluster properties, we cannot rule out that a weak trend might exist given the relatively large uncertainties due to low number statistics and the limited ΣSFR range probed.
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8. |
- Della Bruna, Lorenza, et al.
(författare)
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Stellar feedback in M 83 as observed with MUSE II. Analysis of the H II region population : Ionisation budget and pre-SN feedback
- 2022
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 666
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Energy and momentum injected by young, massive stars into the surrounding gas play an important role in regulating further star formation and in determining the galaxy's global properties. Before supernovae begin to explode, stellar feedback consists of two main processes: radiation pressure and photoionisation.Aims. We study pre-supernova feedback and constrain the leakage of Lyman continuum (LyC) radiation in a sample of similar to 4700 H II regions in the nearby spiral galaxy M 83. We explore the impact that the galactic environment and intrinsic physical properties (metallicity, extinction, and stellar content) have on the early phases of H II region evolution.Methods. We combined VLT/MUSE observations of the ionised gas with young star cluster physical properties derived from HST multiwavelength data. We identified H II regions based on their Hα emission, and cross-matched the sample with planetary nebulae and supernova remnants to assess contaminant sources and identify evolved H II regions. We also spectroscopically identified Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars populating the star-forming regions. We estimated the physical properties of the H II regions (luminosity, size, oxygen abundance, and electron density). For each H II region, we computed the pressure of ionised gas (Pion) and the direct radiation pressure (Pdir) acting in the region, and investigated how they vary with galactocentric distance, with the physical properties of the region, and with the pressure of the galactic environment (PDE). For a subset of similar to 500 regions, we also investigated the link between the pressure terms and the properties of the cluster population (age, mass, and LyC flux). By comparing the LyC flux derived from Hα emission with the one modelled from their clusters and WRs, we furthermore constrained any escape of LyC radiation (fesc).Results. We find that Pion dominates over Pdir by at least a factor of 10 on average over the disk. Both pressure terms are strongly enhanced and become almost comparable in the central starburst region. In the disk (R ≥ 0.15Re), we observe that Pdir stays approximately constant with galactocentric distance. We note that Pdir is positively correlated with an increase in radiation field strength (linked to the negative metallicity gradient in the galaxy), while it decreases in low extinction regions, as is expected if the amount of dust to which the momentum can be imparted decreases. In addition, Pion decreases constantly for increasing galactocentric distances; this trend correlates with the decrease in extinction - indicative of more evolved and thus less compact regions - and with changes in the galactic environment (traced by a decrease in PDE). In general, we observe that H II regions near the centre are underpressured with respect to their surroundings, whereas regions in the rest of the disk are overpressured and hence expanding. We find that regions hosting younger clusters or those that have more mass in young star clusters have a higher internal pressure, indicating that clustered star formation likely plays a dominant role in setting the pressure. Finally, we estimate that only 13% of H II regions hosting young clusters and WR stars have fesc ≥ 0, which suggests that star formation taking place outside young clusters makes a non-negligible contribution to ionising H II regions.
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9. |
- Della Bruna, Lorenza, et al.
