PHANGS-JWST First Results: Dust-embedded Star Clusters in NGC 7496 Selected via 3.3 μm PAH Emission - INSU - Institut national des sciences de l'Univers
Journal Articles The Astrophysical journal letters Year : 2023

PHANGS-JWST First Results: Dust-embedded Star Clusters in NGC 7496 Selected via 3.3 μm PAH Emission

M. Jimena Rodríguez
  • Function : Author
Janice C. Lee
  • Function : Author
B. C. Whitmore
  • Function : Author
David A. Thilker
  • Function : Author
Rupali Chandar
  • Function : Author
Sinan Deger
  • Function : Author
Médéric Boquien
  • Function : Author
Daniel A. Dale
  • Function : Author
Kirsten L. Larson
  • Function : Author
Thomas G. Williams
  • Function : Author
Hwihyun Kim
  • Function : Author
Eva Schinnerer
  • Function : Author
Erik Rosolowsky
  • Function : Author
Adam K. Leroy
  • Function : Author
Karin M. Sandstrom
  • Function : Author
J. M. Diederik Kruijssen
  • Function : Author
Kathryn Grasha
  • Function : Author
Elizabeth J. Watkins
  • Function : Author
Ashley. T. Barnes
  • Function : Author
Mattia C. Sormani
  • Function : Author
Jaeyeon Kim
  • Function : Author
Gagandeep S. Anand
  • Function : Author
Mélanie Chevance
  • Function : Author
F. Bigiel
  • Function : Author
Ralf S. Klessen
  • Function : Author
Hamid Hassani
  • Function : Author
Daizhong Liu
  • Function : Author
Christopher M. Faesi
  • Function : Author
Yixian Cao
  • Function : Author
Francesco Belfiore
  • Function : Author
Ismael Pessa
  • Function : Author
Kathryn Kreckel
  • Function : Author
Brent Groves
  • Function : Author
Rémy Indebetouw
  • Function : Author
Oleg V. Egorov
  • Function : Author
Guillermo A. Blanc
  • Function : Author
Toshiki Saito
  • Function : Author

Abstract

The earliest stages of star formation occur enshrouded in dust and are not observable in the optical. Here we leverage the extraordinary new high-resolution infrared imaging from JWST to begin the study of dust-embedded star clusters in nearby galaxies throughout the Local Volume. We present a technique for identifying dust-embedded clusters in NGC 7496 (18.7 Mpc), the first galaxy to be observed by the PHANGS-JWST Cycle 1 Treasury Survey. We select sources that have strong 3.3 μm PAH emission based on a F300M - F335M color excess and identify 67 candidate embedded clusters. Only eight of these are found in the PHANGS-HST optically selected cluster catalog, and all are young (six have SED fit ages of ~1 Myr). We find that this sample of embedded cluster candidates may significantly increase the census of young clusters in NGC 7496 from the PHANGS-HST catalog; the number of clusters younger than ~2 Myr could be increased by a factor of 2. Candidates are preferentially located in dust lanes and are coincident with the peaks in the PHANGS-ALMA CO (2-1) maps. We take a first look at concentration indices, luminosity functions, SEDs spanning from 2700 Å to 21 μm, and stellar masses (estimated to be between ~104 and 105 M ). The methods tested here provide a basis for future work to derive accurate constraints on the physical properties of embedded clusters, characterize the completeness of cluster samples, and expand analysis to all 19 galaxies in the PHANGS-JWST sample, which will enable basic unsolved problems in star formation and cluster evolution to be addressed.
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insu-04473222 , version 1 (22-02-2024)

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M. Jimena Rodríguez, Janice C. Lee, B. C. Whitmore, David A. Thilker, Daniel Maschmann, et al.. PHANGS-JWST First Results: Dust-embedded Star Clusters in NGC 7496 Selected via 3.3 μm PAH Emission. The Astrophysical journal letters, 2023, 944, ⟨10.3847/2041-8213/aca653⟩. ⟨insu-04473222⟩
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