Astrophysical Sciences and Technology Colloquium: Small but Mighty: Young Massive Star Clusters in Nearby Starburst Galaxies
Astrophysical Sciences and Technology Colloquium
Small but Mighty: Young Massive Star Clusters in Nearby Starburst Galaxies
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Dr. Rebecca Levy
Space Telescope Science Institute
Event Details: In extreme starbursting systems, the majority of the star formation is concentrated in compact, young massive star clusters (YMCs). Feedback from these YMCs sets the cluster’s star formation efficiency, shapes the surrounding ISM, and powers multiphase large-scale outflows. I will present multiwavelength observational results of YMCs and feedback in two nearby archetypal starburst galaxies: NGC253 and M82. In NGC253, gas flows in along the bar fueling a circumnuclear starburst. The youngest YMCs are still heavily embedded, only visible with ALMA and recently JWST MIRI, but already have extremely strong feedback. In M82, the tidal interaction and bar have produced a nearly global starburst, launching a spectacular superwind. I will present our multiwavelength catalog of ~1100 YMC candidates in the central 800 pc of M82, and I will show new results in the wind from our JWST program.
Bio: Dr. Rebecca Levy is a STScI Postdoctoral Fellow at the Space Telescope Science Institute. Her time is split between independent research and supporting the JWST Science Policies Group. Previously, she was a NSF Astronomy & Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Arizona. She obtained her PhD in astronomy from the University of Maryland in 2021. Her research interests include using multiwavelength observations of young massive star clusters, stellar feedback, the ISM, and gas kinematics in nearby galaxies.
Intended Audience: All are Welcome!
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