(författare)
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Stellar feedback in M83 as observed with MUSE I. Overview, an unprecedented view of the stellar and gas kinematics and evidence of outflowing gas
- 2022
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 660
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Young massive stars inject energy and momentum into the surrounding gas, creating a multi-phase interstellar medium (ISM) and regulating further star formation. The main challenge of studying stellar feedback proves to be the variety of scales spanned by this phenomenon, ranging from the immediate surrounding of the stars (H II regions, 10s pc scales) to galactic-wide kiloparsec scales.Aims. We present a large mosaic (3.8 × 3.8 kpc) of the nearby spiral galaxy M83, obtained with the MUSE instrument at ESO Very Large Telescope. The integral field spectroscopy data cover a large portion of the optical disk at a resolution of ∼20 pc, allowing the characterisation of single H II regions while sampling diverse dynamical regions in the galaxy.Methods. We obtained the kinematics of the stars and ionised gas, and compared them with molecular gas kinematics observed in CO(2-1) with the ALMA telescope array. We separated the ionised gas into H II regions and diffuse ionised gas (DIG) and investigated how the fraction of Hα luminosity originating from the DIG (fDIG) varies with galactic radius.Results. We observe that both stars and gas trace the galactic disk rotation, as well as a fast-rotating nuclear component (30″ ≃ 700 pc in diameter), likely connected to secular processes driven by the galactic bar. In the gas kinematics, we observe a stream east of the nucleus (50″ ≃ 1250 pc in size), redshifted with respect to the disk. The stream is surrounded by an extended ionised gas region (1000 × 1600 pc) with enhanced velocity dispersion and a high ionisation state, which is largely consistent with being ionised by slow shocks. We interpret this feature as either the superposition of the disk and an extraplanar layer of DIG, or as a bar-driven inflow of shocked gas. A double Gaussian component fit to the Hα line also reveals the presence of a nuclear biconic structure whose axis of symmetry is perpendicular to the bar. The two cones (20″ ≃ 500 pc in size) appear blue- and redshifted along the line of sight. The cones stand out for having an Hα emission separated by up to 200 km s−1 from that of the disk, and a high velocity dispersion ∼80–200 km s−1. At the far end of the cones, we observe that the gas is consistent with being ionised by shocks. These features had never been observed before in M83; we postulate that they are tracing a starburst-driven outflow shocking into the surrounding ISM. Finally, we obtain fDIG ∼ 13% in our field of view, and observe that the DIG contribution varies radially between 0.8 and 46%, peaking in the interarm region. We inspect the emission of the H II regions and DIG in ‘BPT’ diagrams, finding that in H II regions photoionisation accounts for 99.8% of the Hα flux, whereas the DIG has a mixed contribution from photoionisation (94.9%) and shocks (5.1%).
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10. |
- Della Bruna, Lorenza, et al.
(författare)
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Studying the ISM at ∼10 pc scale in NGC 7793 with MUSEII : Constraints on the oxygen abundance and ionising radiation escape (Corrigendum)
- 2022
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 663
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Table 3 in the original paper reports inaccurate values of Q0exp;YSC and Q0obs(and hence of the related quantities Qexp;tot, Qexptot=Qobs, and fesc). The error in Q0exp;YSC results from a mistake in the sampling of the cluster probability distribution functions (PDFs), whereas Q0obswas mistakenly computed from non-dereddened values of L(Hα). In Table 1 we provide a revised version of the original Table 3, and in Figs. 1 and 2 we show revised versions of the original Figs. 10 and 11. The revised values do not change any of the conclusions stated in the original paper. In the following we provide revised text for the affected sections. (Figure Presented).
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11. |
- Dessauges-Zavadsky, Miroslava, et al.
(författare)
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Molecular gas cloud properties at z ≃ 1 revealed by the superb angular resolution achieved with ALMA and gravitational lensing
- 2023
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 519:4, s. 6222-6238
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Current observations favour that the massive ultraviolet-bright clumps with a median stellar mass of ∼107M⊙, ubiquitously observed in z ∼ 1–3 galaxies, are star-forming regions formed in situ in galaxies. It has been proposed that they result from gas fragmentation due to gravitational instability of gas-rich, turbulent, and high-redshift discs. We bring support to this scenario by reporting the new discovery of giant molecular clouds (GMCs) in the strongly lensed, clumpy, main-sequence galaxy, A521-sys1, at z = 1.043. Its CO(4–3) emission was mapped with the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA) at an angular resolution of 0.19 × 0.16 arcsec2, reading down to 30 pc, thanks to gravitational lensing. We identified 14 GMCs, most being virialized, with 105.9−107.9M⊙ masses and a median 800M⊙ pc−2 molecular gas mass surface density, that are, respectively, 100 and 10 times higher than for nearby GMCs. They are also characterized by 10 times higher supersonic turbulence with a median Mach number of 60. They end up to fall above the Larson scaling relations, similarly to the GMCs in another clumpy z ≃ 1 galaxy, the Cosmic Snake, although differences between the two sets of high-redshift GMCs exist. Altogether they support that GMCs form with properties that adjust to the ambient interstellar medium conditions prevalent in the host galaxy whatever its redshift. The detected A521-sys1 GMCs are massive enough to be the parent gas clouds of stellar clumps, with a relatively high star formation efficiency per free-fall time of ∼11 per cent.
