Massive young star clusters and OB associations (M > 10 000 Msun) dominate the energetic feedback from stars into the interstellar medium. They contain the most massive and luminous stars in the Galaxy, which shape their environments through winds, ionizing flux, radiation pressure, and eventually supernovae, destroying their natal molecular clouds and inflating superbubbles. Few such clusters have been identified in our Galaxy. We systematically investigate the most luminous H II regions, which we identify using the WMAP foreground maps. We find that the 13 most luminous sources produce one-third of the Galaxy’s total ionizing luminosity, all with expected powering populations of M > 40 000 Msun. These populations are grouped in small numbers of clusters or associations for each WMAP source. The emission from these regions is dominated by the diffuse component at large radii (∼10-70 pc) indicating a high leaking fraction of ionizing photons. Using 8 μm maps from Spitzer GLIMPSE and published radio recombination line observations, we resolve the large (> 1◦) WMAP sources into 40 star forming complexes (SFCs) exhibiting shell morphology with evidence of expansion due to a central powering source. We develop a method, based on differential extinction of the galactic disk, to identify the SFC’s powering cluster candidates with 2MASS. We identify 22 cluster candidates within the 40 SFCs having extinctions consistent with their distances. With near-infrared spectroscopy from the New Technology Telescope, we have confirmed the existence of the most massive of these associations, the Dragonfish Association, with M = 100 000 Msun. Of the 50 sampled stars, we identify 2 Luminous Blue Variable candidates, a Wolf-Rayet, and 15 O-type stars, consistent with the yield expected from the candidate contamination rate, verifying the candidate cluster identification method. This investigation doubles the number of massive young star clusters and OB associations known and produces the most complete picture of the upper end of the Galaxy’s cluster mass function to date.

Daugėjant įrodymų, kad žvaigždės formuojasi spiečiais, jų masių funkcijos ir evoliucijos savybes kol kas galima nustatyti empiriniais stebėjimais. Tačiau tirti žvaigždėdaros procesą mūsų Galaktikoje galima ribotai. Andromedos galaktika (M31) yra artimiausia žvaigždžių sistema, panaši į Galaktiką. Todėl ji tinkamiausia žvaigždžių spiečių populiacijai tirti, tačiau ilgą laiką buvo tirta ribotai dėl tankių žvaigždžių laukų stebėjimo sudėtingumo. Naudojant „Subaru“ teleskopo Suprime-Cam plataus lauko nuotraukas, buvo ištirti žvaigždžių spiečiai M31 galaktikos disko srityje, kuri pagal cheminę sudėtį, žvaigždinį tankį ir mažą žvaigždėdaros spartą yra analogiška Saulės aplinkai mūsų Galaktikoje. Buvo sukurti, išbandyti ir pritaikyti duomenų analizės metodai ir programos tankiems plataus lauko vaizdams apdoroti ir pusiau išskiriamų žvaigždžių spiečių evoliuciniams parametrams nustatyti. Pagrindiniai rezultatai: (1) žvaigždžių spiečių formavimosi spartos sustiprėjimas M31 galaktikoje įvyko prieš ~70 mln. m.; (2) maždaug 10% žvaigždžių spiečių gyvena ilgiau nei 100 mln. m.; (3) būdingoji ~10^4 Saulės masių spiečiaus gyvavimo trukmė yra ~300 mln. m.; (4) žvaigždžių spiečių masių pasiskirstymas panašus į kitų mažos žvaigždėdaros spartos galaktikų žvaigždžių spiečių pasiskirstymą ir jį gerai nusako Schechter'io funkcija, kurios charakteringoji masė ~2x10^5 Saulės masių. Tai rodo, kad M31 galaktikoje yra gausi vidutinės masės žvaigždžių spiečių populiacija, kuri mūsų Galaktikoje yra... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Observational evidence that star formation proceeds in a clustered manner raises a question on the mass function of star clusters and their evolution. However, we have a limited scope of these processes in the Milky Way galaxy. The M31 galaxy is the nearest stellar system similar to our Galaxy, therefore, it is the most suitable one to provide clues for understanding the star cluster population and the evolution of galactic structures. However, detailed study of stellar populations and star clusters is a challenging task for ground-based observations due to crowded stellar fields. Using Subaru telescope Suprime-Cam wide-field images, a survey of clusters was carried out in the disk region of the M31 galaxy southwest field, which is a close analogue to that of the Solar neighborhood in terms of chemical composition, stellar density, and quiescent star formation. Data analysis methods and programs were developed, tested, and applied for crowded wide-field image reduction and evolutionary parameter determination of semi-resolved star clusters. The main results are: (1) enhanced star cluster formation activity in M31 occurred ~70 Myr ago; (2) approximately 10% of stars born in star clusters remain there at 100 Myr age; (3) the characteristic lifetime of a cluster of ~10^4 solar masses mass is ~300 Myr; (4) the mass function of star clusters in M31 is similar to that in other low star formation activity galaxies and it is best described by the Schechter's function with a... [to full text]

