Starburst99: Synthesis Models for Galaxies with Active Star Formation

Starburst99 is a comprehensive set of model predictions for spectrophotometric and related properties of galaxies with active star formation. The models are an improved and extended version of the data set previously published by Leitherer & Heckman (1995). We have upgraded our code by implementing the latest set of stellar evolution models of the Geneva group and the model atmosphere grid compiled by Lejeune et al. (1997). Several predictions which were not included in the previous publication are shown here for the first time. The models are presented in a homogeneous way for five metallicities between Z = 0.040 and 0.001 and three choices of the initial mass function. The age coverage is 10^6 to 10^9 yr. We also show the spectral energy distributions which are used to compute colors and other quantities. The full data set is available for retrieval at http://www.stsci.edu/science/starburst99/. This website allows users to run specific models with non-standard parameters as well. We also make the source code available to the community.Comment: 32 pages, LaTeX. All the Figures and the summary Table are located at http://www.stsci.edu/science/starburst99/, ApJ accepte

Multiwavelength Study of the Starburst Galaxy NGC 7714. II: The Balance between Young, Intermediate Age and Old Stars

We combine existing multiwavelength data (incl. an HST/GHRS UV spectrum, an optical spectrum, far-IR, Xray and radio fluxes) with new HST/WFPC2 images, near-IR photometry and K band spectroscopy. We use these data to constrain the young, the intermediate age and the old stellar populations in the central 330 pc of the starburst galaxy NGC 7714. [...] We find that the young burst responsible for the UV light is only a small part of an extended episode of enhanced star formation (SF) [...]. The mass of young and intermediate age stars thus formed equals at least 10% of the mass locked in pre-existing stars of the underlying galaxy nucleus [...]. The spectrophotometric SF timescale is long compared to the ~110 Myr elapsed since closest contact with NGC 7715. The trigger of the starburst remains elusive. NGC 7714 owes its brightness in the UV to a few low extinction lines of sight towards young stars. [...] The different extinction estimates obtained from different indicators result naturally from the coexistence of populations with various ages and obscurations. The near-IR continuum image looks smoothest, as a consequence of lower sensitivity to extinction and of a larger contribution of old stars. We compare the nuclear properties of NGC 7714 with results from studies in larger apertures. We emphasize that the global properties of starburst galaxies are the result of the averaging over many lines of sight with diverse properties in terms of obscuration and stellar ages.Comment: 29 pages (+20 figures and tables), Latex2e (figs. included), uses aastex.cls. To be published in ApJ (May 2001 issue

Evolutionary Synthesis Modeling of Red Supergiant Features in the Near--Infrared

We present evolutionary synthesis models applied to near--infrared spectral features observed in the spectra of young Magellanic Cloud clusters and starburst galaxies. The temporal evolution of the first and second overtones of CO at 2.29 ¯m (2--0 bandhead) and 1.62 ¯m (6-- 3 bandhead) and of the (U \Gamma B), (B \Gamma V ) and (J \Gamma K) colors are investigated. We find that the current evolutionary tracks of massive stars with sub--solar chemical composition in the red supergiant phase are not reliable for any synthesis of the temporal evolution of infrared stellar features. The high sensitivity of the selected infrared features to the atmospheric parameters of cool stars allows us to place constraints on the temperature and the fraction of time spent in the red part of the Hertzsprung--Russell diagram by massive stars during their core--helium burning phase. We derive a set of empirically calibrated spectrophotometric models by adjusting the red supergiant parameters such that ..

THE TYPE Ia SUPERNOVA 1998bu IN M96 AND THE HUBBLE CONSTANT

We present optical and near-infrared photometry and spectroscopy of the type Ia SN 1998bu in the Leo I Group galaxy M96 (NGC 3368). The data set consists of 356 photometric measurements and 29 spectra of SN 1998bu between UT 1998 May 11 and July 15. The well-sampled light curve indicates the supernova reached maximum light in B on UT 1998 May 19.3 (JD 2450952.8±0.8) with B = 12.22 ± 0.0