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12. |
- Finn, Molly K., et al.
(författare)
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ALMA-LEGUS. I. The Influence of Galaxy Morphology on Molecular Cloud Properties
- 2024
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 964:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present a comparative study of the molecular gas in two galaxies from the Legacy ExtraGalactic UV Survey (LEGUS) sample: barred spiral NGC 1313 and flocculent spiral NGC 7793. These two galaxies have similar masses, metallicities, and star formation rates, but NGC 1313 is forming significantly more massive star clusters than NGC 7793, especially young massive clusters (<10 Myr, >104M⊙). Using Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) CO(2–1) observations of the two galaxies with the same sensitivity and resolution (13 pc), we directly compare the molecular gas in these two similar galaxies to determine the physical conditions responsible for their large disparity in cluster formation. By fitting size–line width relations for the clouds in each galaxy, we find that NGC 1313 has a higher intercept than NGC 7793, implying that its clouds have higher kinetic energies at a given size scale. NGC 1313 also has more clouds near virial equilibrium than NGC 7793, which may be connected to its higher rate of massive cluster formation. However, these virially bound clouds do not show a stronger correlation with young clusters than with the general cloud population. We find surprisingly small differences between the distributions of molecular cloud populations in the two galaxies, though the largest of those differences is that NGC 1313 has higher surface densities and lower freefall times.
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13. |
- Finn, Molly K., et al.
(författare)
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ALMA-LEGUS. II. The Influence of Subgalactic Environments on Molecular Cloud Properties
- 2024
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 964:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We compare the molecular cloud properties in subgalactic regions of two galaxies, barred spiral NGC 1313, which is forming many massive clusters, and flocculent spiral NGC 7793, which is forming significantly fewer massive clusters despite having a similar star formation rate to NGC 1313. We find that there are larger variations in cloud properties between different regions within each galaxy than there are between the galaxies on a global scale, especially for NGC 1313. There are higher masses, line widths, pressures, and virial parameters in the arms of NGC 1313 and the center of NGC 7793 than in the interarm and outer regions of the galaxies. The massive cluster formation of NGC 1313 may be driven by its greater variation in environment, allowing more clouds with the necessary conditions to emerge, although no one parameter seems primarily responsible for the difference in star formation. Meanwhile NGC 7793 has clouds that are as massive and have as much kinetic energy as the clouds in the arms of NGC 1313, but have densities and pressures more similar to those in the interarm regions and so are less inclined to collapse and form stars. The cloud properties in NGC 1313 and NGC 7793 suggest that spiral arms, bars, interarm regions, and flocculent spirals each represent distinct environments with regard to molecular cloud populations. We see surprisingly little difference in surface density between the regions, suggesting that the differences in surface densities frequently seen between arm and interarm regions in lower-resolution studies are indicative of the sparsity of molecular clouds, rather than differences in their true surface density.
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14. |
- Hannon, Stephen, et al.
