Description
Organisers: Anne Buckner; co organisers: Ahmad Ali, Sean Linden, Hektor Monteiro, Steven Rieder, Christina Schoettler, Nick Wright
Star clusters are thought to be fundamental building blocks of our galaxy as most stars form in clustered environments of some sort. As such they provide crucial insights into the physics underpinning star formation from the local ISM to galaxy scales. For example, individual clusters are ideal laboratories to study stellar evolution and the mechanics of N-body stellar systems; while cluster populations can be used to trace galactic structure and investigate the physical processes of galactic evolution.
Unfortunately, the mechanisms of cluster formation, effect local and galactic environmental conditions have on this, as well as clusters longer term evolution,remain unclear. To better constrain them requires a multi-pronged analysis of (1) the internal structure and dynamics of the stellar and gas components of individual clusters; (2) cluster populations, comparing variation in their properties (age, mass, stellar composition) as a function of galactic environment and conditions.
This session will bring together a wide range of observers and modelers in the field of star clusters, from small-scale studies of individual clusters through to galaxy-scale population studies, to build up a cohesive picture of our current understanding of the critical role clusters play in star formation and the evolution of galaxies. We will focus the discussion around (1) new findings obtained using state-of-the art observations (e.g., Gaia & JWST) and simulations; (2) the best techniques/tools to effectively analyse and compare results from these.
In this review I will address the question of what fraction of star formation occurs in 'clusters'. I will first discuss the various definitions of clustered star formation, before focusing on the important question of why this matters for other research disciplines in astrophysics. As a spoiler, I can reveal now that I won't (can't) answer the first part of the question in my talk title.
Recent surveys have provided a much more complete census of nearby star-forming regions and their populations of young stars. Notably, the Gaia mission has revealed the 3D structures of these regions and the kinematics of their members. On spatial scales ranging from molecular cloud clumps to giant multi-kpc filaments, the processes of molecular cloud assembly, turbulent collapse, and...
Time-resolved data is a powerful tool to investigate spatial scales well beyond the range of direct imaging and โusing time to map spaceโ is the only feasible method to study small-scale processes and structures, for a statistically significant numbers of sources. I will present my study of time variability, in the spectroscopy and photometry, of young intermediate-mass stars comprising of...
North PHASE survey is a 5 year survey that will be using time-resolved, large field data, to unveil structures and processes in young stars (YSO) at the relevant scales for inner planet formation, while also studying the connection between stars, their formation history, and their clusters, independently of astrometry.
Studying young star cluster Trumpler 37 (Tr37) provides key insights...
Three-body interactions play a dominant role in the evolution of dense stellar systems, such as clusters, and in particular in the dynamical formation of gravitational-wave sources. Indeed, one of the channels for binary formation during cluster core collapse is via the "collision" of three initially-unbound objects. In this talk I will describe an analytical formalism to calculate the...
Stars will typically spend the first few million years of their lives in their natal star-forming regions. The initial densities in these regions often mean young stars are much more likely to experience the effects of close encounters, massive star stellar winds and potentially even nearby supernovae. Therefore, understanding the dynamical evolution of star-forming regions is key to...
Stellar clusters provide powerful probes of galactic structure and evolution, offering precise measurements of key astrophysical properties across a large volume of the Galaxy and covering much of its history. In this talk, I will discuss how advances in the cluster catalogue, driven by larger and higher-quality astronomical surveys and improved analysis methods, have reshaped our...
Examining the spatial properties of galaxiesโ stellar and gas components provide crucial insights into the impact of galactic environment has on stellar evolution. Star cluster populations are ideal to study this issue, as they showcase how these properties vary with galactic position, evolutionary stage and mass. To this end, we have characterised the spatial distributions of star cluster...
Star clusters (SCs) are ubiquitous to most galaxies and are often used as tracers of galaxy formation and assembly. Their properties, e.g. metallicities, ages, spatial distribution, and masses, provide information about their formation environment. Understanding them at their birth, and subsequent evolution, is fundamental for their use as probes of galaxy evolution. Such understanding...
JWST has recently revealed gravitationally lensed systems of high-z, star-cluster-like objects, such as the Cosmic Gems (z ~ 10.2) and Firefly Sparkle (z ~ 8.3). In this early epoch of galaxy assembly, these massive stellar clusters are thought to be the progenitors of present-day globular clusters (GCs). The emergence, early properties, and contribution to galaxy formation of GC-like objects...
Because they form their numerous stars so efficiently, globular clusters (GCs) have long been hypothesized to be the building blocks of young galaxies, with preliminary observations from JWST suggesting this may be the case at high redshifts. Within the Milky Way, our best tracers of the contribution of GCs to the proto-Galaxy are their most chemically peculiar stars: namely, second generation...
In dense stellar environments like globular clusters (GCs), dynamical interactions are expected to alter binary properties, potentially disrupting or hardening close binary systems. Despite these expectations, the detailed comparison of close binary fractions between field stars and GCs remains underexplored. In this talk, I will present an analysis of the close binary fraction in a carefully...
Euclid Wide Survey will observe tens of thousands of galaxies in the Local Universe within 100 Mpc with fantastic depth and spatial resolution. Such a dataset enables us to identify globular clusters (GCs) around these galaxies in a wide range of mass and environment, and gain unprecedented insight into the connection between star clusters and their host galaxies. In this talk, I present the...
We study the stellar distribution around a supermassive black hole (SMBH) in gas-rich nuclear star clusters (NSCs). NSCs could contain a substantial amount of gas, which could potentially contribute significantly to shaping the stellar distribution, typically forming a steeper cusp than the usual Bachall-Wolf distribution and accordingly affect the dynamics in the cluster. NSCs are dense...
Star formation is associated with high-energy processes and Young Stellar Objects (YSOs) are known to be energetic radio sources. Radio observations enable studies of the impact of high-energy processes such as powerful magnetic reconnection flares which are thought to impact disk and even planet formation. The Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) is a relatively close region of active star formation,...