Although the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) has compiled an unprecedented amount of photometric data on stellar populations in the Milky Way, it is not presently possible to accurately and consistently interpret these data due to the lack of precise fiducial stellar sequences and color-temperature relations for the new 'u'g'r'i'z' photo-metric system. In order to address these deficiencies, this study describes an extensive observational project that has obtained high-quality and homogeneous photometry for a number of different Galactic star clusters spanning a wide range in meta.llicity (-2.5 ≤ [Fe/H] ≤ +0.3), as observed in the u'g'r'i'z' passbands with the MegaCam wide-field imager on the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. By employing these purest of stellar populations, fiducial sequences have been defined from color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) that. extend from the tip of the RGB down to approximately 4 magnitudes below the turnoff points: these have been accurately calibrated to the standard u'g'r'i'z` system via a set of secondary photometric standards located within these same clusters. Consequently, they can serve as a valuable set of empirical fiducials for the interpretation of stellar populations data in the system, as well as calibrators for the transformation of stellar isochrones to the u'g'r'i'z' bandpasses. In fact. when a new grid of theoretical color-Teff relations and bolometric corrections for the system is computed from Kurucz model atmospheres and employed to translate isochrones to the observed planes, generally very good and consistent fits to the CMDs of the metal-poor ([Fe/H] <0.0) globular clusters M 92, M 13, and M 71 are found, once reasonable estimates of the cluster parameters are assumed (the only obvious discrepancy is a shift of ~ 0.01 - 0.03 mag between the predicted and observed giant branches when the models are fitted to the main sequences). More-over, the same isochrone fits are entirely consistent with those inferred from cluster observations in other photometric systems - notably, the BV(RI) , and uvby systems. At the metal-rich end ([Fe/H] ≥ 0.0), however. these transformations fail to match the observed loci of cool, main-sequence stars (Teff ≤ 5000K) in the open clusters M 67 and NGC 6791. An exploration into possible causes of these discrepancies is provided.

Massive young star clusters and OB associations (M > 10 000 Msun) dominate the energetic feedback from stars into the interstellar medium. They contain the most massive and luminous stars in the Galaxy, which shape their environments through winds, ionizing flux, radiation pressure, and eventually supernovae, destroying their natal molecular clouds and inflating superbubbles. Few such clusters have been identified in our Galaxy. We systematically investigate the most luminous H II regions, which we identify using the WMAP foreground maps. We find that the 13 most luminous sources produce one-third of the Galaxy’s total ionizing luminosity, all with expected powering populations of M > 40 000 Msun. These populations are grouped in small numbers of clusters or associations for each WMAP source. The emission from these regions is dominated by the diffuse component at large radii (∼10-70 pc) indicating a high leaking fraction of ionizing photons. Using 8 μm maps from Spitzer GLIMPSE and published radio recombination line observations, we resolve the large (> 1◦) WMAP sources into 40 star forming complexes (SFCs) exhibiting shell morphology with evidence of expansion due to a central powering source. We develop a method, based on differential extinction of the galactic disk, to identify the SFC’s powering cluster candidates with 2MASS. We identify 22 cluster candidates within the 40 SFCs having extinctions consistent with their distances. With near-infrared spectroscopy from the New Technology Telescope, we have confirmed the existence of the most massive of these associations, the Dragonfish Association, with M = 100 000 Msun. Of the 50 sampled stars, we identify 2 Luminous Blue Variable candidates, a Wolf-Rayet, and 15 O-type stars, consistent with the yield expected from the candidate contamination rate, verifying the candidate cluster identification method. This investigation doubles the number of massive young star clusters and OB associations known and produces the most complete picture of the upper end of the Galaxy’s cluster mass function to date.

