A close view of Galactic Starburst Clusters
Abstract
Galactic starburst clusters represent the most extreme mode of present-day star formation in the Milky Way, and are ideal laboratories for studies over the entire stellar mass range from less then 0.1 to more than 120 solar masses. We report on the results of our adaptive optics and HST high angular resolution studies comprising both multi-epoch astrometric monitoring of the cluster's internal and external dynamics, and the photometric and spectroscopic characterization of their stellar populations. Among the most surprising results are i) the distinct motions of Galactic Center starburst clusters with respect to the field, ii) the strict coevality of star formation in the spiral arm clusters NGC 3603 YC and Westerlund 1, and iii) the close agreement between dynamical and photometric mass estimates for each of the clusters (indicating that the clusters are dynamically stable and could survive for extended periods of time).
- Publication:
-
Protostars and Planets VI Posters
- Pub Date:
- July 2013
- Bibcode:
- 2013prpl.conf1K006B