Related papers: F06296$+$5743 : A Very Massive Starburster ?
Post-starburst galaxies can be identified via the presence of prominent Hydrogen Balmer absorption lines in their spectra. We present a comprehensive study of the origin of strong Balmer lines in a volume-limited sample of 189 galaxies with…
We report the results of a spectroscopic investigation of a sample of 20 of the brightest type 2 Seyfert nuclei. Our goal is to search for the direct spectroscopic signature of massive stars, and thereby probe the role of circumnuclear…
We report the discovery of a spectacular ``post-starburst quasar'' UN J1025-0040 (B=19; z=0.634). The optical spectrum is a chimera, displaying the broad Mg II emission line and strong blue continuum characteristic of quasars, but is…
Starburst galaxies are powered by massive stars. These stars dominate the heating and enrichment with heavy elements of the interstellar medium, gas out of which new stars form. Thus, high-mass stars, and in consequence starburst galaxies,…
Stellar population models to predict the H Balmer and HeI lines in absorption are presented. Models are computed for burst and continuous star formation. It is found that the Balmer and HeI line profiles are sensitive to the age, except…
The optical/near-IR stellar continuum carries unique information about the stellar population in a galaxy, its mass function and star-formation history. Star-forming regions display rich emission-line spectra from which we can derive the…
High quality infrared spectra of active galaxies including the stellar absorption features of Si at 1.59 um, CO(6,3) at 1.62 um, and CO(2,0) at 2.29 um are used to measure the stellar mass to light ratio at 1.65 um (M_H/L) and investigate…
The duration of starbursts is important for determining how they are regulated and the impact they have on their environment. Starbursts contain numerous prominent star clusters which typically comprise in total ~20% of the ultraviolet…
We have obtained high-spatial resolution ultraviolet and optical STIS spectroscopy and imaging of the metal-rich nuclear starburst in NGC3049. The stellar continuum and the absorption line spectrum in the ultraviolet are used to constrain…
We present optical spectra of the nuclei of seven luminous (P(178MHz) > 10**25 W Hz**(-1) Sr**(-1)) nearby (z<0.08) radiogalaxies, which mostly correspond to the FR II class. In two cases, Hydra A and 3C 285, the Balmer and 4000A break…
Recent observations supported by theoretical models have lead to the view that giant and supergiant stars are over abundant, and/or a high metallicity component may be present, in the stellar populations at the centres of active galaxies.…
Nearby starburst galaxies have consistently shown anomalous Ly-alpha/H-beta ratios. By re-analysing the published IUE/optical observations, we show that most starbursts present a normal Ly-alpha emission, consistent with case B…
Nuclear physics offers us a powerful tool: using nuclear resonance absorption lines to infer the physical conditions in astrophysical settings which are otherwise difficult to deduce. Present-day technology provides an increase in…
Active galaxies are often associated with starbursts, which are possible sources of fuelling for the nuclear black holes. By means of optical (3500-7500 A) spectroscopic and narrow-band photometric data (H_alpha+[NII]6548,6583 and…
Recent observational and theoretical results on starburst galaxies related to the wavelength regime below 1200 A are discussed. The review covers stars, dust, as well as hot and cold gas. This wavelength region follows trends similar to…
We report the discovery of robust spectroscopically confirmed Balmer break (BB) galaxies and candidates, with secure spectroscopic redshifts $7.1 \le z \le 9.6$ from publicly available JWST extra-galactic photometric and spectroscopic…
The efficient use of near-IR data in studies of external stellar populations depends on our ability to recognize the nature of the predominant sources of light, and to interprete these findings in terms of age and metallicity. Here we focus…
We have obtained 1-2 A resolution optical Echellette spectra of the nuclear star cluster in the nearby starburst galaxy NGC 4449. The light is clearly dominated by a very young (6-10 Myr) population of stars. For our age dating, we have…
We study the physical origin and spectroscopic impact of extreme nebular emission in high-redshift galaxies. The nebular continuum, which can appear during an extreme starburst, is of particular importance as it tends to redden UV slopes…
Spitzer-MIPS 24 micron and ground-based observations of the rich galaxy cluster Abell 851 at z=0.41 are used to derive star formation rates from the mid-IR 24 micron and from [O II] 3727 emission. Many cluster galaxies have SFR(24…