What cluster gas expulsion can tell us about star formation, cluster environment and galaxy evolution

TL;DR

This paper reviews how gas expulsion during violent relaxation impacts star cluster evolution and discusses its potential to inform our understanding of star formation and galaxy evolution.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive survey of the effects of gas expulsion on cluster properties and highlights future challenges in using this phase to understand galaxy evolution.

Findings

Gas expulsion influences cluster age distribution

It affects the cluster mass function

It alters the ratio between cluster mass and stellar mass

Abstract

Violent relaxation -- the protocluster dynamical response to the expulsion of its leftover star forming gas -- is a short albeit crucial episode in the evolution of star clusters and star cluster systems. In this contribution, I survey how it influences the cluster age distribution, the cluster mass function and the ratio between the cluster mass and the stellar mass. I highlight the promising potential that the study of this phase holds in terms of deciphering star cluster formation and galaxy evolution, and (some of) the issues which are to be dealt with before achieving this goal.