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We analyze the far-ultraviolet (1130−1770 Å rest frame) spectroscopy of 20 young (<50 Myr) and massive (>104M⊙) star clusters (YSCs) in 11 nearby star-forming galaxies. We probe the interstellar gas intervening along the line of sight, detecting several metal absorption lines of a wide range of ionization potentials, from 6.0 to 77.5 eV. Multiple-component Voigt fits to the absorption lines are used to study the kinematics of the gas. We find that nearly all targets in the sample feature gas outflowing from 30 up to 190 km s−1, often in both the neutral and ionized phases. The outflow velocities correlate with the underlying stellar population properties directly linked to the feedback: the mass of the YSCs, the photon production rate, and the instantaneous mechanical luminosity produced by stellar winds and supernovae. We detect a neutral inflow in four targets, which we interpret as likely not associated with the star cluster but tracing larger-scale gas kinematics. A comparison between the outflows' energy and that produced by the associated young stellar populations suggests an average coupling efficiency of 10% with a broad scatter. Our results extend the relation found in previous works between galactic outflows and the host galaxy star formation rate to smaller scales, pointing toward the key role that clustered star formation and feedback play in regulating galaxy growth.

We analyze the far-ultraviolet (1130-1770 angstrom rest frame) spectroscopy of 20 young (<50 Myr) and massive (>10(4) M-circle dot) star clusters (YSCs) in 11 nearby star-forming galaxies. We probe the interstellar gas intervening along the line of sight, detecting several metal absorption lines of a wide range of ionization potentials, from 6.0 to 77.5 eV. Multiple-component Voigt fits to the absorption lines are used to study the kinematics of the gas. We find that nearly all targets in the sample feature gas outflowing from 30 up to 190 km s(-1), often in both the neutral and ionized phases. The outflow velocities correlate with the underlying stellar population properties directly linked to the feedback: the mass of the YSCs, the photon production rate, and the instantaneous mechanical luminosity produced by stellar winds and supernovae. We detect a neutral inflow in four targets, which we interpret as likely not associated with the star cluster but tracing larger-scale gas kinematics. A comparison between the outflows' energy and that produced by the associated young stellar populations suggests an average coupling efficiency of 10% with a broad scatter. Our results extend the relation found in previous works between galactic outflows and the host galaxy star formation rate to smaller scales, pointing toward the key role that clustered star formation and feedback play in regulating galaxy growth.

We present Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA) CO(1–0) observations of the nearby infrared luminous (LIRG) galaxy pair IRAS 05054+1718 (also known as CGCG 468-002), as well as a new analysis of X-ray data of this source collected between 2012 and 2021 using the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR), Swift, and the XMM-Newton satellites. The western component of the pair, NED01, hosts a Seyfert 1.9 nucleus that is responsible for launching a powerful X-ray ultra-fast outflow (UFO). Our X-ray spectral analysis suggests that the UFO could be variable or multi-component in velocity, ranging from v/c ∼ −0.12 (as seen in Swift) to v/c ∼ −0.23 (as seen in NuSTAR), and constrains its momentum flux to be ṗoutX−ray ∼ (4 ± 2) × 1034 g cm s−2. The ALMA CO(1–0) observations, obtained with an angular resolution of 2.2″, although targeting mainly NED01, also include the eastern component of the pair, NED02, a less-studied LIRG with no clear evidence of an active galactic nucleus (AGN). We study the CO(1–0) kinematics in the two galaxies using the 3D-BAROLO code. In both sources we can model the bulk of the CO(1–0) emission with rotating disks and, after subtracting the best-fit models, we detect compact residual emission at S/N = 15 within ∼3 kpc of the centre. A molecular outflow in NED01, if present, cannot be brighter than such residuals, implying an upper limit on its outflow rate of Ṁoutmol ≲ 19 ± 14 M⊙ yr−1 and on its momentum rate of ṗoutmol ≲ (2.7 ± 2.4) × 1034 g cm s−1. Combined with the revised energetics of the X-ray wind, we derive an upper limit on the momentum rate ratio of ṗoutmol/ṗoutX−ray < 0.67. We discuss these results in the context of the expectations of AGN feedback models, and we propose that the X-ray disk wind in NED01 has not significantly impacted the molecular gas reservoir (yet), and we can constrain its effect to be much smaller than expectations of AGN ‘energy-driven’ feedback models. We also consider and discuss the h

