Abstract
Embedded massive starclusters have recently been identified in several nearby galaxies by means of the radio-wave thermal bremsstrahlung emission from their surrounding HII regions. Energy requirements imply that these optically-obscured starclusters contain 500–1000 O-type stars, making them similar to the “super starclusters” observed in many dwarf starbursts and mergers. Based on their high free-free optical depth and visual extinctions of AV ≫ 10 mag, these massive “ultra-dense” HII regions (UDHIIs) are distinct signatures of the youngest, most compact super starclusters. UDHII regions may represent the earliest stages of globular cluster formation. We review the properties of presently-known UDHIIs, and we outline a pictoral evolutionary taxonomy for massive cluster formation which is analogous to the more familiar evolutionary sequence for individual stars.
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Kobulnicky, H.A., Johnson, K.E. (2001). Finding Signatures of the Youngest Starbursts. In: Tacconi, L., Lutz, D. (eds) Starburst Galaxies: Near and Far. Springer Proceedings in Physics, vol 88. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-56538-0_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-56538-0_12
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