(författare)
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H α morphologies of star clusters in 16 LEGUS galaxies : Constraints on H II region evolution time-scales
- 2022
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Ingår i: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 512:1, s. 1294-1316
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The analysis of star cluster ages in tandem with the morphology of their H II regions can provide insight into the processes that clear a cluster’s natal gas, as well as the accuracy of cluster ages and dust reddening derived from Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) fitting. We classify 3757 star clusters in 16 nearby galaxies according to their H α morphology (concentrated, partially exposed, no emission), using Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging from the Legacy ExtraGalactic Ultraviolet Survey (LEGUS). We find: (1) The mean SED ages of clusters with concentrated (1–2 Myr) and partially exposed H II region morphologies (2–3 Myr) indicate a relatively early onset of gas clearing and a short (1–2 Myr) clearing time-scale. (2) The reddening of clusters can be overestimated due to the presence of red supergiants, which is a result of stochastic sampling of the IMF in low mass clusters. (3) The age-reddening degeneracy impacts the results of the SED fitting – out of 1408 clusters with M* ≥ 5000 M⊙, we find that at least 46 (3 per cent) have SED ages which appear significantly underestimated or overestimated based on H α and their environment, while the total percentage of poor age estimates is expected to be several times larger. (4) Lastly, we examine the dependence of the morphological classifications on spatial resolution. At HST resolution, our conclusions are robust to the distance range spanned by the sample (3–10 Mpc). However, analysis of ground-based H α images shows that compact and partially exposed morphologies frequently cannot be distinguished from each other.
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15. |
- Heyer, Mark, et al.
(författare)
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The Dense Gas Mass Fraction and the Relationship to Star Formation in M51
- 2022
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 930:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Observations of 12CO J = 1 – 0 and HCN J = 1 – 0 emission from NGC 5194 (M51) made with the 50 m Large Millimeter Telescope and the SEQUOIA focal plane array are presented. Using the HCN-to-CO ratio, we examine the dense gas mass fraction over a range of environmental conditions within the galaxy. Within the disk, the dense gas mass fraction varies along the spiral arms but the average value over all spiral arms is comparable to the mean value of interarm regions. We suggest that the near-constant dense gas mass fraction throughout the disk arises from a population of density-stratified, self-gravitating molecular clouds and the required density threshold to detect each spectral line. The measured dense gas fraction significantly increases in the central bulge in response to the effective pressure, Pe, from the weight of the stellar and gas components. This pressure modifies the dynamical state of the molecular cloud population and, possibly, the HCN-emitting regions in the central bulge from self-gravitating to diffuse configurations in which Pe is greater than the gravitational energy density of individual clouds. Diffuse molecular clouds comprise a significant fraction of the molecular gas mass in the central bulge, which may account for the measured sublinear relationships between the surface densities of the star formation rate and molecular and dense gas.
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16. |
- Jung, Dooseok Escher, et al.
(författare)
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Universal Upper End of the Stellar Initial Mass Function in the Young and Compact LEGUS Clusters
- 2023
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 954:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We investigate the variation in the upper end of the stellar initial mass function (uIMF) in 375 young and compact star clusters in five nearby galaxies within ∼5 Mpc. All the young stellar clusters (YSCs) in the sample have ages ≲ 4 Myr and masses above 500 M⊙, according to standard stellar models. The YSC catalogs were produced from Hubble Space Telescope images obtained as part of the Legacy ExtraGalactic UV Survey (LEGUS) Hubble treasury program. They are used here to test whether the uIMF is universal or changes as a function of the cluster's stellar mass. We perform this test by measuring the Hα luminosity of the star clusters as a proxy for their ionizing photon rate, and charting its trend as a function of cluster mass. Large cluster numbers allow us to mitigate the stochastic sampling of the uIMF. The advantage of our approach relative to previous similar attempts is the use of cluster catalogs that have been selected independently of the presence of Hα emission, thus removing a potential sample bias. We find that the uIMF, as traced by the Hα emission, shows no dependence on cluster mass, suggesting that the maximum stellar mass that can be produced in star clusters is universal, in agreement with previous findings.
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17. |
- Komarova, Lena, et al.
