Protostars and Planets VI, Heidelberg, July 15-20, 2013

Poster 1K006

A close view of Galactic Starburst Clusters

Brandner, Wolfgang (Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie)
Stolte, Andrea (Argelander Institut für Astronomie, Universität Bonn)
Gennaro, Mario (Space Telescope Science Institute)
Habibi, Maryam (Argelander Institut für Astronomie, Universität Bonn)
Hußmann, Benjamin (Argelander Institut für Astronomie, Universität Bonn)
Kudryavtseva, Natalia (Zentrum für Astronomie, Universität Heidelberg)
Andersen, Morten (Institut de Planétologie et d\'Astrophysique de Grenoble)
Rochau, Boyke (Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie)
Zinnecker, Hans (Deutsches SOFIA Institut)

Abstract:
Galactic starburst clusters represent the most extreme mode of present-day star formation in the Milky Way, and are ideal laboratories for studies over the entire stellar mass range from less then 0.1 to more than 120 solar masses. We report on the results of our adaptive optics and HST high angular resolution studies comprising both multi-epoch astrometric monitoring of the cluster\'s internal and external dynamics, and the photometric and spectroscopic characterization of their stellar populations. Among the most surprising results are i) the distinct motions of Galactic Center starburst clusters with respect to the field, ii) the strict coevality of star formation in the spiral arm clusters NGC 3603 YC and Westerlund 1, and iii) the close agreement between dynamical and photometric mass estimates for each of the clusters (indicating that the clusters are dynamically stable and could survive for extended periods of time).

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