Feedback in star forming galaxies is the key process that regulates how many stars form given the available gas reservoir. The radiation, energy and momentum released by the stellar activity and the active galactic nuclei change the physical properties of the gas in the galaxy such as the ionisation state, the density and the kinematics. In the most extreme scenarios, feedback is able to launch powerful outflows that can bring significant portions of gas out into the intergalactic medium, directly suppressing the star formation in the galaxies and therefore influencing their evolution. For non-active galaxies the dominant source of feedback is represented by the ionising radiation, stellar winds and supernova explosions of massive stars. Young star clusters (YSCs) are the natural habitat of massive stars and inject large amounts of radiation, energy and momentum into the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM). The fractal geometry of stellar clustering amplifies the impact of the stellar feedback on the surrounding gas in the ISM. In fact, the total outward momentum acting on the gas around a star cluster is given by the sum of the contributions from the single stars, which being at the centre of the physical system never cancel each other outward momenta. The main goal of this thesis is to investigate how stellar feedback originates at small scales, as well as to quantify its impact on the ISM gas surrounding young stellar populations. We use far-ultraviolet (FUV) spectroscopy of YSCs to study both the physical properties of the stellar population and the gas kinematics in the ISM. The first study presented in the thesis focuses on the starburst galaxy Haro 11, characterized by three knots of star formation, each populated by young star clusters of slightly different ages. We measure the stellar feedback in terms of photo-ionisation rate, mechanical energy and mechanical luminosity and we study its relation to the outflows of ionised gas traced by optical emission

The CLusters in the Uv as EngineS (CLUES) survey is a Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) campaign aimed at acquiring the 1130–1770 Å rest-frame spectroscopy of very young (<20 Myr) and massive (>104 M⊙) star clusters in galaxies that are part of the Hubble treasury program Legacy ExtraGalactic UV Survey. In this first paper of a series, we describe the CLUES sample consisting of 20 young star clusters and report their physical properties as derived by both multiwavelength photometry and far-UV (FUV) spectroscopy with Hubble Space Telescope. Thanks to the synergy of the two different data sets, we build a coherent picture of the diverse stellar populations found in each region (with sizes of 40–160 pc). We associate the FUV-brightest stellar population to the central targeted star cluster and the other modeled population to the diffuse stars that are included in the COS aperture. We observe better agreement between photometric and spectroscopic ages for star clusters younger than 5 Myr. For clusters older than 5 Myr, photometry and spectroscopy measurements deviate, with the latter producing older ages, due to the degeneracy of photometric models. FUV spectroscopy enables us to better constrain the stellar metallicities, a parameter that optical colors are insensitive to. Finally, the derived E(B − V) are quite similar, with a tendency for FUV spectroscopy to favor solutions with higher extinctions. The recovered masses are in agreement within a factor of 2 for all of the clusters.

Star formation is a clustered process that regulates the structure and evolution of galaxies. We investigate this process in the dwarf galaxy Haro 11, forming stars in three knots (A, B, and C). The exquisite resolution of HST imaging allows us to resolve the starburst into tens of bright star clusters. We derive masses between 105 and 107 M and ages younger than 20 Myr, using photometric modelling. We observe that the clustered star formation has propagated from knot C (the oldest) through knot A (in between) towards knot B (the youngest). We use aperture-matched ultraviolet and optical spectroscopy (HST + MUSE) to independently study the stellar populations of Haro 11 and determine the physical properties of the stellar populations and their feedback in 1-kpc diameter regions. We discuss these results in light of the properties of the ionized gas within the knots. We interpret the broad blue-shifted components of the optical emission lines as outflowing gas (vmax ∼ 400 km/s). The strongest outflow is detected in knot A with a mass rate of M˙ out ∼ 10 M/yr, 10 times higher than the star formation in the same region. Knot B hosts a young and not fully developed outflow, whereas knot C has likely been already evacuated. Because Haro 11 has properties similar to high-redshift unresolved galaxies, our work can additionally aid the understanding of star formation at high redshift, a window that will be opened by upcoming facilities.

Stars form and live in hierarchical structures such as star clusters on the smallest scales up to groups of galaxies on the largest scales. The role of young and massive star clusters in the evolution of the host galaxies is one of the most active fields of research in modern astronomy. The most massive stars are able to inject into the interstellar medium large amounts of energy and momentum through their radiation, their stellar winds and ultimately by exploding as supernovae. Also because of their clustered configuration, massive stars have an impact on the host galaxy with their energetic output, which is often referred to as a whole with the term feedback. Feedback processes are invoked by numerical simulations in order to reproduce galaxies with realistic properties. In the most extreme scenarios stellar feedback can launch galactic winds that may suppress the star formation and mix the gas content not only within the galaxy but also with the intergalactic medium. In this thesis I describe the scientific background of my doctoral studies and present my research project on the local starburst galaxy Haro 11 (z=0.021). Together with my supervisors, we use multi-band photometry from the Hubble Space Telescope for resolving the nuclear starburst into tens of star clusters with masses between 105 and 107 solar masses and ages younger than 20 Myr. We observe that star-formation is propagating across the galaxy from the eastern side to the western side. Additionally, we model aperture-matched ultraviolet and optical spectroscopy and derive the physical properties of the stellar populations in the three starburst knots (A, B, C). This also allow us to estimate the following stellar feedback quantities: photo-ionisation rate, energy of stellar winds and supernovae, and their power. We compare the above measurements with the information on the kinematics of the ionised gas within the three knots, extracted from optical spectroscopy. Combining our analysis with previou

