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| EPoS Contribution |
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H72.97-69.39: Super Star Cluster Candidate in the LMC
Omnarayani Nayak STScI, Baltimore, US | |
| The Large Magellanic Cloud has been the subject of star formation studies for decades due to its proximity to the Milky Way (50 kpc), a nearly face-on orientation, and a low metallicity (0.5 solar) similar to that of galaxies at the peak of star formation in the universe (z~2). A newly discovered super star cluster candidate (H72.97-69.39) located in the N79 region of the Large Magellanic Cloud has a luminosity of over 2,000,000 L_sun, making it one of the brightest compact sources ever to be observed. Super star clusters are rare in the local Universe. The discovery of H72.97-69.39 gives us a rare opportunity to study such an extreme object during its initial forming stage. I analyze ALMA CO molecular gas clouds around this super star cluster candidate and find evidence of colliding filaments, outflows, and even rotation. I use ancillary SOFIA data and Magellan FIRE data to constrain the outflow rate from the massive protostars, constrain the temperature of the gas, determine the spectral type of the young stellar objects, and estimate the extinction. Looking at the interplay between dense molecular gas and the newly forming stars will shed light on the formation mechanism: filamentary collision, core accretion, or competitive accretion. My current work using ALMA observations of a super star cluster candidate in N79 serves as the basis for JWST MIRI and NIRCam planned GTO observations. | |
| Collaborators: M. Meixner, STScI, US R. Indebetouw, UVA, US O. Okada, U Cologne, DE |
Key publication
Suggested Session: Molecular Clouds |