Bibcode
DOI
Melo, V. P.; Muñoz-Tuñón, C.; Maíz-Apellániz, J.; Tenorio-Tagle, G.
Bibliographical reference
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 619, Issue 1, pp. 270-290.
Advertised on:
1
2005
Journal
Citations
75
Refereed citations
64
Description
Recent results from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) have resolved
starbursts as collections of compact young stellar clusters. Here we
present a photometric catalog of the young stellar clusters in the
nuclear starburst of M82, observed with the HST WFPC2 in Hα
(F656N) and in four optical broadband filters. We identify 197 young
super stellar clusters. The compactness and high density of the sources
led us to develop specific techniques to measure their sizes. Strong
extinction lanes divide the starburst into five different zones, and we
provide a catalog of young super star clusters for each of these. In the
catalog we include relative coordinates, radii, fluxes, luminosities,
masses, equivalent widths, extinctions, and other parameters. Extinction
values have been derived from the broadband images. The radii range
between 3 and 9 pc, with a mean value of 5.7+/-1.4 pc, and a stellar
mass between 104 and 106 Msolar. The
inferred masses and mean separation, comparable to the size of the super
star clusters, together with their high volume density, provide strong
evidence for the key ingredients postulated by Tenorio-Tagle and
coworkers as required for the development of a supergalactic wind.
Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope,
obtained from the data archive at the Space Telescope Science Institute.
STScI is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in
Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555.