The Birth of Star Clusters

The Birth of Star Clusters
Author: Steven Stahler
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 205
Release: 2017-11-04
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3319228013

Download The Birth of Star Clusters Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

All stars are born in groups. The origin of these groups has long been a key question in astronomy, one that interests researchers in star formation, the interstellar medium, and cosmology. This volume summarizes current progress in the field, and includes contributions from both theorists and observers. Star clusters appear with a wide range of properties, and are born in a variety of physical conditions. Yet the key question remains: How do diffuse clouds of gas condense into the collections of luminous objects we call stars? This book will benefit graduate students, newcomers to the field, and also experienced scientists seeking a convenient reference.

Dynamics of Young Star Clusters and Associations

Dynamics of Young Star Clusters and Associations
Author: Cathie Clarke
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 356
Release: 2015-09-11
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3662472902

Download Dynamics of Young Star Clusters and Associations Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Where do most stars (and the planetary systems that surround them) in the Milky Way form? What determines whether a young star cluster remains bound (such as an open or globular cluster), or disperses to join the field stars in the disc of the Galaxy? These questions not only impact understanding of the origins of stars and planetary systems like our own (and the potential for life to emerge that they represent), but also galaxy formation and evolution, and ultimately the story of star formation over cosmic time in the Universe. This volume will help readers understand our current views concerning the answers to these questions as well as frame new questions that will be answered by the European Space Agency's Gaia satellite that was launched in late 2013. The book contains the elaborated notes of lectures given at the 42nd Saas-Fee Advanced Course “Dynamics of Young Star Clusters & Associations" by Cathie Clarke (University of Cambridge) who presents the theory of star formation and dynamical evolution of stellar systems, Robert Mathieu (University of Wisconsin) who discusses the kinematics of star clusters and associations, and I. Neill Reid (S pace Telescope Science Institute) who provides an overview of the stellar populations in the Milky Way and speculates on from whence came the Sun. As part of the Saas-Fee Advanced Course Series, the book offers an in-depth introduction to the field serving as a starting point for Ph.D. research and as a reference work for professional astrophysicists.

Star Clusters (IAU S266)

Star Clusters (IAU S266)
Author: International Astronomical Union. Symposium
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 606
Release: 2010-02-04
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780521764995

Download Star Clusters (IAU S266) Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Star clusters are important to many areas of astronomy, and as the basic building blocks of galaxies, they can be used as key diagnostic tools within a wide range of disciplines in astrophysics. Star cluster populations are powerful tracers of the formation, assembly and evolutionary history of their parent galaxies. Although their importance has been recognised for decades, only in recent years has this area seen a major investment in time and effort. IAU Symposium 266 consolidates the expertise of leading researchers from a variety of topical subfields in astrophysics, to provide a comprehensive presentation of cutting-edge developments in theory, observations and simulations of star clusters and star cluster systems across a range of sizes and epochs. This volume gives an account of this forefront research, answering fundamental questions that will improve our understanding of numerous related issues and show how this field will take its next major step forward.

Characteristics of Young, Massive Star Clusters in Nearby Galaxies

Characteristics of Young, Massive Star Clusters in Nearby Galaxies
Author: Jenna Elizabeth Ryon
Publisher:
Total Pages: 410
Release: 2016
Genre:
ISBN:

Download Characteristics of Young, Massive Star Clusters in Nearby Galaxies Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Star formation commonly results in the production of star clusters. In recent years, observations with the Hubble Space Telescope have led to the discovery of young, massive star clusters in nearby galaxies, constituting a new class that may bridge the gap between open and globular clusters. In this thesis, I present observational studies focused on understanding the properties of young, massive cluster (YMC) populations across a range of galactic environments. Using multiwavelength HST data from the Snapshot Hubble U-band Cluster Survey, I select a high-confidence sample of YMCs in the spiral galaxy NGC 2997 and perform photometry. I characterize the physical properties of the YMC population, including determining the luminosity and mass functions, age distribution, and efficiency of cluster formation. This work helps to establish that in relatively quiescent spiral galaxies, YMCs tend to form with efficiencies of ~10%, and can survive for at least a few hundred Myr. I then present a study of star formation associated with giant gas filaments surrounding NGC 1275, the central galaxy in the Perseus galaxy cluster. I identify a population of YMCs embedded in "streaks" of stars using far-ultraviolet and optical data from HST. These objects may form when the galactic-scale gas filaments slow their expansion and become gravitationally unstable in the outer regions of the galaxy. This work shows that cluster formation can proceed relatively normally in unusual environments, and may form isolated clusters in the outskirts of galaxies. Finally, I focus on the structural properties of YMC populations in two studies. In the first, I measure the effective (half-light) radii, core radii, and light profiles of ~200 YMCs in seven adjacent HST fields on the spiral galaxy M83. In the second, I build upon the findings in the first using YMC samples from two spiral galaxies in the Legacy Extragalactic UV Survey, NGC 628 and NGC 1313. These studies imply that YMCs emerge from early evolution with similar radii, typically 2-3 pc, and are not strongly affected by their local environment.

Characteristics of Young, Massive Star Clusters in Nearby Galaxies

Characteristics of Young, Massive Star Clusters in Nearby Galaxies
Author: Jenna Elizabeth Ryon
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2016
Genre:
ISBN:

Download Characteristics of Young, Massive Star Clusters in Nearby Galaxies Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Star formation commonly results in the production of star clusters. In recent years, observations with the Hubble Space Telescope have led to the discovery of young, massive star clusters in nearby galaxies, constituting a new class that may bridge the gap between open and globular clusters. In this thesis, I present observational studies focused on understanding the properties of young, massive cluster (YMC) populations across a range of galactic environments. Using multiwavelength HST data from the Snapshot Hubble U-band Cluster Survey, I select a high-confidence sample of YMCs in the spiral galaxy NGC 2997 and perform photometry. I characterize the physical properties of the YMC population, including determining the luminosity and mass functions, age distribution, and efficiency of cluster formation. This work helps to establish that in relatively quiescent spiral galaxies, YMCs tend to form with efficiencies of ~10%, and can survive for at least a few hundred Myr. I then present a study of star formation associated with giant gas filaments surrounding NGC 1275, the central galaxy in the Perseus galaxy cluster. I identify a population of YMCs embedded in "streaks" of stars using far-ultraviolet and optical data from HST. These objects may form when the galactic-scale gas filaments slow their expansion and become gravitationally unstable in the outer regions of the galaxy. This work shows that cluster formation can proceed relatively normally in unusual environments, and may form isolated clusters in the outskirts of galaxies. Finally, I focus on the structural properties of YMC populations in two studies. In the first, I measure the effective (half-light) radii, core radii, and light profiles of ~200 YMCs in seven adjacent HST fields on the spiral galaxy M83. In the second, I build upon the findings in the first using YMC samples from two spiral galaxies in the Legacy Extragalactic UV Survey, NGC 628 and NGC 1313. These studies imply that YMCs emerge from early evolution with similar radii, typically 2-3 pc, and are not strongly affected by their local environment