Spitzer Space Telescope - Archive Research Proposal #30844


The Formation and Early Evolution of Star Clusters

Principal Investigator: Kelsey Johnson
           Institution: University of Virginia

Co-Investigators: 
Amy Reines, University of Virginia                                    
William Vacca, NASA-Ames                                              
Andrea Gilbert, IGPP/LLNL                                             

Science Category: starburst galaxies 
Dollars Approved: 75460.0 

Abstract:
Super star clusters are one of the most extreme star forming
environments in the universe, and an important mode of star formation
during the cataclysmic events of galaxy merging and assembly.  These
clusters are also important agents of galactic evolution in the local
universe, and can have violently disruptive effects on their host
galaxies.  Despite the importance of super star clusters throughout
the universe, the physical conditions and environments required for
their formation are almost completely unconstrained by existing
observations.  Based on a recently completed radio survey, we have
identified a number of candidate extremely young (natal) super star
clusters in a sample of nearby starburst galaxies.  These sources are
still embedded in their natal dust cocoons.  We are proposing to add
archival Spitzer data to our radio results in order to construct the
SEDs of these thermal sources and determine their physical properties.
By combining the radio, Spitzer mid-infrared, and near-IR data with
3-D radiation transfer codes, our proposed program will address
critical issues related to the birth and early evolution of super star
clusters.  Using IRAC and MIPS imaging along with IRS spectroscopy, we
will investigate the properties of the birth environments, the
physical parameters of the embedded stellar clusters and their natal
cocoons, and the timescales involved in their formation.  The results
from this project will ultimately provide insight into star formation
and galactic evolution throughout the universe.