375 research outputs found
A New Giant Branch Clump Structure In the Large Magellanic Cloud
We present Washington C, T1 CCD photometry of 21 fields located in the
northern part of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), and spread over a region of
more than 2.52 degrees approximately 6 degrees from the bar. The surveyed areas
were chosen on the basis of their proximity to SL 388 and SL 509, whose fields
showed the presence of a secondary giant clump, observationally detected by
Bica et al. (1998, AJ, 116, 723). From the collected data we found that most of
the observed field CMDs do not show a separate secondary clump, but rather a
continuous vertical structure (VS), which is clearly seen for the first time.
Its position and size are nearly the same throughout the surveyed regions: it
lies below the Red Giant Clump (RGC) and extends from the bottom of the RGC to
approximately 0.45 mag fainter, spanning the bluest color range of the RGC. The
more numerous the VS stars in a field, the larger the number of LMC giants in
the same zone. Our analysis demonstrate that VS stars belong to the LMC and are
most likely the consequence of some kind of evolutionary process in the LMC,
particularly in those LMC regions with a noticeable large giant population. Our
results suggest that in order to trigger the formation of VS stars, there
should be other conditions besides the appropriate age, metallicity, and the
necessary red giant star density. Indeed, stars satisfying the requisites
mentioned above are commonly found throughout the LMC, but the VS phenomenon is
only clearly seen in some isolated regions. Finally, the fact that clump stars
have an intrinsic luminosity dispersion further constrains the use of the clump
magnitude as a reliable distance indicator.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figures, 3 tables; to be published in AJ, Dec. issu
Extreme Galactic-Winds and Starburst in IR Mergers and IR QSOs
We report -as a part of a long-term study of mergers and IR QSOs- detailed
spectroscopic evidences for outflow (OF) and/or Wolf Rayet features in: (i) low
velocity OF in the ongoing mergers NGC 4038/39 and IRAS 23128-5919; (ii)
extreme velocity OF (EVOF) in the QSOs IRAS 01003-2238 and IRAS 13218+0552;
(iii) OF and EVOF in a complete sample of ultra-luminous IR galaxies/QSOs ("The
IRAS 1 Jy MKO-KPNO Survey", of 118 objects). We found EVOF in IRAS 11119+3257,
14394+5332, 15130+1958 and 15462-0450. The OF components detected in these
objects were mainly associated to starburst processes: i.e., to galactic-winds
generated in multiple type II SN explosions and massive stars. The EVOF were
detected in objects with strong starburst plus obscured IR QSOs; which suggest
that interaction of both processes could generate EVOF. In addition, we analyze
the presence of Wolf Rayet features in the large sample of Bright PG-QSOs
(Boroson and Green 1992), and nearby mergers and galactic-wind galaxies. We
found clear WR features in the Fe II QSOs (type I): PG 1244+026, 1444+407,
1448+273, 1535+547; and in the IR merger Arp 220. HST archive images of IR+BAL
QSOs show in practically all of these objects "arc or shell" features probably
associated to galactic-winds (i.e., to multiple type II SN explosions) and/or
merger processes. Finally, we discuss the presence of extreme starburst and
galactic wind as a possible evolutive link between IR merger and IR QSOs; where
the relation between mergers and extreme starburst (with powerful
galactic-winds) plays in important role, in the evolution of galaxies.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figure
Ages and Metallicities of Star Clusters and Surrounding Fields in the Outer Disk of the Large Magellanic Cloud
We present Washington system C,T_1 CMDs of 13 star clusters and their
surrounding fields which lie in the outer parts of the LMC disk. Ages are
determined by means of the magnitude difference between the giant branch clump
and the turnoff, while metallicities are derived from the location of the giant
and subgiant branches as compared to fiducial star clusters. We find that in
most cases the stellar population of each star cluster is quite similar to that
of the field where it is embedded. Three particular fields present remarkable
properties: (i) The so far unique cluster ESO121-SC03 at ~9 Gyr has a
surrounding field which shares the same properties. (ii) The field surrounding
the far eastern intermediate age cluster OHSC37 is noteworthy in the sense that
we do not detect any evidence of LMC stars. (iii) The fields of SL388 and SL509
present CMDs with a secondary clump ~0.45 mag fainter than the dominant
intermediate age clump, suggesting a stellar population component located
behind the LMC disk at a distance comparable to that of the SMC. The mean
metallicity derived for the intermediate age outer disk clusters is
=-0.7 and for their surrounding fields =-0.6. These values are
significantly lower than found by Olszewski et al. (1991, AJ, 101, 515) for a
sample of clusters of similar age, but are in good agreement with several
recent studies. A few clusters stand out in the age--metallicity relation in
the sense that they are intermediate age clusters at relatively low metallicity
([Fe/H]~-1).Comment: LaTeX, to be published in July, 1998 Astronomical Journa
Hidden Trigger for the Giant Starburst Arc in M 83?
The huge star formation events that occur at some galactic centers do not provide enough clues as to their origin, since the morphological signatures of the triggering mechanism are smeared out in the timescale of a few orbital revolutions of the galaxy core. Our high spatial resolution three-dimensional near-infrared spectroscopy for the first time reveals that a previously known hidden mass concentration is located exactly at the youngest end of a giant star-forming arc. This location, the inferred average cluster ages, and the dynamical times clearly indicate that the interloper has left behind a spur of violent star formation in M 83, in a transient event lasting less than one orbital revolution. The study of the origin (bar funneling or cannibalized satellite) and fate (black hole merging or giant stellar cluster) of this system could provide clues to the question of core growing and morphological evolution in grand-design spiral galaxies. In particular, our TreeSPH numerical modeling suggests that the two nuclei could coalesce, forming a single massive core in about 60 million years or less
Open clusters or their remnants: B and V photometry of NGC 1901 and NGC 1252
Photometry in the B and V bands is presented for the southern stellar groups
NGC 1901 and NGC 1252. NGC 1901 is often described as an open cluster while NGC
1252 consists of a concentration of about 20 stars centered approx 20' north of
the original New General Catalogue coordinates, and at the southwest edge of
the large region previously assigned to this object in the literature. NGC 1901
has a clear main sequence and shares similarities with the Hyades. We derive a
reddening value E(B-V) = 0.04, a distance from the Sun d = 0.45 kpc (Z = -0.23
kpc) and an age 0.6 +/- 0.1 Gyr. NGC 1901 is conclusively a physical system,
dynamically comparable to or more evolved than the Hyades. The colour-
magnitude diagram of NGC 1252 suggests a turnoff and main sequence, and a total
of 12 probable members. We simulated the Galactic field colour-magnitude
diagram in the same direction and found it to be a poor match to NGC 1252,
suggesting that NGC 1252 is not a field fluctuation. Isochrone fitting to the
probable members is consistent with E(B-V) = 0.02, a distance from the Sun d =
0.64 kpc (Z = -0.46 kpc) and an age 3 +/- 1 Gyr. NGC 1252 cannot be ruled out
as a physical group with the available data. If so, evidence is found that it
is not a classical open cluster, but rather an open cluster remnant.Comment: 25 pages, 11 Postscript figures, accepted for A&
Multiwavelength star formation indicators: Observations
We present a compilation of multiwavelength data on different star formation
indicators for a sample of nearby star forming galaxies. Here we discuss the
observations, reductions and measurements of ultraviolet images obtained with
STIS, on board the Hubble Space Telescope, ground-based Halpha, and VLA 8.46
GHz radio images. These observations are complemented with infrared fluxes, as
well as large aperture optical radio and ultraviolet data from the literature.
This database will be used in a forthcoming paper to compare star formation
rates at different wavebands. We also present spectral energy distributions
(SEDs) for those galaxies with at least one far-infrared measurements from ISO,
longward of 100 um. These SEDs are divided in two groups, those which are
dominated by the far-infrared emission, and those where the contribution from
the far-infrared and optical emission is comparable. These SEDs are useful
tools to study the properties of high redshift galaxies.Comment: 39 pages, 17 jpeg figures, 1 eps figure, To appear in ApJS May 200
Dissolving star cluster candidates
We present a list of 34 neglected entries from star cluster catalogues
located at relatively high galactic latitudes ( 15) which
appear to be candidate late stages of star cluster dynamical evolution.
Although underpopulated with respect to usual open clusters, they still present
a high number density contrast as compared to the galactic field. This was
verified by means of (i) predicted model counts from different galactic
subsystems in the same direction, and (ii) Guide Star Catalog equal solid angle
counts for the object and surrounding fields. This suggests that the objects
are physical systems, possibly star clusters in the process of disruption or
their fossil remains. The sample will be useful for followup studies in view of
verifying their physi cal nature.Comment: manuscript in LATEX with 7 pages, 7 figures .ps Accepted for
Astronomy and Astrophysics main journa
HST/WFPC2 and VLT/ISAAC observations of PROPLYDS in the giant HII region NGC 3603
We report the discovery of three proplyd-like structures in the giant HII
region NGC 3603. The emission nebulae are clearly resolved in narrow-band and
broad-band HST/WFPC2 observations in the optical and broad-band VLT/ISAAC
observations in the near-infrared. All three nebulae are tadpole shaped, with
the bright ionization front at the head facing the central cluster and a
fainter ionization front around the tail pointing away from the cluster.
Typical sizes are 6,000 A.U. x 20,000 A.U. The nebulae share the overall
morphology of the proplyds (``PROto PLanetarY DiskS'') in Orion, but are 20 to
30 times larger in size. Additional faint filaments located between the nebulae
and the central ionizing cluster can be interpreted as bow shocks resulting
from the interaction of the fast winds from the high-mass stars in the cluster
with the evaporation flow from the proplyds. The striking similarity of the
tadpole shaped emission nebulae in NGC 3603 to the proplyds in Orion suggests
that the physical structure of both types of objects might be the same. We
present 2D radiation hydrodynamical simulations of an externally illuminated
star-disk-envelope system, which was still in its main accretion phase when
first exposed to ionizing radiation from the central cluster. The simulations
reproduce the overall morphology of the proplyds in NGC 3603 very well, but
also indicate that mass-loss rates of up to 10^-5 Mo/yr are required in order
to explain the size of the proplyds. (abbreviated)Comment: 10 pages, 4 Postscript figures, uses emulateapj.sty and psfig.tex.
Astronomical Journal, in press (January 2000 issue
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