Bibcode
Adamo, A.; Ryon, J. E.; Messa, M.; Kim, H.; Grasha, K.; Cook, D. O.; Calzetti, D.; Lee, J. C.; Whitmore, B. C.; Elmegreen, B. G.; Ubeda, L.; Smith, L. J.; Bright, S. N.; Runnholm, A.; Andrews, J. E.; Fumagalli, M.; Gouliermis, D. A.; Kahre, L.; Nair, P.; Thilker, D.; Walterbos, R.; Wofford, A.; Aloisi, A.; Ashworth, G.; Brown, T. M.; Chandar, R.; Christian, C.; Cignoni, M.; Clayton, G. C.; Dale, D. A.; de Mink, S. E.; Dobbs, C.; Elmegreen, D. M.; Evans, A. S.; Gallagher, J. S., III; Grebel, E. K.; Herrero, A.; Hunter, D. A.; Johnson, K. E.; Kennicutt, R. C.; Krumholz, M. R.; Lennon, D.; Levay, K.; Martin, C.; Nota, A.; Östlin, G.; Pellerin, A.; Prieto, J.; Regan, M. W.; Sabbi, E.; Sacchi, E.; Schaerer, D.; Schiminovich, D.; Shabani, F.; Tosi, M.; Van Dyk, S. D.; Zackrisson, E.
Bibliographical reference
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 841, Issue 2, article id. 131, 26 pp. (2017).
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2017
Journal
Citations
127
Refereed citations
120
Description
We report the large effort that is producing comprehensive high-level
young star cluster (YSC) catalogs for a significant fraction of galaxies
observed with the Legacy ExtraGalactic UV Survey (LEGUS) Hubble treasury
program. We present the methodology developed to extract cluster
positions, verify their genuine nature, produce multiband photometry
(from NUV to NIR), and derive their physical properties via spectral
energy distribution fitting analyses. We use the nearby spiral galaxy
NGC 628 as a test case for demonstrating the impact that LEGUS will have
on our understanding of the formation and evolution of YSCs and compact
stellar associations within their host galaxy. Our analysis of the
cluster luminosity function from the UV to the NIR finds a steepening at
the bright end and at all wavelengths suggesting a dearth of luminous
clusters. The cluster mass function of NGC 628 is consistent with a
power-law distribution of slopes ∼ -2 and a truncation of a few
times 105 {M}ȯ . After their formation, YSCs
and compact associations follow different evolutionary paths. YSCs
survive for a longer time frame, confirming their being potentially
bound systems. Associations disappear on timescales comparable to
hierarchically organized star-forming regions, suggesting that they are
expanding systems. We find mass-independent cluster disruption in the
inner region of NGC 628, while in the outer part of the galaxy there is
little or no disruption. We observe faster disruption rates for low mass
(≤104 {M}ȯ ) clusters, suggesting that a
mass-dependent component is necessary to fully describe the YSC
disruption process in NGC 628.
Based on observations obtained with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope,
at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the
Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA
contract NAS 5-26555.
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Sergio
Simón Díaz