The Properties of Young Clusters in M82

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dc.creatorSmith, L. J.
dc.creatorGallagher, J. S.
dc.date2000-01-31
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T01:51:58Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T01:51:58Z
dc.descriptionWe present a detailed study of two luminous super star clusters in the starburst galaxy M82. Spectra, covering 3250-8790 A at a resolution of 1.6 A, were obtained at the 4.2 m William Herschel Telescope (WHT) for cluster F and the highly reddened cluster L. We compare the strengths of the observed Balmer absorption lines and the Balmer jump in the blue spectrum of F with theoretical model cluster spectra using the PEGASE spectral synthesis code to derive an age of 60+/-20 Myr. For cluster L, we find that the similarities in the strength of the Ca II triplet and overall spectral appearance with cluster F suggest a similar age. The brightness and compactness of cluster F make it an ideal candidate for determining its dynamical mass by measuring the velocity dispersion. We present the results of such an investigation based on echelle spectra at a resolution of 8 km/s obtained at the WHT from 5760-9140 A. By cross-correlating various wavelength regions in the spectrum of cluster F with cool giant and supergiant template stars, we derive a velocity dispersion and, by application of the virial theorem, determine a dynamical mass of 2 million solar masses. We compare our derived mass with those determined for other young super star clusters and discuss whether our derived parameters are consistent with cluster F being able to survive to become a globular cluster.
dc.description6 pages including 3 figures. To be published in "Massive Stellar Clusters", ASP Conf. Ser., eds. A. Lancon and C.M. Boily
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0001529
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0001529
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/472
dc.subjectAstrophysics
dc.titleThe Properties of Young Clusters in M82
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