(författare)
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Haro 11 : The Spatially Resolved Lyman Continuum Sources
- 2024
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 967:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- As the nearest confirmed Lyman continuum (LyC) emitter, Haro 11 is an exceptional laboratory for studying LyC escape processes crucial to cosmic reionization. Our new Hubble Space Telescope/Cosmic Origins Spectrograph G130M/1055 observations of its three star-forming knots now reveal that the observed LyC originates in Knots B and C, with 903–912 Å luminosities of 1.9 ± 1.5 × 1040 erg s−1 and 0.9 ± 0.7 × 1040 erg s−1, respectively. We derive local escape fractions fesc,912 = 3.4% ± 2.9% and 5.1% ± 4.3% for Knots B and C, respectively. Our Starburst99 modeling shows dominant populations on the order of ∼1–4 Myr and 1–2 × 107M⊙ in each knot, with the youngest population in Knot B. Thus, the knot with the strongest LyC detection has the highest LyC production. However, LyC escape is likely less efficient in Knot B than in Knot C due to higher neutral gas covering. Our results therefore stress the importance of the intrinsic ionizing luminosity, and not just the escape fraction, for LyC detection. Similarly, the Lyα escape fraction does not consistently correlate with LyC flux, nor do narrow Lyα red peaks. High observed Lyα luminosity and low Lyα peak velocity separation, however, do correlate with higher LyC escape. Another insight comes from the undetected Knot A, which drives the Green Pea properties of Haro 11. Its density-bounded conditions suggest highly anisotropic LyC escape. Finally, both of the LyC-leaking Knots, B and C, host ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs). While stars strongly dominate over the ULXs in LyC emission, this intriguing coincidence underscores the importance of unveiling the role of accretors in LyC escape and reionization.
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18. |
- Kuruvanthodi, A., et al.
(author)
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Search strategies for supermassive stars in young clusters and application to nearby galaxies
- 2023
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In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 674
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Context. Supermassive stars (SMSs) with masses M?10(3)-10(4)M(?) formed by runaway collisions in young, massive, and dense star clusters have been invoked as a possible solution to the problem of the presence of multiple stellar populations and peculiar abundance patterns observed in globular clusters (GCs). However, no such objects have been observed so far.Aims. We aim to develop observational strategies to search for SMSs hosted within young massive clusters (thought to be the precursors of GCs) using both photometric and spectroscopic observations. Such strategies could be applicable in a relatively general fashion.Methods. We used theoretical predictions of the spectra of SMSs and SMS-hosting clusters, together with predictions from standard simple stellar populations to examine their impact on color-color diagrams and on individual optical spectral lines (primarily hydrogen emission and absorption lines). As a first step, we applied our search strategies to a sample of about 3000 young star clusters (YSCs) from two nearby galaxies with multiband observations from the HST and optical integral-field spectroscopy obtained with MUSE on the Very Large Telescope.Results. We focus on models for SMSs with large radii (corresponding to T-eff ? 7000 K), which predict strong Balmer breaks, and construct proper color-color diagrams to select the corresponding SMS-hosting cluster candidates. We show that the spectrophotometric properties of these latter are similar to those of normal clusters with ages of a few hundred million years. However, the cluster SEDs show signs of composite stellar populations due to the presence of nebular lines (Ha and others). Examining the photometry, overall SEDs, and the spectra of approximately 100 clusters with strong Balmer breaks, we find several objects with peculiar SEDs, the presence of emission lines, or other peculiar signatures. After careful inspection of the available data, we do not find good candidates of SMS-hosting clusters. In most cases, the composite spectra can be explained by multiple clusters or H II regions inside the aperture covered by the spectra, by contamination from a planetary nebula or diffuse gas, or by improper background subtraction. Furthermore, most of our candidate clusters are too faint to host SMSs.Conclusions. We demonstrate a strategy to search for SMSs by applying it to a sample of YSCs in two nearby galaxies. Our method can be applied to larger samples and also extended to higher redshifts with existing and upcoming telescopes, and therefore should provide an important test for GC-formation scenarios invoking such extreme stars.
