Related papers: Hidden Trigger for the Giant Starburst Arc in M 83…
The last tidal encounter between M82 and M81, some 500 Myr ago, had a major impact on what was probably an otherwise normal, quiescent disc galaxy. It caused a concentrated burst of star formation in the form of massive star clusters, which…
We report new near-IR integral field spectroscopy of the central starburst region of the barred spiral galaxy M83 obtained with CIRPASS on Gemini-S, which we analyse in conjunction with GHaFaS Fabry-Perot data, an AAT IRIS2 Ks-band image,…
The origin of a regular, 600 pc-long arc of young stars and clusters in the Constellation III region of the Large Magellanic Cloud is considered. The circular form of this arc suggests that the prestellar gas was uniformly swept up by a…
Using new HST imaging, we identify a large, evolved system of super star clusters in a disk region just outside the starburst core in the prototypical starburst galaxy M82, ``M82 B.'' This region has been suspected to be a fossil starburst…
Stellar kinematics show no evidence of hidden mass concentrations at the centre of M83. We show the clearest evidence yet of an age gradient along the starburst arc and interpret the arc to have formed from orbital motion away from a…
Starburst galaxies, like M82, launch kiloparsec-scale galactic outflows that interact with the circumgalactic medium (CGM) in complex ways. Apart from enriching the CGM with metals and energy, these outflows may trigger star formation in…
We combine VLT/ISAAC NIR spectroscopy with archival HST/WFPC2 and HST/NICMOS imaging to study the central 20"x20" of M83. Our NIR indices for clusters in the circumnuclear star-burst region are inconsistent with simple instantaneous burst…
Young massive stars or clusters are often observed at the peripheries of HII regions. What triggers star formation at such locations? Among the scenarios that have been proposed, the `collect and collapse' process is particularly attractive…
An overview of our current understanding of the formation and evolution of star clusters is given, with main emphasis on high-mass clusters. Clusters form deeply embedded within dense clouds of molecular gas. Left-over gas is cleared within…
Strong bursts of star formation in galaxies may be triggered either by internal or external mechanisms. We study the distribution and kinematics of the HI gas in the outer regions of 18 nearby starburst dwarf galaxies, that have accurate…
We investigate the distribution of bright main sequence stars near the northern edge of the M33 disk. Clustering on sub-kpc scales is seen among stars with ages near 10 Myr, and two large star-forming complexes are identified. Similar…
Recent studies have shown that an extended main-sequence turn-off is a common feature among intermediate-age clusters (1--3 Gyr) in the Magellanic Clouds. Multiple-generation star formation and stellar rotation or interacting binaries have…
A massive young star cluster, initially embedded in its parent molecular cloud, will spiral into the Galactic Center from $\lta 30m_6^{1/2}\pc$ during the life-time of its most massive stars, if the combined total mass is $\sim…
The center of our galaxy is home to a massive black hole, SgrA*, and a nuclear star cluster containing stellar populations of various ages. While the late type stars may be too old to have retained memory of their initial orbital…
Star formation is triggered in essentially three ways: (1) the pressures from existing stars collect and squeeze nearby dense gas into gravitationally unstable configurations, (2) random compression from supersonic turbulence makes new…
The mere existence of multiple stellar generations in Milky Way globular clusters indicates that each generation was unable to stop star formation, that instead persisted unimpeded for several million years. This evidence argues for an…
The giant galaxies located at the centers of cluster cooling flows are frequently sites of vigorous star formation. In some instances, star formation appears to have been triggered by the galaxy's radio source. The colors and spectral…
The presence of young massive stars orbiting on eccentric rings within a few tenths of a parsec of the supermassive black hole in the Galactic centre is challenging for theories of star formation. The high tidal shear from the black hole…
The supermassive black hole candidate at the Galactic Center is surrounded by a parsec-scale star cluster, which contains a number of early type stars. The presence of such stars has been called a "paradox of youth" as star formation in the…
High-mass stars are commonly found in stellar clusters promoting the idea that their formation occurs due to the physical processes linked with a young stellar cluster. It has recently been reported that isolated high-mass stars are present…