The Mass Functions of Young Massive Star Clusters: Adaptive Optics in Crowded Fields
Nate McCrady (UCLA)
Star clusters are the dominant form of star formation, particularly in regions of extreme physical conditions such as galaxy mergers and starbursts. Circumstantial evidence suggests that a large fraction of these clusters rapidly fall apart around an age of 10 Myr. Theory suggests that dispersal of cluster stars leads to the distinct stellar populations of galaxies. Key insights into this process of cluster formation and dispersal are provided by the mass functions of the member stars (the IMF) and of the clusters themselves. Detailed observations of the stellar content of young massive clusters requires very high angular resolution. I will present adaptive optics images of young massive clusters in nearby starbursts and in the extreme environment of the Galactic Center. The unprecedented resolution of these images enables us to characterize the IMF in the clusters and investigate the relationbetween the clusters and the ambient stellar population.
Host: Josh Simon
Nate McCrady (UCLA)
Star clusters are the dominant form of star formation, particularly in regions of extreme physical conditions such as galaxy mergers and starbursts. Circumstantial evidence suggests that a large fraction of these clusters rapidly fall apart around an age of 10 Myr. Theory suggests that dispersal of cluster stars leads to the distinct stellar populations of galaxies. Key insights into this process of cluster formation and dispersal are provided by the mass functions of the member stars (the IMF) and of the clusters themselves. Detailed observations of the stellar content of young massive clusters requires very high angular resolution. I will present adaptive optics images of young massive clusters in nearby starbursts and in the extreme environment of the Galactic Center. The unprecedented resolution of these images enables us to characterize the IMF in the clusters and investigate the relationbetween the clusters and the ambient stellar population.
Host: Josh Simon