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19. |
- Linden, S. T., et al.
(author)
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Star Cluster Formation and Evolution in M101 : An Investigation with the Legacy Extragalactic UV Survey
- 2022
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 935:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present Hubble Space Telescope WFC3/UVIS (F275W, F336W) and ACS/WFC optical (F435W, F555W, and F814W) observations of the nearby grand-design spiral galaxy M101 as part of the Legacy Extragalactic UV Survey (LEGUS). Compact sources detected in at least four bands were classified by both human experts and the convolutional neural network StarcNet. Human experts classified the 2351 brightest sources, retrieving N-c = 965 star clusters. StarcNet, trained on LEGUS data not including M101, classified all 4725 sources detected in four bands, retrieving N-c = 2270 star clusters. The combined catalog represents the most complete census to date of compact star clusters in M101. We find that for the 2351 sources with both a visual- and machine-learning classification StarcNet is able to reproduce the human classifications at high levels of accuracy (similar to 80%-90%), which is equivalent to the level of agreement between human classifiers in LEGUS. The derived cluster age distribution implies a disruption rate of dN/d tau proportional to tau(-0.45 +/- 0.14) over 10(7) < tau < 10(8.5) yr for cluster masses >= 10(3.55) M-circle dot for the central region of M101 and dN/d tau proportional to tau(-0.02 +/- 0.15) for cluster masses >= 10(3.38) M-circle dot in the northwest region of the galaxy. The trends we recover are weaker than those of other nearby spirals (e.g., M51) and starbursts, consistent with the M101 environment having a lower-density interstellar medium, and providing evidence in favor of environmentally dependent cluster disruption in the central, southeast, and northwest regions of M101.
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20. |
- Long, Knox S., et al.
(author)
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Supernova Remnants in M83 as Observed with MUSE
- 2022
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 929:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Here we describe a new study of the supernova remnants (SNRs) and SNR candidates in nearby face-on spiral galaxy M83, based primarily on MUSE integral field spectroscopy. Our revised catalog of SNR candidates in M83 has 366 objects, 81 of which are reported here for the first time. Of these, 229 lie within the MUSE observation region, 160 of which have spectra with [S ii]:Hα ratios exceeding 0.4, the value generally accepted as confirmation that an emission nebula is shock-heated. Combined with 51 SNR candidates outside the MUSE region with high [S ii]:Hα ratios, there are 211 spectroscopically confirmed SNRs in M83, the largest number of confirmed SNRs in any external galaxy. MUSE's combination of relatively high spectral resolution and broad wavelength coverage has allowed us to explore two other properties of SNRs that could serve as the basis of future SNR searches. Specifically, most of the objects identified as SNRs on the basis of [S ii]:Hα ratios exhibit more velocity broadening and lower ratios of [S iii]:[S ii] emission than H ii regions. A search for nebulae with the very broad emission lines expected from young, rapidly expanding remnants revealed none, except for the previously identified B12-174a. The SNRs identified in M83 are, with few exceptions, middle-aged interstellar medium (ISM) dominated ones. Smaller-diameter candidates show a larger range of velocity broadening and a larger range of gas densities than the larger-diameter objects, as expected if the SNRs expanding into denser gas brighten and then fade from view at smaller diameters than those expanding into a more tenuous ISM.
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21. |
- McQuaid, Timothy, et al.