Luminous Blue compact galaxies (BCGs) are metal-poor actively star-forming systems, characterised by bright ultraviolet and blue luminosities. Hubble Space Telescope high-resolution data have revealed that the luminous star-forming knots in these galaxies are composed of hundreds of young massive star clusters. In this work we present a systematic study of the star cluster populations in BCGs with important implications for the formation history of their host systems. The studied galaxies show recently increased star formation rates and a high fraction of massive clusters, probably as a result of minor/major merger events. The age distributions have a peak of cluster formation at only 3 - 4 Myr, unveiling a unique sample of clusters still partially embedded. A considerable fraction of clusters (30 - 50 %), mainly younger than 10 Myr, shows an observed flux excess between 0.8 and 2.2 μm. This so-called near-infrared (NIR) excess is impossible to reproduce even with the most recent spectral synthesis models (that include a self-consistent treatment of the photoionized gas). The origin of the NIR excess, which still remains unexplained, challenges our understanding of the cluster formation process under extreme conditions. The results achieved in this work have produced important insights into the cluster formation process in BCGs. We suggest that the BCG environment has most likely favoured the compression and collapse of giant molecular clouds into compact massive star clusters. The cluster formation efficiency (i.e., the fraction of star formation happening in star clusters) in BCGs is higher than the reported 8 - 10 %, for quiescent spirals and local star-forming galaxies. Luminous BCGs have a cluster formation efficiency comparable to luminous infrared galaxies and spiral starburst nuclei (the averaged value is  about 30 %), suggesting an important role of the merger event in the cluster formation. / At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 4: Accepted. Paper 5: Manuscript. Paper 6: Manuscript.

We combine state-of-the-art models for the production of stellar radiation and its transfer through the interstellar medium (ISM) to investigate ultraviolet-line diagnostics of stars, the ionized and the neutral ISM in star-forming galaxies. We start by assessing the reliability of our stellar population synthesis modelling by fitting absorption-line indices in the ISM-free ultraviolet spectra of 10 Large Magellanic Cloud clusters. In doing so, we find that neglecting stochastic sampling of the stellar initial mass function in these young (similar to 10-100 Myr), low-mass clusters affects negligibly ultraviolet-based age and metallicity estimates but can lead to significant overestimates of stellar mass. Then, we proceed and develop a simple approach, based on an idealized description of the main features of the ISM, to compute in a physically consistent way the combined influence of nebular emission and interstellar absorption on ultraviolet spectra of star-forming galaxies. Our model accounts for the transfer of radiation through the ionized interiors and outer neutral envelopes of short-lived stellar birth clouds, as well as for radiative transfer through a diffuse intercloud medium. We use this approach to explore the entangled signatures of stars, the ionized and the neutral ISM in ultraviolet spectra of star-forming galaxies. We find that, aside from a few notable exceptions, most standard ultraviolet indices defined in the spectra of ISM-free stellar populations are prone to significant contamination by the ISM, which increases with metallicity. We also identify several nebular-emission and interstellar-absorption features, which stand out as particularly clean tracers of the different phases of the ISM.

