A Young Super Star Cluster in the Nuclear Region of NGC 253

Abstract

We present observations of a massive star cluster near the nuclear region of the nearby starburst galaxy NGC 253. The peak of near-infrared emission, which is spatially separated by 4" from the kinematic center of the galaxy, is coincident with a super star cluster whose properties we examine with low-resolution (R ~ 1,200) infrared CTIO spectroscopy and optical/near-infrared HST imaging. Extinction, measured from [FeII] lines, is estimated at Av = 17.7 +/- 2.6. The age of the cluster is estimated at 5.7 Myr, based on Bry equivalent width for an instantaneous burst using Starburst99 modeling. However, a complex star formation history is inferred from the presence of both recombination emission and photospheric CO absorption. The ionizing photon flux has a lower limit of 7.3 +/- 2.5 x 10^53 inverse seconds, corrected for extinction. Assuming a Kroupa IMF, we estimate a cluster mass of 1.4 +/- 0.4 x 10^7 solar masses. We observe a strong Wolf-Rayet signature at 2.06 microns and report a weak feature at 2.19 microns which may be due to a massive stellar population, consistent with the derived mass and age of this cluster.

8 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

References in corpus (12)

• Optimization of Starburst99 for Intermediate-Age and Old Stellar Populations
• Distances to Nearby Galaxies in Sculptor
• A census of the Wolf-Rayet content in Westerlund 1 from near-infrared imaging and spectroscopy
• Ionizing Photon Emission Rates from O- and Early B-type Stars and Clusters
• Kinematic Masses of Super Star Clusters in M82 from High-Resolution Near-Infrared Spectroscopy
• A new population of extended, luminous star clusters in the halo of M31
• Super Star Cluster Velocity Dispersions and Virial Masses in the M82 Nuclear Starburst
• Star-formation in NGC 4038/4039 from broad- and narrow band photometry: Cluster Destruction?
• Chandra Observations of the Evolving Core of the Starburst Galaxy NGC 253
• The [FeII]1.644micron emission in M82 and NGC253: Is it a measure of the supernova rate?
• Feedback in the Antennae Galaxies (NGC 4038/9): I. High-Resolution Infrared Spectroscopy of Winds from Super Star Clusters
• The Sub-parsec Scale Radio Properties of Southern Starburst Galaxies. I. Supernova Remnants, the Supernova Rate, and the Ionised Medium in the NGC 253 Starburst

Cited by in corpus (28)

• The (black hole mass)-(host spheroid luminosity) relation at high and low masses, the quadratic growth of black holes, and intermediate-mass black hole candidates
• ALMA Reveals the Molecular Medium Fueling the Nearest Nuclear Starburst
• Temperature and Density Distribution in the Molecular Gas Toward Westerlund 2: Further Evidence for Physical Association
• Constraining the role of star cluster mergers in nuclear cluster formation: Simulations confront integral-field data
• Forming Super Star Clusters in the Central Starburst of NGC 253
• Spatially resolved optical IFU spectroscopy of the inner superwind of NGC 253
• Star-forming Cloud Complexes in the Central Molecular Zone of NGC 253
• Active Galactic Nuclei, Neutrinos, and Interacting Cosmic Rays in NGC 253 & NGC 1068
• Diversity of nuclear star cluster formation mechanisms revealed by their star formation histories
• The molecular outflow in NGC253 at a resolution of two parsecs
• A Ly-alpha Emitter with an Extremely Large Rest-frame Equivalent Width of ~900A at z=6.5: A Candidate of Population III-dominated Galaxy?
• Super Hot Cores in NGC 253: Witnessing the formation and early evolution of Super Star Clusters
• Outflows from Super Star Clusters in the Central Starburst of NGC253
• A Consistent Set of Empirical Scaling Relations for Spiral Galaxies: The $(v_{\max },M_{\mathrm{DM}})$-$({\sigma }_0,M_{\mathrm{BH}},\varphi )$ Relations
• The Morpho-Kinematic Architecture of Super Star Clusters in the Center of NGC253
• The excitation of near-infrared H2 emission in NGC 253
• The Molecular ISM in the Super Star Clusters of the Starburst NGC 253
• Forming circumnuclear disks and rings in galactic nuclei: a competition between supermassive black hole and nuclear star cluster
• The Compact Star-Forming Complex at the Heart of NGC 253
• AKARI Near-Infrared Spectroscopic Observations of Interstellar Ices in Edge-on Starburst Galaxy NGC253
• Uncovering the nucleus candidate for NGC 253
• Unveiling Kinematic Structure in the Starburst Heart of NGC 253
• Nuclear Star Clusters and Bulges
• Identification and analysis of the young population in the starburst galaxy NGC 253
• Discovery of a giant molecular loop in the central region of NGC 253
• Searching for Pulsars, Magnetars, and Fast Radio Bursts in the Sculptor Galaxy using MeerKAT
• Infrared view of the multiphase ISM in NGC 253 II. Modelling the ionised and neutral atomic gas
• Clustered Star Formation in the center of NGC 253 Contributes to Driving the Ionized Nuclear Wind