(author)
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The Timescales of Star Cluster Emergence : The Case of NGC 4449
- 2024
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 967:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We survey the young star cluster population in the dwarf galaxy NGC 4449 with the goal of investigating how stellar feedback may depend on the clusters' properties. Using ultraviolet (UV)–optical–near-infrared photometry obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope, we have recovered 99 compact sources exhibiting emission in the Paβ hydrogen recombination line. Our analysis reveals these sources possess masses of 102 < M⊙ < 105, ages of 1–20 Myr, and a color excess E(B − V) in the range 0–1.4. After selecting clusters with masses above 3000 M⊙ to mitigate stochastic sampling of the stellar initial mass function, we find that our IR-selected clusters have a median mass ∼ 7 × 103 M⊙ and remain embedded in their surrounding gas and dust for 5–6 Myr. In contrast, line-emitting sources selected from existing UV/optical catalogs have a median mass ∼ 3.5 × 104 M⊙ and have cleared their surroundings by 4 Myr. We further find that the environment in NGC 4449 has too low pressure to drive these differences. We interpret these findings as evidence that the clearing timescale from presupernova and supernova feedback is cluster mass dependent. Even in clusters with masses ∼ 7000 M⊙, stochastic sampling of the upper end of the stellar initial mass function is present, randomly decreasing the number of massive stars available to inject energy and momentum into the surrounding medium. This effect may increase the clearing timescales in these clusters by decreasing the effectiveness of both presupernova and supernova feedback; neither models nor observations have so far explored such dependence explicitly. Future studies and observations with, e.g., the JWST, will fill this gap.
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22. |
- Meena, Ashish Kumar, et al.
(author)
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Two Lensed Star Candidates at z ≃ 4.8 behind the Galaxy Cluster MACS J0647.7+7015
- 2023
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In: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : American Astronomical Society. - 2041-8205 .- 2041-8213. ; 944:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report the discovery of two extremely magnified lensed star candidates behind the galaxy cluster MACS J0647.7+015 using recent multiband James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) NIRCam observations. The star candidates are seen in a previously known, zphot ≃ 4.8 dropout giant arc that straddles the critical curve. The candidates lie near the expected critical curve position, but lack clear counter-images on the other side of it, suggesting these are possibly stars undergoing caustic crossings. We present revised lensing models for the cluster, including multiply imaged galaxies newly identified in the JWST data, and use them to estimate background macro-magnifications of at least ≳90 and ≳50 at the positions of the two candidates, respectively. With these values, we expect effective, caustic-crossing magnifications of ∼[103–105] for the two star candidates. The spectral energy distributions of the two candidates match well the spectra of B-type stars with best-fit surface temperatures of ∼10,000 K, and ∼12,000 K, respectively, and we show that such stars with masses ≳20 M⊙ and ≳50 M⊙, respectively, can become sufficiently magnified to be observable. We briefly discuss other alternative explanations and conclude that these objects are likely lensed stars, but also acknowledge that the less-magnified candidate may alternatively reside in a star cluster. These star candidates constitute the second highest-redshift examples to date after Earendel at zphot ≃ 6.2, establishing further the potential of studying extremely magnified stars at high redshifts with JWST. Planned future observations, including with NIRSpec, will enable a more detailed view of these candidates in the near future.
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23. |
- Messa, Matteo, 1988-, et al.
(author)
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Multiply lensed star forming clumps in the A521-sys1 galaxy at redshift 1
- 2022
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In: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 516:2, s. 2420-2443
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We study the population of star-forming clumps in A521-sys1, a z=1.04 system gravitationally lensed by the foreground (z=0.25) cluster Abell 0521. The galaxy presents one complete counter-image with a mean magnification of μ∼4 and a wide arc containing two partial images of A521-sys1 with magnifications reaching μ>20, allowing the investigations of clumps down to scales of Reff<50 pc. We identify 18 unique clumps with a total of 45 multiple images. Intrinsic sizes and UV magnitudes reveal clumps with elevated surface brightnesses comparable to similar systems at redshifts z≳1.0. Such clumps account for ∼40per cent of the galaxy UV luminosity implying a significant fraction of the recent star-formation activity is taking place there. Clump masses range from 106 to 109 M⊙ and sizes from tens to hundreds of parsec resulting in mass surface densities from 10 to 103 M⊙ pc−2 with a median of ∼102 M⊙ pc−2. These properties suggest that we detect star formation taking place across a wide range of scale from cluster aggregates to giant star-forming complexes. We find ages of less than 100 Myr consistent with clumps being observed close to their natal region. The lack of galactocentric trends with mass, mass density, or age and the lack of old migrated clumps can be explained either by dissolution of clumps after few ∼100 Myr or by stellar evolution making them fall below the detectability limits of our data.
