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IR STIG Seminar

Infrared Science and Technology Integration Group

DATE

January 6, 2025

TIME

3:00 pm EST

COMMUNITY

IR STIG

TYPE

Seminar

New Views of Star Formation in Nearby Galaxies with ~100,000 Star Clusters and As-sociations from PHANGS HST & JWST

Janice Lee (Space Telescope Science Institute)

Star clusters are key products of star formation. They trace the densest peaks of the star formation hierarchy, and as (effectively) single-age populations, they have great utility as “clocks” for timing various phases of the star formation cycle. By studying their ensemble properties, we gain critical insights into the physics of star formation, feedback, cluster disruption and evolution. I will present recent results from the PHANGS-HST and JWST surveys, which provide the most extensive census to date of both optically visible and dust-embedded star clusters across a diverse sample of nearby galaxies. A consistent picture has emerged of these early phases of star cluster evolution, using complementary observational tracers and methods of analysis, confirming the short dust clearing timescales (<~3 Myr) reported by optical studies. These findings highlight the significant role of early feedback—pre-supernova mechanisms—in shaping the star formation cycle.

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An illustration of Sun-like star HD 181327 and its surrounding debris disk. The star is at top right. It is surrounded by a far larger debris disk that forms an incomplete ellpitical path and is cut off at right. There’s a huge cavity between the star and the disk. The debris disk is shown in shades of light gray. Toward the top and left, there are finer, more discrete points in a range of sizes. The disk appears hazier and smokier at the bottom. The star is bright white at center, with a hazy blue region around it. The background of space is black. The label Artist's Concept appears at lower left.