Genoveva Micheva

Super star clusters in Haro 11: properties of a very young starburst and evidence for a near-infrared flux excess

We have used multiband imaging to investigate the nature of an extreme starburst environment in the nearby Lyman break galaxy analogue Haro 11 (ESO350-IG038) by means of its stellar cluster population. The central starburst region has been observed in eight different high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope (HST) wavebands, sampling the stellar and gas components from UV to near-infrared. Photometric imaging of the galaxy was also carried out at 2.16μm by NaCo AO instrument at the ESO Very Large Telescope. We constructed integrated spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for about 200 star clusters located in the active star-forming regions and compared them with single stellar population models (suitable for physical properties of very young cluster population) in order to derive ages, masses and extinctions of the star clusters. The cluster age distribution we recover confirms that the present starburst has lasted for 40Myr, and shows a peak of cluster formation only 3.5 Myr old. With such an extremely young cluster population, Haro 11 represents a unique opportunity to investigate the youngest phase of the cluster formation process and evolution in starburst systems. We looked for possible relations between cluster ages, extinctions and masses. Extinction tends to diminish as a function of the cluster age, but the spread is large and reaches the highest dispersion for clusters in partial embedded phases ( 8000A which cannot be explained by simple stellar evolutionary models. Fitting SED models over all wavebands leads to systematic overestimates of cluster ages and incorrect masses for the stellar population supplying the light in these clusters. We show that the red excess affects also the HST F814W filter, which is typically used to constrain cluster physical properties. The clusters which show the red excess are younger than 40Myr we discuss possible physical explanations for the phenomenon. Finally, we estimate that Haro 11 has produced bound clusters at a rate almost a factor of 10 higher than the massive and regular spirals, like the Milky Way. The present cluster formation efficiency is ~38 per cent of the galactic star formation rate.

The Red Halo Phenomenon

Optical and near-IR observations of the halos of disk galaxies and blue compact galaxies have revealed a very red spectral energy distribution that cannot easily be reconciled with a normal, metal-poor stellar population such as that in the stellar halo of the Milky Way. Here spectral evolutionary models are used to explore the consequences of these observations. We demonstrate that a stellar population of low to intermediate metallicity but with an extremely bottom-heavy initial mass function can explain the red halos around both types of objects. Other previously suggested explanations, such as nebular emission or very metal-rich stars, are shown to fail in this respect. This indicates that if the reported halo colors are correct, halo populations dominated by low-mass stars may be a phenomenon common to galaxies of very different Hubble types. Potential tests of this hypothesis are discussed, along with its implications for the baryonic dark matter content of galaxies.

Deep multiband surface photometry on a sample of 24 blue compact galaxies - I

We present deep optical and near-infrared (NIR) UBVRIHKs imaging data for 24 blue compact galaxies (BCGs). The individual exposure times are on average similar to 40 min in the optical (B) and simi ...

Star cluster formation and evolution in Mrk 930 : properties of a metal-poor starburst

We present the analysis of the large population of star clusters in the blue compact galaxy (BCG) Mrk 930. The study has been conducted by means of a photometric analysis of multiband data obtained ...

Unlocking the secrets of stellar haloes using combined star counts and surface photometry

The stellar haloes of galaxies can currently be studied either through observations of resolved halo stars or through surface photometry. Curiously, the two methods appear to give conflicting results, as a number of surface photometry measurements have revealed integrated colours that are too red to be reconciled with the halo properties inferred from the study of resolved stars. Several explanations for this anomaly have been proposed – including dust photoluminescence, extinction of extragalactic background light and a bottom-heavy stellar initial mass function. A decisive test is, however, still lacking. Here, we explain how observations of the halo of a nearby galaxy, involving a combination of both surface photometry and bright star counts, can be used to distinguish between the proposed explanations. We derive the observational requirements for this endeavour and find that star counts in filters VI and surface photometry in filters VIJ appear to be the optimal strategy. Since the required halo star counts are already available for many nearby galaxies, the most challenging part of this test is likely to be the optical surface photometry, which requires several nights of exposure time on a 4–8 m telescope, and the near-infrared surface photometry, which is most readily carried out using the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope.

The faint outskirts of the blue compact galaxy Haro 11: is there a red excess?

Previous studies of the low surface brightness host of the blue compact galaxy (BCG) Haro 11 have suggested an abnormally red colour of V - K = 4.2 +/- 0.8 for the host galaxy. This colour is incon ...

Deep multiband surface photometry on a sample of 24 blue compact galaxies - II. A volume-limited sample of 21 emission line galaxies

Aims. We present deep surface photometry of a volume-limited sample of 21 UM emission line galaxies in broadband optical UBVRI and near infrared (NIR) HKs filters. The sample comprises 19 blue compact galaxies (BCGs) and two spirals. Methods. We separated the burst and host populations for each galaxy and compared them to stellar evolutionary models with and without nebular emission contribution. We measured and analyzed the A180 asymmetry in all filters, the concentration index C, the scale length, and the central surface brightness of the host galaxy. Results. A shift in the average A180 asymmetry is detected from optical to NIR. This shift seems correlated with the morphological class of the BCGs. Using the color-asymmetry relation, we identify five BCGs in the sample as mergers, which is confirmed by their morphological class. Though clearly separated from normal galaxies in the concentration-asymmetry parameter space, we find that it is not possible to distinguish luminous starbursting BCGs from the merely star forming low luminosity BCGs.

How the extinction of extragalactic background light affects surface photometry of galaxies, groups and clusters

The faint regions of galaxies, groups and clusters hold important clues about how these objects formed, and surface photometry at optical and near-infrared wavelengths represents a powerful tool fo ...

The Lyman Alpha Reference Sample IX. Revelations from deep surface photometry

The Lyman Alpha Reference Sample (LARS) of 14 star-forming galaxies offers a wealth of insight into the workings of these local analogs to high-redshift star-forming galaxies. The sample has been well-studied in terms of LyA and other emission line properties, such as HI mass, gas kinematics, and morphology. We analyze deep surface photometry of the LARS sample in UBIK broadband imaging obtained at the Nordic Optical Telescope and the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, and juxtaposition their derived properties with a sample of local high-redshift galaxy analogs, namely, with blue compact galaxies (BCGs). We construct radial surface brightness and color profiles with both elliptical and isophotal integration, as well as RGB images, deep contours, color maps, a burst fraction estimate, and a radial mass-to-light ratio profile for each LARS galaxy. Standard morphological parameters like asymmetry, clumpiness, the Gini and M20 coefficients are [...] analyzed, as well as isophotal asymmetry profiles for each galaxy. [...] We compare the LARS to the properties of the BCG sample and highlight the differences. Several diagnostics indicate that the LARS galaxies have highly disturbed morphologies even at the level of the faintest isophotes [...]. The ground-based photometry [...] reveals previously unexplored isophotes [...]. The burst fraction estimate suggests a spatially more extended burst region in LARS than in the BCGs. [...] The galaxies in the LARS sample appear to be in earlier stages of a merger event compared to the BCGs. Standard morphological diagnostics like asymmetry, clumpiness, Gini and M20 coefficients cannot separate the two samples, although an isophotal asymmetry profile successfully captures the average difference in morphology. These morphological diagnostics do not show any correlation with the equivalent width or the escape fraction of Lyman Alpha. [abridged]

A Super-Deep Study of the Outskirts of Haro 11

The low surface brightness host of Haro 11 has been observed to have anomalously red optical/NIR colors of V-K = 4.2+/-0.8 [1]. Predictions from current stellar evolutionary models for any normal stellar population over a wide range of metallicities are inconsistent with this color. We present the deepest V and K band observations to date of Haro 11 and derive a new V-K color for the host galaxy. Our new data suggest a far less extreme colour of V-K = 2.3+/-0.2, which is perfectly consistent with the expectations for an old host galaxy with the same metallicity as that derived from nebular emission lines in the star-forming center.