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24. |
- Messa, Matteo, 1988-, et al.
(author)
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Properties of the brightest young stellar clumps in extremely lensed galaxies at redshifts 4 to 5
- 2024
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In: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 529:3, s. 2162-2179
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We study the populations of stellar clumps in three high-redshift galaxies, at z = 4.92, 4.88, and 4.03, gravitationally lensed by the foreground galaxy clusters MS1358, RCS0224, and MACS0940, respectively. The lensed galaxies consist of multiple counter-images with large magnifications, mostly above ?>5 and in some cases reaching ?>20. We use rest-frame UV observations from the HST to extract and analyse their clump populations, counting 10, 3, and 11 unique sources, respectively. Most of the clumps have derived effective radii in the range ?eff=10−100 pc, with the smallest one down to 6 pc, i.e. consistent with the sizes of individual stellar clusters. Their UV magnitudes correspond to SFRUV mostly in the range 0.1−1 M⊙yr−1; the most extreme ones, reaching SFRUV=5 M⊙yr−1 are among the UV-brightest compact (?eff<100 pc) star-forming regions observed at any redshift. Clump masses span a broad range from 106 to 109M⊙; stellar mass surface densities are comparable and in many cases larger than the ones of local stellar clusters, while being typically 10 times larger in size. By compiling published properties of clump populations at similar spatial resolution between redshifts 0 and 5, we find a tentative evolution of ΣSFR and Σ?⋆ with redshift, especially when very compact clumps (?eff⩽20 pc) are considered. We suggest that these trends with redshift reflect the changes in the host galaxy environments where clumps form. Comparisons with the local universe clumps/star clusters shows that, although rare, conditions for elevated clump ΣSFR and Σ?⋆ can be found.
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25. |
- Runnholm, Axel, 1992-, et al.
(author)
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On the evolution of the size of Lyman alpha haloes across cosmic time : no change in the circumgalactic gas distribution when probed by line emission
- 2023
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In: Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. - 0035-8711 .- 1365-2966. ; 522:3, s. 4275-4293
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Lyman alpha (Ly alpha) is now routinely used as a tool for studying high-redshift galaxies, and its resonant nature means it can trace neutral hydrogen around star-forming galaxies. Integral field spectrograph measurements of high-redshift Ly alpha emitters indicate that significant extended Ly alpha halo emission is ubiquitous around such objects. We present a sample of redshift 0.23 to 0.31 galaxies observed with the Hubble Space Telescope selected to match the star formation properties of high-z samples while optimizing the observations for detection of low surface brightness Ly alpha emission. The Ly alpha escape fractions range between 0.7 and 37 per cent, and we detect extended Ly alpha emission around six out of seven targets. We find Ly alpha halo to UV scale length ratios around 6:1, which is marginally lower than high-redshift observations, and halo flux fractions between 60 and 85 per cent - consistent with high-redshift observations - when using comparable methods. However, our targets show additional extended stellar UV emission: we parametrize this with a new double exponential model. We find that this parametrization does not strongly affect the observed Ly alpha halo fractions. We find that deeper H alpha data would be required to firmly determine the origin of Ly alpha halo emission; however, there are indications that H alpha is more extended than the central FUV profile, potentially indicating conditions favourable for the escape of ionizing radiation. We discuss our results in the context of high-redshift galaxies, cosmological simulations, evolutionary studies of the circumgalactic medium in emission, and the emission of ionizing radiation.
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