The Starburst-AGN connection: The role of stellar clusters in AGNs

TL;DR

This study investigates the connection between stellar clusters and active galactic nuclei (AGNs), analyzing HST images to understand their role in different AGN types and the surrounding dust environment.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the presence and role of stellar clusters in various AGN types using high-resolution HST imaging.

Findings

Nuclear stellar clusters are common in AGNs.

Stellar clusters are main components of nuclear starbursts.

Circumnuclear dust morphology relates to AGN activity.

Abstract

Nuclear stellar clusters are a common phenomenon in spirals and in starbursts galaxies, and they may be a natural consequence of the star formation processes in the central regions of galaxies. HST UV imaging of a few Seyfert 2 galaxies have resolved nuclear starbursts in Seyfert 2 revealing stellar clusters as the main building blocks of the extended emission. However, we do not know whether stellar clusters are always associated with all types of nuclear activity. We present NUV and optical images provided by HST to find out the role that stellar clusters play in different types of AGNs (Seyferts and LLAGNs). Also with these images, we study the circumnuclear dust morphology as a probe of the circumnuclear environment of AGNs. Here we present a summary of the the first results obtained for the sample of Seyferts and LLAGN galaxies.