Dissecting the star cluster population in M51: the LEGUS view
Abstract
Stellar clusters are the products of star formation at the most dense peaks of its hierarchy. Their properties can help understanding how the star formation process proceeds in regions where the gas is dense and strongly bound. Recent studies have shown that the properties of clusters can change as a function of the environment where they form and evolve, implying that the star formation process can be affected by the environment inside galaxies. In this work we study the mass function of the cluster population in the M51 galaxy at sub-galactic scales. A comparison with the mass function of giant molecular clouds is also carried out to understand how the environment can locally affect the cluster properties.
- Publication:
-
Memorie della Societa Astronomica Italiana
- Pub Date:
- 2017
- Bibcode:
- 2017MmSAI..88..645M
- Keywords:
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- Galaxies: star clusters: general;
- Galaxies: star formation