The Fossil Starburst in M82

Preprint
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
We present high-resolution optical and near-infrared HST observations of two adjacent regions in the fossil starburst region in M82, M82 B1 and B2. The presence of both the active and the fossil starburst in M82 provides a unique physical environment to study the stellar and dynamical evolution of star cluster systems. The cluster population in B2 is more heavily affected by internal extinction than that in B1, amounting to an excess extinction in B2 of A_(V,excess) = 1.1 +/- 0.3 mag. Preliminary age estimates date the cluster population in the fossil starburst between ~2 x 10^8 and ~10^9 years. The radial luminosity profiles of the brightest clusters are more closely approximated by power laws than by a Gaussian model, in particular in their wings, which favors a slow star formation scenario.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: