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We report Keck-NIRSPEC observations of the Brackett $\alpha$ 4.05 $\mu$m recombination line across the two candidate embedded super star clusters (SSCs) in NGC 1569. These SSCs power a bright HII region and have been previously detected as radio and mid-infrared sources. Supplemented with high resolution VLA mapping of the radio continuum along with IRTF-TEXES spectroscopy of the [SIV] 10.5 $\mu$m line, the Brackett $\alpha$ spectra data provide new insight into the dynamical state of gas ionized by these forming massive clusters. NIR sources detected in 2 $\mu$m images from the Slit-viewing Camera are matched with GAIA sources to obtain accurate celestial coordinates and slit positions to within $\sim 0.1''$. Br$\alpha$ is detected as a strong emission peak powered by the less luminous infrared source, MIR1 ($L_{\rm IR}\sim 2\times10^7~L_\odot$). The second candidate SSC MIR2 is more luminous ($L_{\rm IR}\gtrsim 4\times10^8~L_\odot$) but exhibits weak radio continuum and Br$\alpha$ emission, suggesting the ionized gas is extremely dense ($n_e\gtrsim 10^5$ cm$^{-3}$), corresponding to hypercompact HII regions around newborn massive stars. The Br$\alpha$ and [SIV] lines across the region are both remarkably symmetric and extremely narrow, with observed line widths $\Delta v \simeq 40$ km s$^{-1}$, FWHM. This result is the first clear evidence that feedback from NGC 1569's youngest giant clusters is currently incapable of rapid gas dispersal, consistent with the emerging theoretical paradigm in the formation of giant star clusters., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS 2021 Feb 26; 9 pages, 7 figures

The youngest, closest and most compact embedded massive star cluster known excites the supernebula in the nearby dwarf galaxy NGC 5253. It is a crucial target and test case for studying the birth and evolution of the most massive star clusters. We present observations of the ionized gas in this source with high spatial and spectral resolution. The data includes continuum images of free-free emission with ~0.15'' resolution made with the JVLA at 15, 22 and 33 GHz, and a full data cube of the [SIV]10.5 micron fine-structure emission line with ~4.5 km/s velocity resolution and 0.3'' beam, obtained with TEXES on Gemini North. We find that 1) the ionized gas extends out from the cluster in arms or jets, and 2) the ionized gas comprises two components offset both spatially and in velocity. We discuss mechanisms that may have created the observed velocity field; possibilities include large-scale jets or a subcluster falling onto the main source., Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS, 16 June 2020

High mass proto-stars create Ultra-Compact Hii regions (UCHII) at the stage of evolution when most of the accretion is finished but the star is still heavily embedded in molecular material. The morphologies of UCHII regions reflect the interactions of stellar winds, stellar motions, and density structure in the molecular cloud; they are complex and it has been very difficult to interpret them. We here present data obtained with TEXES on the NASA IRTF of the [NeII] emission line in the proto-cluster of young OB stars in W33 Main. The data cube has a spatial resolution of ~ 1.4 arcsec and true velocity resolution ~ 5 km/s; with A ~ 0.02Av it is relatively unaffected by extinction. We have run 3D hydrodynamic and line profile simulations, using PLUTO and RADMC-3D, of the gas structures created by multiple windy stars moving relative to each other through the ambient cloud. By iterative comparison of the data cube and the simulations, we arrive at models that reproduce the different morphology and kinematic structure of each UCHII region in W33 Main. The results indicate that each sub-source probably holds multiple exciting stars, permitting an improved view of the stellar population, and finds the stellar trajectories, which may determine the dynamical development of the proto-cluster., 20 pages, 12 figures, Accepted by MNRAS 18 October 2021

Utilizing the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), we present CS line maps in five rotational lines ($J_{\rm u}=7, 5, 4, 3, 2$) toward the circumnuclear disk (CND) and streamers of the Galactic Center. Our primary goal is to resolve the compact structures within the CND and the streamers, in order to understand the stability conditions of molecular cores in the vicinity of the supermassive black hole (SMBH) Sgr A*. Our data provide the first homogeneous high-resolution ($1.3'' = 0.05$ pc) observations aiming at resolving density and temperature structures. The CS clouds have sizes of $0.05-0.2$ pc with a broad range of velocity dispersion ($\sigma_{\rm FWHM}=5-40$ km s$^{-1}$). The CS clouds are a mixture of warm ($T_{\rm k}\ge 50-500$ K, n$_{\rm H_2}$=$10^{3-5}$ cm$^{-3}$) and cold gas ($T_{\rm k}\le 50$ K, n$_{\rm H_2}$=$10^{6-8}$ cm$^{-3}$). A stability analysis based on the unmagnetized virial theorem including tidal force shows that $84^{+16}_{-37}$ % of the total gas mass is tidally stable, which accounts for the majority of gas mass. Turbulence dominates the internal energy and thereby sets the threshold densities $10-100$ times higher than the tidal limit at distance $\ge 1.5$ pc to Sgr A*, and therefore, inhibits the clouds from collapsing to form stars near the SMBH. However, within the central $1.5$ pc, the tidal force overrides turbulence and the threshold densities for a gravitational collapse quickly grow to $\ge 10^{8}$ cm$^{-3}$., Comment: accepted for publication in ApJ

Author(s): Turner, Jean L; Consiglio, S Michelle; Beck, Sara C; Goss, WM; Ho, Paul TP; Meier, David S; Silich, Sergiy; Zhao, Jun-Hui

Haro 2 , a nearby dwarf starburst dwarf galaxy with strong Ly alpha emission, hosts a starburst that has created outflows and filaments. The clear evidence for galactic outflow makes it an ideal candidate for studying the effects of feedback on molecular gas in a dwarf galaxy. We observed CO(2-1) in Haro 2 at the Submillimeter Array in the compact and extended configurations, and have mapped the molecular emission with velocity resolution 4.1 km/s and spatial resolution 2.0x1.6". With this significant increase of resolution over previous measurements we see that the molecular gas comprises two components: bright clumps associated with the embedded star clusters of the starburst, and fainter extended emission east of the starburst region. The extended emission coincides with an X-ray bubble and has the kinematic signatures of a shell or bubble expanding with velocity +-35 km/s. We suggest that the starburst winds that created the X-Ray bubble have entrained molecular gas, and that the apparent velocity gradient across the photometric axis is an artifact caused by the outflow. The molecular and X-ray activity is on the east of the galaxy and the ionized outflow and optical filaments are west; their relationship is not clear., Comment: Submitted to MNRAS 9/9/2019, Revised version accepted 2/3/2020

We observed Brackett $\alpha$ 4.05$\mu$m emission towards the supernebula in NGC 5253 with NIRSPEC on Keck II in adaptive optics mode, NIRSPAO, to probe feedback from its exciting embedded super star cluster (SSC). NIRSPEC's Slit-Viewing Camera was simultaneously used to image the K-band continuum at $\sim$$0.1''$ resolution. We register the IR continuum with HST imaging, and find that the visible clusters are offset from the K-band peak, which coincides with the Br $\alpha$ peak of the supernebula and its associated molecular cloud. The spectra of the supernebula exhibit Br $\alpha$ emission with a strong, narrow core. The linewidths are 65-76 km s$^{-1}$, FWHM, comparable to those around individual ultra-compact HII regions within our Galaxy. A weak, broad (FWHM$\simeq$150-175 km s$^{-1}$) component is detected on the base of the line, which could trace a population of sources with high-velocity winds. The core velocity of Br $\alpha$ emission shifts by +13 km s$^{-1}$ from NE to SW across the supernebula, possibly indicating a bipolar outflow from an embedded object, or linked to a foreground redshifted gas filament. The results can be explained if the supernebula comprises thousands of ionized wind regions around individual massive stars, stalled in their expansion due to critical radiative cooling and unable to merge to drive a coherent cluster wind. Based on the absence of an outflow with large mass loss, we conclude that feedback is currently ineffective at dispersing gas, and the SSC retains enriched material out of which it may continue to form stars., Comment: 24 pages, 9 figures

We present observations of CO(3-2) and $^{13}$CO(3-2) emission near the supernebula in the dwarf galaxy NGC 5253, which contains one of the best examples of a potential globular cluster in formation. The 0.3" resolution images reveal an unusual molecular cloud, "Cloud D1", coincident with the radio-infrared supernebula. The ~6-pc diameter cloud has a linewidth, $\Delta$ v = 21.7 km/s, that reflects only the gravitational potential of the star cluster residing within it. The corresponding virial mass is 2.5 x 10$^5$ M$_\odot$. The cluster appears to have a top-heavy initial mass function, with $M_{low}$~1-2 M$_\odot$. Cloud D1 is optically thin in CO(3-2) probably because the gas is hot. Molecular gas mass is very uncertain but constitutes < 35% of the dynamical mass within the cloud boundaries. In spite of the presence of an estimated ~1500-2000 O stars within the small cloud, the CO appears relatively undisturbed. We propose that Cloud D1 consists of molecular clumps or cores, possibly star-forming, orbiting with more evolved stars in the core of the giant cluster., Comment: Revised version, 12 pages, 2 figures. Accepted, ApJ. New version corrects typo in RA coordinate in Table 1 in original Journal article as appears in the Erratum

We report ALMA observations of $^{12}$CO(3-2) and $^{13}$CO(3-2) in the gas-poor dwarf galaxy NGC 5253. These 0.3"(5.5 pc) resolution images reveal small, dense molecular gas clouds that are located in kinematically distinct, extended filaments. Some of the filaments appear to be falling into the galaxy and may be fueling its current star formation. The most intense CO(3-2) emission comes from the central $\sim$100 pc region centered on the luminous radio-infrared HII region known as the supernebula. The CO(3-2) clumps within the starburst region are anti-correlated with H$\alpha$ on $\sim$5 pc scales, but are well-correlated with radio free-free emission. Cloud D1, which enshrouds the supernebula, has a high $^{12}$CO/$^{13}$CO ratio, as does another cloud within the central 100 pc starburst region, possibly because the clouds are hot. CO(3-2) emission alone does not allow determination of cloud masses as molecular gas temperature and column density are degenerate at the observed brightness, unless combined with other lines such as $^{13}$CO., Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, Accepted to ApJ

We present subarcsecond images of submillimeter CO and continuum emission from a local galaxy forming massive star clusters: the blue compact dwarf galaxy II Zw 40. At $\sim$0.4" resolution (20 pc), the CO(3-2), CO(1-0), 3mm and 870${\mu}$m continuum maps illustrate star formation on the scales of individual molecular clouds. Dust contributes about a third of the 870${\mu}$m continuum emission, with free-free accounting for the rest. On these scales, there is not a good correspondence between gas, dust, and free-free emission. Dust continuum is enhanced toward the star-forming region as compared to the CO emission. We suggest that an unexpectedly low and spatially variable gas-to-dust ratio is the result of massive clusters of the starburst., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures

We present ALMA CO(3-2) observations at 0.3 arcsec resolution of He2-10, a starburst dwarf galaxy and possible high-z galaxy analogue. The warm dense gas traced by CO(3--2) is found in clumpy filaments that are kinematically and spatially distinct. The filaments have no preferred orientation or direction; this may indicate that the galaxy is not evolving into a disk galaxy. Filaments appear to be feeding the active starburst; the velocity field in one filament suggests acceleration onto an embedded star cluster. The relative strengths of CO(3-2) and radio continuum vary strongly on decaparsec scales in the starburst. There is no CO(3--2) clump coincident with the non-thermal radio source that has been suggested to be an AGN, nor unusual kinematics. The kinematics of the molecular gas show significant activity apparently unrelated to the current starburst. The longest filament, east of the starburst, has a pronounced shear of FWHM $\sim40$~\kms\ across its $\sim$50~pc width over its entire $\approx 0.5$ kpc length. The cause of the shear is not clear. This filament is close in projection to a `dynamically distinct' CO feature previously seen in CO(1--0). The most complex region and the most highly disturbed gas velocities are in a region 200~pc south of the starburst. The CO(3--2) emission there reveals a molecular outflow, of linewidth FWZI $\sim$ 120-140 \kms, requiring an energy $\gtrsim 10^{53} \rm~ erg/s$. There is at present {\it no} candidate for the driving source of this outflow., This was revised 31 October to correct some typos and to replace Figure 6

The composite galaxy NGC 4102 hosts a LINER nucleus and a starburst. We mapped NGC 4102 in the 12.8 micron line of [NeII], using the echelon spectrometer TEXES on the NASA IRTF, to obtain a data cube with 1.5" spatial and 25 km/s spectral, resolution. Combining near-infrared, radio, and the [NeII] data shows that the extinction to the starburst is substantial, more than 2 magnitudes at K band, and that the neon abundance is less than half solar. We find that the star formation in the nuclear region is confined to a rotating ring or disk of 4.3" (~300 pc) diameter, inside the Inner Lindblad Resonance. This region is an intense concentration of mass, with a dynamical mass of ~3 x 10^9 solar masses, and of star formation. The young stars in the ring produce the [NeII] flux reported by Spitzer for the entire galaxy. The mysterious blue component of line emission detected in the near-infrared is also seen in [NeII]; it is not a normal AGN outflow., Comment: submitted to ApJ

A local dwarf galaxy, NGC 5253, has a young super star cluster that may provide an example of highly efficient star formation. Here we report the detection and imaging, with the Submillimeter Array, of the J= 3-2 rotational transition of CO at the location of the massive cluster associated with the supernebula. The gas cloud is hot, dense, quiescent, and extremely dusty. Its gas-to-dust ratio is lower than the Galactic value, which we attribute to dust enrichment by Wolf-Rayet stars within the embedded star cluster. Its star formation efficiency exceeds 50%, ten times higher than clouds in the Milky Way: this cloud is a factory of stars and soot. We suggest that high efficiency results from the force-feeding of star formation by a streamer of gas falling into the galaxy., Accepted to Nature. 15 pages, 5 figures. Abstract modified from Nature summary paragraph

We measured the $12.8\mu$m [NeII] line in the dwarf starburst galaxy He 2-10 with the high-resolution spectrometer TeXeS on the NASA IRTF. The data cube has diffraction-limited spatial resolution $\sim1^{\prime\prime}$ and total velocity resolution including thermal broadening of $\sim5$km/s. This makes it possible to compare the kinematics of individual star-forming clumps and molecular clouds in the three dimensions of space and velocity, and allows us to determine star formation efficiencies. The kinematics of the ionized gas confirm that the starburst contains multiple dense clusters. From the $M/R$ of the clusters and the $\simeq30-40$% star formation efficiencies the clusters are likely to be bound and long lived, like globulars. Non-gravitational features in the line profiles show how the ionized gas flows through the ambient molecular material, as well as a narrow velocity feature which we identify with the interface of the HII region and a cold dense clump. These data offer an unprecedented view of the interaction of embedded HII regions with their environment., Comment: accepted to ApJ

It is likely that all stars are born in clusters, but most clusters are not bound and disperse. None of the many protoclusters in our Galaxy are likely to develop into long-lived bound clusters. The super star clusters (SSCs) seen in starburst galaxies are more massive and compact and have better chances of survival. The birth and early development of SSCs takes place deep in molecular clouds, and during this crucial stage the embedded clusters are invisible to optical or UV observations but are studied via the radio-infrared supernebulae (RISN) they excite. We review observations of embedded clusters and identify RISN within 10 Mpc whose exciting clusters have ≈ 106 M⊙ or more in volumes of a few pc3 and which are likely to not only survive as bound clusters, but to evolve into objects as massive and compact as Galactic globulars. These clusters are distinguished by very high star formation efficiency η, at least a factor of 10 higher than the few percent seen in the Galaxy, probably due to the violent disturbances their host galaxies have undergone. We review recent observations of the kinematics of the ionized gas in RISN showing outflows through low-density channels in the ambient molecular cloud; this may protect the cloud from feedback by the embedded H II region.

We present a survey of 3 mm molecular lines in IRAS 04296+2923, one of the brightest known molecular-line emitting galaxies, and one of the closest LIRGs. Data are from the Owens Valley and CARMA millimeter interferometers. Species detected at ~10 M_sun/yr and is traced by lines of HCN, HCO+, HNC, and CN. A correlation between HCN and star formation rate is observed on sub-kpc scales, consistent with global relations. Toward the nucleus, CN abundances are similar to those of HCN, indicating emission comes from a collection (~40-50) of moderate visual extinction, photon-dominated region clouds. The CO isotopic line ratios are unusual: CO(1-0)/^13CO(1-0) and CO(1-0)/C^18O(1-0) line ratios are large toward the starburst, as is commonly observed in LIRGs, but farther out in the disk these ratios are remarkably low (~, 15 pages, 5 figures; Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal

We present images of the 7mm free-free emission from the radio "supernebula" in NGC 5253 made with the Very Large Array and the Pie Town link. The images reveal structure in the nebula, which has a, Comment: Accepted, Astrophysical Journal Letters. 10 pages, including 2 figures

NGC 4194 is a post-merger starburst known as The Medusa for its striking tidal features. We present here a detailed study of the structure and kinematics of ionized gas in the central 0.65 kpc of the Medusa. The data include radio continuum maps with resolution up to $0.18\arcsec$ (35 pc) and a $12.8\mu$m [NeII] data cube with spectral resolution $\sim4$\kms: the first {\it high resolution, extinction-free} observations of this remarkable object. The ionized gas has the kinematic signature of a core in solid-body rotation. The starburst has formed a complex of bright compact \HII~regions, probably excited by deeply embedded super star clusters, but none of these sources is a convincing candidate for a galactic nucleus. The nuclei of the merger partners that created the Medusa have not yet been identified., Comment: to appear in ApJ

We have made subarcsecond-resolution images of the central 10" of the Wolf-Rayet dwarf galaxy He 2-10 at 11.7 microns, using the Long Wavelength Spectrometer on the Keck Telescope. The spatial distribution of the infrared emission roughly agrees with that of the rising spectrum radio sources seen by Kobulnicky & Johnson (1999) and confirms that those sources are compact HII regions rather than SNR or other objects. The infrared sources are more extended than the subarcsecond rising spectrum radio sources, although the entire complex is still less than 5" in extent. On sizescales of 1" the infrared and radio emission are in excellent agreement, with each source requiring several hundred to a thousand O stars for excitation. The nebulae lie in a flattened disk-like distribution about 240 by 100 pc and provide all of the flux measured by IRAS for the entire galaxy in the 12 micron band; 30% of the total IRAS flux from the galaxy emanates from one 15-30 pc source. In this galaxy, intense star formation, probably triggered by an accretion event, is confined to a central disk which breaks up into distinct nebulae which presumably mark the sites of young super star clusters., Accepted for Publication in the Astronomical Journal

Hidden from optical view in the starburst region of the dwarf galaxy NGC 5253 lies an intense radio source with an unusual spectrum, which could be interpreted variously as nebular gas ionized by a young stellar cluster or nonthermal emission from a radio supernova or an active galactic nucleus. We have obtained 11.7 and 18.7 μm images of this region at the Keck telescope and find that it is an extremely strong mid-infrared emitter. The infrared-to-radio flux ratio rules out a supernova and is consistent with an H II region excited by a dense cluster of young stars. This "supernebula" provides at least 15% of the total bolometric luminosity of the galaxy. Its excitation requires 105-106 stars, giving it the total mass and size (1-2 pc diameter) of a globular cluster. However, its high obscuration, small size, and high gas density all argue that it is very young, no more than a few hundred thousand years old. This may be the youngest globular cluster yet observed.

Eight dwarf starburst galaxies have been observed with the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO) telescope in the CO J= 3 - 2 transition. The galaxies observed are He 2-10, NGC 5253, NGC 1569, NGC 3077, Haro 2, Haro 3, II Zw 40 and Mrk 86; all but the last two are detected. The central regions of He 2-10 and NGC 5253 were mapped and a CO(2-1) spectrum of NGC 5253 was obtained. The error weighted mean CO(3-2)/CO(1-0) ratio of the detected galaxies is 0.60$\pm$0.06, which is virtually identical to what is found for starbursts in the nuclei of nearby spirals, and suggests that the molecular gas is optically thick, warm (T$_{k}>$20 K), and moderately dense ($n_{H_{2}}\sim 10^{3-4} cm^{-3}$). The CO(3-2)/CO(1-0) ratio peaks at or close to the starburst in all cases. CO emission does not appear to be optically thin in these dwarfs, despite the low metallicity and intense radiation fields, which is probably because in order for CO to exist in detectable amounts it must be self-shielding and hence optically thick. Physical properties of the molecular clouds in these dwarf starbursts appear to be essentially the same as nearby spiral nuclei, with the possible exception that CO is more confined to the cloud cores., 21 pages, 8 figures; Accepted for publication by the Astronomical Journal

We present 20, 6, 3.6, and 2 cm Very Large Array maps and continuum-free Hα images of nine Wolf-Rayet galaxies. The radio maps were made with high spatial resolution to reject extended emission and to emphasize the star formation regions. The ratio of Hα to radio is at least a factor of 10 lower than predicted, indicating that the radio emission is from highly obscured sources. We map the radio spectral index, α (Sν ∝ να), across each galaxy. In all the sample galaxies except one, the radio spectrum is much flatter than in spiral starburst galaxies, suggesting that free-free emission is more dominant in the dwarfs and that these are very young starbursts that have produced few supernovae. In many of the galaxies, there are regions where the spectrum rises from 6 to 2 cm. This requires that the radio emission be optically thick at wavelengths as short as 2 cm. In these optically thick regions, the emission measure, electron density, and ionizing fluxes must be very high, and they are probably the youngest parts of the starburst. The deduced ionization of these sources implies stellar content of hundreds to many thousands of O stars, which means that they may be responsible for a significant fraction of the total infrared luminosities of the galaxies. We discuss what these sources imply for the history and evolution of the starburst in each galaxy.

Hidden from optical view in the starburst region of the dwarf galaxy NGC 5253 lies an intense radio source with an unusual spectrum which could be interpreted variously as nebular gas ionized by a young stellar cluster or nonthermal emission from a radio supernova or an AGN. We have obtained 11.7 and 18.7 micron images of this region at the Keck Telescope and find that it is an extremely strong mid-infrared emitter. The infrared to radio flux ratio rules out a supernova and is consistent with an HII region excited by a dense cluster of young stars. This "super nebula" provides at least 15% of the total bolometric luminosity of the galaxy. Its excitation requires 10^5-10^6 stars, giving it the total mass and size (1-2 pc diameter) of a globular cluster. However, its high obscuration, small size, and high gas density all argue that it is very young, no more than a few hundred thousand years old. This may be the youngest globular cluster yet observed.

We present 1.3 cm and 2 cm subarcsecond resolution VLA images of the dwarf galaxy NGC 5253. Within the central starburst, we detect high-brightness [Tbparl0;2 cmparr0; approximately 100-12,000 K] radio continuum sources. These appear to be very dense, "compact" H ii regions. The dominant radio source is a nebula approximately 1-2 pc in size, requiring several thousand O stars within the volume to maintain its ionization. This nebula has no obvious optical counterpart. The number of ionizing photons we find for this cluster is nearly 2 orders of magnitude larger than indicated by Halpha fluxes, and the deduced stellar content accounts for a significant fraction of the total infrared luminosity of the galaxy. This cluster is a strong candidate for a globular cluster in the process of formation, perhaps the youngest globular cluster known.

We present continuum-free Hα images of the remarkable Wolf-Rayet galaxy He 2-10. There are extensive low surface brightness structures of ionized gas around He 2-10, including several shells, a possible supershell, and a small, isolated Hα clump. The clump is well outside the body of the galaxy and coincides with a CO feature at the end of the galaxy's tidal tail. We believe the clump to be a small star cluster, containing about 100 O stars. This cluster may be the analog on a smaller scale of the dwarf galaxies formed at the end of the tidal tails in the NGC 4038/4039 merger.

We are trying to probe conditions in the youngest super star clusters, those still embedded in dense obscuring clouds. The hydrogen recombination lines in the radio and infrared can be observed through the obscuration, as the optical and UV lines cannot, and give us the kinematics of the ionized gas. The line profiles of the clusters resemble superpositions of the lines of many very young ultra-compact or hyper-compact HII regions. This can be explained if each OB star is individually embedded in dense material which it is accreting, even as it ionizes. We speculate on what this implies for conditions in the clusters.

We present VLA images of the radio continuum emission of the starburst in NGC 5253 at wavelengths of 6, 3.6, and 2 cm, with resolutions of 1''–2'', and at 20 cm with resolution of ~9''. A spectral index map constructed from the 6 and 2 cm images indicates that thermal free-free emission from ionized gas, most of it from a single source, dominates the radio emission. The unusually high fraction of free-free emission suggests that the starburst is very young. Regions of diffuse nonthermal synchrotron emission and probable supernova remnants surround the central radio source. We detect several regions of rising spectral index in NGC 5253, suggesting that the free-free emission is optically thick at 2 cm. These nebulae are situated to the north of the central cluster/main radio source. The turnover frequencies require an emission measure (EM) ~ 108–109 cm-6 pc, and n1/2 ~ 104–105 cm-3. From the observed intensities, we infer diameters of a few tenths of a parsec for these regions, which is an order of magnitude larger than the diameters of H II regions of comparable density in the Galaxy. Lyman continuum rates of over NLyc ~ 1051 s-1 are required to ionize these high densities and volumes. Unlike Galactic compact H II regions, which contain no more than a few O stars, the optically thick H II regions in NGC 5253 are excited by an estimated 200–1000 O stars each. This is consistent with the idea that very large clusters are the mode of star formation in the central region of NGC 5253. The optically thick H II regions, located to the north of the dominant optical and radio sources, may well trace the very youngest parts of the starburst.

We have mapped the central parsec of the H II region W33 in the infrared fine-structure lines of [Ne II] (12.8 ?m) and [Ar III] (8.99 ?m), and have measured spectra of [Ar II] (6.99 ?m) at selected locations. This is the first observation of the 6.99 ?m line from the ground. The spatial distribution of the infrared lines resembles that of the radio continuum, except for one region where the extinction is apparently very high (even at 12.8 ?m). The abundances of neon and argon in W33 are a factor of 4 lower than solar. We have analyzed the ratios of the mapped lines to derive the types of the exciting stars, their ages, and other features of the source. The cluster contains three distinct subsources, one of which appears to be a cometary and another a shell-like ultracompact H II region, although they are larger and less dense than most objects of this class. The stars are of types O6 to O7 and less than a few million years old. We suggest that star formation in this object has been proceeding simultaneously in at least three centers, and that the H II regions have not yet expanded to form one source.

We have mapped CO and 2.6 mm continuum emission in the dwarf galaxy NGC 5253 with the Owens Valley Millimeter Array. CO is detected along the prominent dust lane in the nucleus. The CO emission is extremely weak: NGC 5253 appears to be the most CO-poor starburst known. The CO flux appears to be low by factors of ~100 compared to star-forming regions of similar radio and infrared luminosity in large spiral galaxies and as much as a factor of 10 weaker than those in other metal-poor dwarf galaxies. This unusually weak CO emission, together with the observed morphology of the CO gas and its unusual kinematical properties, lead us to suggest that NGC 5253 has recently accreted gas of extremely low metallicity, significantly lower than that of the galaxy itself.

We present a 3-dimensional data cube of the K band continuum and the Br-gamma, H2 S(0) and S(1) lines within the central 18.5" x 13.8" (520 pc x 390 pc) region of NGC 6946. Data were obtained using OSIRIS, a near-infrared Integral Field Unit at Keck Observatory, with Laser Guide Star Adaptive Optics. The 0.3" resolution allows us to investigate the stellar bulge and the forming star clusters in the nuclear region on 10 parsec scales. We detect giant HII regions associated with massive young star clusters in the nuclear spiral/ring (R ~ 30pc) and in the principal shocks along the nuclear bar. Comparisons of the Br-gamma fluxes with Pa-alpha line emission and radio continuum indicate A_K ~ 3, A_V ~ 25 for the nuclear star forming regions. The most luminous HII regions are restricted to within 70pc of the center, despite the presence of high gas columns at larger radii (R ~ 200pc). H2 emission is restricted to clouds within R ~ 60pc of the center, and in this sense resembles the distribution of the HCN line emission. We propose that gas-assisted migration of the young star clusters is contributing to the buildup of the nuclear bar and nuclear star cluster (R < 30pc) in this galaxy., 16 pages in emulateapj format, including 2 tables and 11 figures. To be published in ApJ

We present a first look at the local LIRG, IRAS04296+2923. This barred spiral, overlooked because of its location in the Galactic plane, is among the half dozen closest LIRGs. More IR-luminous than either M82 or the Antennae, it may be the best local example of a nuclear starburst caused by bar-mediated secular evolution. We present Palomar J and Pa beta images, VLA maps from 20-1.3cm, a Keck LWS image at 11.7mic and OVRO CO(1-0) and ^13CO(1-0), and 2.7 mm continuum images. The J-band image shows a symmetric barred spiral. Two bright, compact mid-IR/radio sources in the nucleus comprise a starburst that is equivalent to 10^5 O7 stars, probably a pair of young super star clusters separated by 30pc. The nuclear starburst is forming stars at the rate of ~12Msun/yr, half of the total star formation rate for the galaxy of ~25Msun/yr. IRAS04296 is bright in CO, and among the most gas-rich galaxies in the local universe. The CO luminosity of the inner half kpc is equivalent to that of the entire Milky Way. While the most intense CO emission extends over a 15"(2 kpc) region, the nuclear starburst is confined to ~1-2"(150-250 pc) of the dynamical center. From ^13CO, we find that the CO conversion factor in the nucleus is higher than the Galactic value by a factor 3-4, typical of gas-rich spiral nuclei. The nuclear star formation efficiency is M_gas/SFR^nuc = 2.7x10^-8 yr^-1, corresponding to gas consumption timescale, tau_SF^nuc~4x10^7 yrs. The star formation efficiency is ten times lower in the disk, tau_SF^disk~3.3x10^8 yrs. The low absolute star formation efficiency in the disk implies that the molecular gas is not completely consumed before it drifts into the nucleus, and is capable of fueling a sustained nuclear starburst. IRAS04296 is beginning a 100Myr period as a LIRG, during which it will turn much of its 6x10^9Msun of molecular gas into a nuclear cluster of stars. (abridged), Accepted, Astronomical Journal

We present 7mm Very Large Array continuum images of the starburst galaxy M82. On arcsecond scales, two-thirds of the 7mm continuum consists of free-free emission from HII regions. In the subarcsecond resolution map, we identify 14 compact sources, including 9 bright HII regions with N_Lyc > 10^51 sec^-1. Four of the HII regions have rising spectra, implying emission measures > 10^8 cm^-6 pc. Except for one compact source with peculiar features, all other compact radio sources are found in dust lanes and do not have optical or near-infrared continuum counterparts. Four regions of extended, high brightness (EM > 10^7 cm-6 pc) radio emission are found in our high resolution map, including some as large as ~2", or 30 pc, representing either associations of small HII regions, or sheetlike structures of denser gas. The good correlation between 7 mm emission and Spitzer IRAC 8 micron continuum-removed PAH feature suggests that PAH emission may track the recently formed OB stars. We find an excellent correlation between molecular gas and star formation, particularly dense gas traced by HCN, down to the ~ 45 pc scale in M82. We also find star formation efficiencies (SFEs) of 1-10% on the same scale, based on CO maps. The highest SFE are found in regions with the highest dense gas fractions., 18 pages, 10 figures. Accepted for publication in AJ

The infrared spectra of starburst galaxies are dominated by the low-excitation lines of [NeII] and [SIII], and the stellar populations deduced from these spectra appear to lack stars larger than about 35 Msun. The only exceptions to this result until now were low metallicity dwarf galaxies. We report our analysis of the mid-infrared spectra obtained with IRS on Spitzer of the starburst galaxy NGC 1222 (Mkn 603). NGC 1222 is a large spheroidal galaxy with a starburst nucleus that is a compact radio and infrared source, and its infrared emission is dominated by the [NeIII] line. This is the first starburst of solar or near-solar metallicity, known to us, which is dominated by the high-excitation lines and which is a likely host of high mass stars. We model the emission with several different assumptions as to the spatial distibution of the high- and low-excitation lines and find that the upper mass cutoff in this galaxy is 40-100 Msun., accepted, Astronomical Journal. 29 pp, 4 figures. In replacement version an acknowledgment to NRAO is added

We present high spectral resolution (v~12-16 km/s) Brackett line spectroscopy of the blue compact dwarf galaxy Henize 2-10 made with NIRSPEC on the Keck Telescope. The spatial resolution is seeing limited, at 1". We detect two distinct kinematic features separated by approximately 3", with heliocentric velocities of ~860 and ~890 km/s. In addition to a narrow core, the line profiles also display a broad, low intensity feature on the blue side of the centroid, which we attribute to an outflow. This may be a sign of aging in the clusters. We compare to archival high resolution Very Large Array (VLA) data at 1.3 cm, and find that the centimeter wavelength emission is resolved into six sources. These radio sources are organized into two larger groups, which we associate with the two kinematic peaks in the Brackett spectrum. We estimate a Lyman continuum rate of at least 7 x 10^52 s^-1, with a corresponding stellar mass of 6 x 10^6 M_sun is required to ionize the nebulae. We also estimate the size of the nebulae from the radio continuum brightness and find that the observed sources probably contain many HII regions in smaller, unresolved clumps. Brackett line profiles have supersonic line widths, but, aside from the blue wing, are comparable to line widths observed in Galactic ultracompact HII regions, which are excited by a single star, or a few stars., 26 pages, 7 figures. Accepted for publication in AJ

We report subarcsecond-resolution VLA imaging of four nearby spiral galaxies: IC 342, Maffei II, NGC 2903, and NGC 6946. In each galaxy, compact radio continuum sources are identified in the central ~ 15" x 15" region. These compact sources are responsible for 20 - 30 % of the total emission from the central kpc of the host galaxies at 2 cm, but only ~ 5 - 10 % at 6 cm. More than half of the compact sources appear to be HII regions. The HII regions with rising spectra must be fairly dense (n_i ~ 10^4 cm^(-3)) and are presumably very young. The largest of these HII regions require the excitation of 500 - 800 O stars, within regions of only few parsecs extent. These clusters approach the sizes expected for globular clusters. Thermal free-free emission from compact sources contributes more significantly at 2 cm, while diffuse synchrotron emission dominates at 6 cm. The radio HII regions are found near the centers of giant molecular clouds in projection, and do not have obvious visual counterparts., Comment: 48 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in AJ

We present deep images of dust continuum emission at 450, 800, and 850 micron of the dark cloud LDN 1689N which harbors the low-mass young stellar objects (YSOs) IRAS 16293-2422A and B (I16293A and I16293B) and the cold prestellar object I16293E. Toward the positions of I16293A and E we also obtained spectra of CO-isotopomers and deep submillimeter observations of chemically related molecules with high critical densities. To I16293A we report the detection of the HDO 1_01 - 0_00 and H2O 1_10 - 1_01 ground-state transitions as broad self-reversed emission profiles with narrow absorption, and a tentative detection of H2D+ 1_10 - 1_11. To I16293E we detect weak emission of subthermally excited HDO 1_01 - 0_00. Based on this set of submillimeter continuum and line data we model the envelopes around I16293A and E. The density and velocity structure of I16293A is fit by an inside-out collapse model, yielding a sound speed of a=0.7 km/s, an age of t=(0.6--2.5)e4 yr, and a mass of 6.1 Msun. The density in the envelope of I16293E is fit by a radial power law with index -1.0+/-0.2, a mass of 4.4 Msun, and a constant temperature of 16K. These respective models are used to study the chemistry of the envelopes of these pre- and protostellar objects. The [HDO]/[H2O] abundance ratio in the warm inner envelope of I16293A of a few times 1e-4 is comparable to that measured in comets. This supports the idea that the [HDO]/[H2O] ratio is determined in the cold prestellar core phase and conserved throughout the formation process of low-mass stars and planets., 61 pages, 17 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ. To get Fig. 13: send email to stark@strw.leidenuniv.nl

We have observed the starburst dwarf galaxy VII Zw 19 at subarcsecond resolution with the MERLIN and MERLIN+EVN networks at 18 cm, with MERLIN at 6 cm, and with the VLA in A array at 6 and 2 cm. The galaxy is detected at all VLA wavelengths and is resolved. It is also resolved at 18 cm by MERLIN, but is not detected by the EVN nor by MERLIN at 6 cm. VII Zw 19 has a complex structure of nonthermal radio emission at 18 cm extended over ~1200-1800 pc (4-6''). That the EVN did not detect this emission indicates that there are no obvious point sources that could be radio supernovae. The 2 cm emission, predominantly thermal free-free emission, has a markedly different spatial distribution from the nonthermal emission. The radio colors show that the galaxy contains numerous supernova remnants, as well as many young HII regions, many of which are optically thick at 6 cm. Two extended regions of 2 cm emission have little 18 cm flux and are probably emission from young star clusters. VII Zw 19 resembles M82 in its radio and infrared spectrum, but the starburst region in VII Zw 19 is twice the size of the one in M82 and twice as luminous., Comment: To appear in the Astronomical Journal Oct. 2004; 2 figures

Little is known about the origins of the giant star clusters known as globular clusters. How can hundreds of thousands of stars form simultaneously in a volume only a few light years across the distance of the sun to its nearest neighbor? Radiation pressure and winds from luminous young stars should disperse the star-forming gas and disrupt the formation of the cluster. Globular clusters in our Galaxy cannot provide answers; they are billions of years old. Here we report the measurement of infrared hydrogen recombination lines from a young, forming super star cluster in the dwarf galaxy, NGC 5253. The lines arise in gas heated by a cluster of an estimated million stars, so young that it is still enshrouded in gas and dust, hidden from optical view. We verify that the cluster contains 4000-6000 massive, hot "O" stars. Our discovery that the gases within the cluster are bound by gravity may explain why these windy and luminous O stars have not yet blown away the gases to allow the cluster to emerge from its birth cocoon. Young clusters in "starbursting" galaxies in the local and distant universe may be similarly gravitationally confined and cloaked from view., Comment: Letter to Nature

We report the detection of CO(2-1) and 3.1 mm and 1.3 mm continuum emission towards the extremely young starburst in NGC 5253, with data taken from the Owens Valley Millimeter Array. Faint CO emission originates in five molecular clouds distributed along the prominent dust lane seen in visual images. With the gas, the morphology of NGC 5253 looks much like a dwarf elliptical version of the ``dust-lane ellipticals'' or ``polar-ring'' class of galaxies. The molecular gas resides in GMCs well away from the radio-IR super-star cluster/supernebula seen in the radio and infrared. The millimeter continuum data confirm that the 2 cm flux from the supernebula is optically thick; the Lyman continuum rate derived from the 1.3 mm continuum is N$_{Lyc} \sim 6x10^{52} s^{-1}$ for the central ~20''. CO may underestimate the true molecular column density, as expected for a low metallicity system, although there are regions along the dust lane that appear to have near-Galactic conversion factors. We estimate a total molecular gas mass of $M_{H_{2}}\lsim 10^{7} M_{\odot}$. The molecular gas in the dust lane is falling into the galaxy, supporting an accretion hypothesis. The dust lane gas cannot therefore be causally associated with the current burst of star formation. A relatively small amount, $M_{H_{2}}\lsim 5x10^{5} M_{\odot}$, of molecular gas is associated with the current starburst. We estimate a star formation efficiency of at least 25 % and more likely ~75 %, consistent with the formation of a bound cluster. Despite the extreme youth of the starburst, the specific trigger of the starburst remains elusive, although the infall of gas in the dust lane suggests that there is more star formation to come in NGC 5253., 23 pages, 4 figures, accepted to the Astronomical Journal

We present high resolution (~2.5'') CO(1-0) and CO(2-1) images of the central kiloparsec of NGC 3077 made with the Owens Valley Millimeter Array. CO emission is distributed in three major complexes which resolve into at least seven GMCs. Two complexes are associated with the central starburst. A third, more distant complex is not associated with strong star formation. The GMCs are ~70 pc in size and contain ~10^{6} M_{\odot} of molecular gas. The Galactic conversion factor appears applicable to NGC 3077, consistent with its solar metallicity. Galactic rotation in NGC 3077 is detected for the first time in the molecular gas. The molecular gas counterrotates with respect to the large scale HI tidal bridge. The molecular clouds closest to the starburst have super-virial linewidths, possibly related to the turbulence generated by the starburst. The 2.6 mm radio continuum flux indicates that thermal Bremsstrahlung dominates the emission from the starburst region below 5 cm, and that the N_{Lyc} \simeq 3.7\times 10^{52} s^{-1} or ~3000 O7 stars, corresponds to a star formation rate of 0.4 M_{\odot} yr^{-1}. At this rate the amount of molecular gas can sustain star formation for only ~10 Myrs; thus NGC 3077 is a true starburst galaxy. The derived age of the starburst is consistent with the inferred ages of the superbubbles, which suggests that the burst is much younger than the age of the M 81-M 82-NGC 3077 interaction. We suggest that it is caused by gas that was pulled out of NGC 3077 during the interaction with M 81, raining back down onto the galaxy., 25 pages, 7 figures, accepted to the Astronomical Journal

ISO-SWS spectroscopy of the WR galaxy NGC5253 is presented, and analysed to provide estimates of its hot young star population. Our approach differs from previous investigations in that we are able to distinguish between the regions in which different infrared fine-structure lines form, using complementary ground-based observations. The high excitation nebular [SIV] emission is formed in a very compact region, which we attribute to the central super-star-nucleus, and lower excitation [NeII] nebular emission originates in the galactic core. We use photo-ionization modelling coupled with the latest theoretical O-star flux distributions to derive effective stellar temperatures and ionization parameters of Teff>38kK, logQ=8.25 for the compact nucleus, with Teff=35kK, logQ, 16 pages, 7 figures, uses mn.sty, to appear in MNRAS

We have obtained near-infrared images and mid-infrared spectra of the starburst core of the dwarf Wolf-Rayet galaxy He 2-10. We find that the infrared continuum and emission lines are concentrated in a flattened ellipse 3-4'' or 150 pc across which may show where a recent accretion event has triggered intense star formation. The ionizing radiation from this cluster has an effective temperature of 40,000 K, corresponding to $30M_\odot$ stars, and the starburst is $0.5-1.5 \times 10^7$ years old., 17 pages Latex, 7 postscript figures, 1 postscript table, accepted to AJ

I arrived in Berkeley in August 1976 with an introduction to Charles Townes from my undergraduate advisor, 70 dollars, and the idea that 0.9 μm was pretty far into the infrared. Forty-eight hours later I was at Lick Observatory with John Lacy and Fred Baas and a large and unwieldy spectrometer, looking for an ionic species ([NeII]) I had never heard of, at a wavelength (12.8 μm) that seemed unimaginably long. And in complete disregard for all my preconceptions the [Nell] came booming in so strongly from every HII region we looked at that we could see it on the voltmeter. That first venture into the middle-infrared convinced me that it was the spectral region of the future, and although there have been ups and downs in the last two decades I still think so.

High resolution Brackett line spectroscopy with the Keck Telescope reveals relatively narrow recombination lines toward the embedded young super star cluster nebula in NGC 5253. The gas within this nebula is almost certainly gravitationally bound by the massive and compact young star cluster.

The nearby dwarf starburst galaxy NGC 5253 hosts a deeply embedded radio-infrared supernebula excited by thousands of O stars. We have observed this source in the 10.5{\mu}m line of S+3 at 3.8 kms-1 spectral and 1.4" spatial resolution, using the high resolution spectrometer TEXES on the IRTF. The line profile cannot be fit well by a single Gaussian. The best simple fit describes the gas with two Gaussians, one near the galactic velocity with FWHM 33.6 km s-1 and another of similiar strength and FWHM 94 km s-1 centered \sim20 km s-1 to the blue. This suggests a model for the supernebula in which gas flows towards us out of the molecular cloud, as in a "blister" or "champagne flow" or in the HII regions modelled by Zhu (2006)., Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal 4 June 2012

We confirm the presence of compact H II regions in the center of the starburst in NGC 5253 through the detection of optically thick free-free emission. The number of O-type stars implied by the excitation of these nebulae is nearly two orders of magnitude larger than what is indicated by the radio continuum fluxes. The compact H II regions are located 70 pc to the north of the location of the Wolf-Rayet feature. Implied extinctions are extremely high. Not all WR galaxies can be identified as such due to extinction.

Wolf-Rayet galaxies are a subset of blue emission-line galaxies, whose spectra show the signature of large numbers of WR stars, with ages in the range 1-10 x 106 yr. Mid infra-red observations are well suited to the study of their hot, massive stars since this spectral region contains many fine-structure nebular lines which depend very sensitively on stellar content. The observations of ISO have opened-up this window, which we are exploiting through a Guest Observer program with the Short Wavelength Spectrometer (sws), that includes NGC 5253, a nearby (4 Mpc) WR galaxy. NGC 5253 contains several young super-star clusters, no older than a few million years and has been the focus of many recent studies which have shown that the extinction is very high and patchy in the UV and optical. ISO observations of NGC 5253 are particularly important since the interstellar extinction at mid-IR wavelengths is low and because of its remarkably hot and young stellar population.

We have observed nine Wolf-Rayet galaxies at 20,6, 3.6 and 2 cm from the VLA and at Hα from the Wise Observatory, and have mapped the radio spectral index in each galaxy on sub-arcsec scales. We find that more than half the WR sample has distinct regions where the radio spectrum rises between 6 and 2 cm. We believe that this is the radio signature of the youngest super-star-clusters which are otherwise invisible, and which require NLyc ≳ 1052, or equivalent to 750 stars of the 07 subtype. We call these sources radio super-star-clusters.