The super star cluster driven feedback in ESO338-IG04 and Haro 11

TL;DR

This study uses VLT/MUSE integral field spectroscopy to analyze how super star clusters in two starburst galaxies influence the surrounding interstellar medium, revealing ionized bubbles and photon escape pathways.

Contribution

It provides detailed observational evidence of the impact of stellar feedback from super star clusters on the ISM in two specific starburst galaxies.

Findings

Super star clusters create highly ionized bubbles in the ISM.

HII regions around clusters are density bounded, enabling photon escape.

Feedback significantly alters the ISM's state and kinematics.

Abstract

The stellar content of young massive star clusters emit large amounts of Lyman continuum photons and inject momentum into the inter stellar medium (ISM) by the strong stellar winds of the most massive stars in the cluster. When the most massive stars explode as supernovae, large amounts of mechanical energy are injected in the ISM. A detailed study of the ISM around these massive cluster provides insights on the effect of cluster feedback. We present high quality integral field spectroscopy taken with VLT/MUSE of two starburst galaxies: ESO 338-IG04 and Haro 11. Both galaxies contain a significant number of super star clusters. The MUSE data provide us with an unprecedented view of the state and kinematics of the ionized gas in the galaxy allowing us to study the effect of stellar feedback on small and large spatial scales. We present our recent results on studying the ISM state of these two galaxies. The data of both galaxies show that the mechanical and ionization feedback of the super star clusters in the galaxy modify the state and kinematics of the ISM substancially by creating highly ionized bubbles around the cluster, making the central part of the galaxy highly ionized. This shows that the HII regions around the individual clusters are density bounded, allowing the ionizing photons to escape and ionize the ISM further out.