Bibcode
Figer, Donald; Davies, Ben; Herrero, A.; Hillier, John; Kudritzki, Rolf; Lenorzer, Annique; MacKenty, John; Muno, Michael; Najarro, Paco; Robberto, Massimo
Referencia bibliográfica
Spitzer Proposal ID #30734
Fecha de publicación:
5
2006
Número de citas
0
Número de citas referidas
0
Descripción
We are on the cusp of a revolution in massive star research triggered by
2MASS and Spitzer/GLIMPSE, and now is the ideal time to capitalize on
these projects by performing the first survey of massive stars in young
stellar clusters throughout the Galactic plane. A search of the 2MASS
survey has produced over 450 newly-identified massive stellar cluster
candidates which are hidden from our view at optical wavelengths due to
extinction. We leverage the capabilities of Spitzer/IRAC to find and
measure physical properties of the most massive stars in the best 86
targets in this sample. We propose a small program of 11 hours to image
the candidate clusters in all four IRAC channels using a GLIMPSE-like
observing strategy. With an analysis of these data, and those already
existing through GLIMPSE, we expect to double the number of massive
stars known in the Galaxy. This program addresses fundamental questions
whose answers are basic requirements for studying many of the most
important topics in Astrophysics: the slope to the initial mass function
(IMF), an upper mass cutoff to the IMF, the formation and evolution of
the most massive stars, the effects of massive stars on lower mass
protostellar/protoplanetary systems, gamma-ray burst (GRB) progenitors,
nature of the first stars in the Universe, chemical enrichment of the
interstellar medium, Galactic gas dynamics, star formation in starbursts
and merging galaxies (particularly in the early Universe). The proposed
program is timely in that the young cluster targets have only recently
been discovered and are going to be the subject of intense observations
with HST and Chandra, as well as numerous approved and planned
ground-based spectroscopic and radio observations. We have assembled an
experienced team who have previously performed similar studies on much
smaller samples, including the massive young clusters in the Galactic
center, the Arches and Quintuplet cluster.