Recently acquired WFC3 UV (F275W and F336W) imaging mosaics under the Legacy Extragalactic UV Survey (LEGUS), combined with archival ACS data of M51, are used to study the young star cluster (YSC) population of this interacting system. Our newly extracted source catalogue contains 2834 cluster candidates, morphologically classified to be compact and uniform in colour, for which ages, masses and extinction are derived. In this first work we study the main properties of the YSC population of the whole galaxy, considering a mass-limited sample. Both luminosity and mass functions follow a power-law shape with slope -2, but at high luminosities and masses a dearth of sources is observed. The analysis of the mass function suggests that it is best fitted by a Schechter function with slope -2 and a truncation mass at 1.00 +/- 0.12 x 10(5) M-circle dot . Through Monte Carlo simulations, we confirm this result and link the shape of the luminosity function to the presence of a truncation in the mass function. A mass limited age function analysis, between 10 and 200 Myr, suggests that the cluster population is undergoing only moderate disruption. We observe little variation in the shape of the mass function at masses above 1 x 10(4) M-circle dot over this age range. The fraction of star formation happening in the form of bound clusters in M51 is similar to 20 per cent in the age range 10-100 Myr and little variation is observed over the whole range from 1 to 200 Myr.

We present results from a study of protoglobular cluster candidates in the interacting galaxy system Arp 284 (NGC 7714/5) using data from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Previous studies of the Antennae and M51 have suggested that the majority of young massive star clusters dissolve within 20 Myr due to mass loss. We use the evolutionary synthesis code starburst99 to estimate ages and extinctions for approximately 175 clusters visible with HST. We also use lower resolution Galaxy Evolution Explorer and ground-based Hα data to estimate the ages of the giant H ii regions in which these clusters are found, and compare the Spitzer colours of these H ii regions to those of star-forming regions in other interacting systems. The ages are also used to aid in the interpretation of Chandra X-ray data. Clusters in the tidal tails of NGC 7714 are generally found to have ages less than 20 Myr, though observational limits make the significance of this result uncertain. Older clusters, though not numerous, have nearly the same spatial distribution within the imaged portion of NGC 7714 as young clusters. The cluster population in the bridge connecting the two galaxies appears to be older, but the data in this part of the system are too limited to draw firm conclusions. The ages of the giant H ii regions in NGC 7714 are generally older than those of their constituent clusters, possibly indicating that the young clusters we detect are surrounded by their dispersed predecessors.

We present an empirical assessment of the use of broad-band optical colours as age indicators for unresolved extragalactic clusters and investigate stochastic sampling effects on integrated colours. We use the integrated properties of Galactic open clusters (OCs) as models for unresolved extragalactic clusters. The population synthesis code Starburst99 (SB99) and four optical colours were used to estimate how well we can recover the ages of 62 well-studied Galactic OCs with published ages. We provide a method for estimating the ages of unresolved clusters and for reliably determining the uncertainties in the age estimates. Our results support earlier conclusions based on comparisons to synthetic clusters, namely the (U - B) colour is critical to the estimation of the ages of star-forming regions. We compare the observed optical colours with those obtained from SB99 using the published ages and get good agreement. The scatter in the (B - V)observed - (B - V)model is larger for lower luminosity clusters, perhaps due to stochastic effects.

Using Hubble Space Telescope (HST) WFPC2 images, we have obtained U, B, V, I, and Ha photometry for 76 star clusters in the nuclear star-forming ring of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 4314. These clusters are likely associated with an inner inner Lindblad resonance (IILR). The blue colors and Ha emission for most of these clusters imply very young ages of 1-15 Myr. Age estimates based on several reddening-free parameters indicate that the present epoch of star formation has lasted at least 30 Myr. By estimating the masses of stars in the clusters and comparing with the Ha luminosity, we conclude that a significant fraction of ongoing star formation in the nuclear ring of NGC 4314 occurs in clusters. The cluster masses identify these as young open clusters, not young globular clusters. Farther out in the galaxy, just exterior to the ring of young stars, previous ground-based observations revealed two symmetric stellar spiral arms that may be associated with an outer inner Lindblad resonance (OILR). With our HST data, we have revealed part of this structure and its colors in more detail. The spiral arm colors are consistent with stellar ages between 40 and 200 Myr. The age difference between the inner ring of young stars (IILR) and the larger oval-like feature containing the blue arms (OILR) supports an interpretation of the morphology of the nuclear region of NGC 4314 that requires a reservoir of gas that becomes more compact over time. We speculate that as the gas distribution becomes more centrally concentrated, it interacts with these two resonances. Each resonance triggers star formation, resulting in two distinct epochs of star formation.