We present a machine learning (ML) pipeline to identify star clusters in the multicolor images of nearby galaxies, from observations obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope as part of the Treasury Project LEGUS (Legacy ExtraGalactic Ultraviolet Survey). StarcNet (STAR Cluster classification NETwork) is a multiscale convolutional neural network (CNN) that achieves an accuracy of 68.6% (four classes)/86.0% (two classes: cluster/noncluster) for star cluster classification in the images of the LEGUS galaxies, nearly matching human expert performance. We test the performance of StarcNet by applying a pre-trained CNN model to galaxies not included in the training set, finding accuracies similar to the reference one. We test the effect of StarcNet predictions on the inferred cluster properties by comparing multicolor luminosity functions and mass-age plots from catalogs produced by StarcNet and by human labeling; distributions in luminosity, color, and physical characteristics of star clusters are similar for the human and ML classified samples. There are two advantages to the ML approach: (1) reproducibility of the classifications: the ML algorithm's biases are fixed and can be measured for subsequent analysis; and (2) speed of classification: the algorithm requires minutes for tasks that humans require weeks to months to perform. By achieving comparable accuracy to human classifiers, StarcNet will enable extending classifications to a larger number of candidate samples than currently available, thus increasing significantly the statistics for cluster studies.

Past Suzaku, XMM-Newton, and NuSTAR observations of the nearby (z = 0.03233) bright Seyfert 2 galaxy MCG-03-58-007 revealed the presence of two deep and blue-shifted iron K-shell absorption line profiles. These could be explained with the presence of two phases of a highly ionized, high column density accretion disc wind outflowing with v(out1) similar to-0.1c and v(out2) similar to -0.2c. Here we present two new observations of MCG-03-58-007: one was carried out in 2016 with Chandra and one in 2018 with Swift. Both caught MCG-03-58-007 in a brighter state (F2-10 (keV) similar to 4 x 10(-12) erg cm(-2) s(-1)) confirming the presence of the fast disc wind. The multi-epoch observations of MCG-03-58-007 covering the period from 2010 to 2018 were then analysed. These data show that the lower velocity component outflowing with v(out1) similar to -0.072 +/- 0.002c is persistent and detected in all the observations, although it is variable in column density in the range N-H similar to 3-8 x 102(3) cm(-2). In the 2016 Swift observation we detected again the second faster component outflowing with v(out2) similar to-0.2c, with a column density (N-H = 7.0(-4.1)(+5.6) x 10(23) cm(-2)), similar to that seen during the Suzaku observation. However during the Chandra observation 2 yr earlier, this zone was not present (N-H < 1.5 x 10(23) cm(-2)), suggesting that this faster zone is intermittent. Overall the multi-epochs observations show that the disc wind in MCG-03-58-007 is not only powerful, but also extremely variable, hence placing MCG-03-58-007 among unique disc winds such as the one seen in the famous QSO PDS456. One of the main results of this investigation is the consideration that these winds could be extremely variable, sometime appearing and sometime disappearing; thus to reach solid and firm conclusions about their energetics multiple observations are mandatory.

Understanding the escape of ionizing (Lyman continuum) photons from galaxies is vital for determining how galaxies contributed to reionization in the early universe. While directly detecting the Lyman continuum from high-redshift galaxies is impossible due to the intergalactic medium, low-redshift galaxies in principle offer this possibility but require observations from space. The first local galaxy for which Lyman continuum escape was found is Haro 11, a luminous blue compact galaxy at z = 0.02, where observations with the FUSE satellite revealed an escape fraction of 3.3%. However, the FUSE aperture covers the entire galaxy, and it is not clear from where the Lyman continuum is leaking out. Here we utilize Hubble Space Telescope/Cosmic Origins Spectrograph spectroscopy in the wavelength range 1100-1700 angstrom of the three knots (A, B, and C) of Haro 11 to study the presence of Ly alpha emission and the properties of intervening gas. We find that all knots have bright Ly alpha emission. UV absorption lines, originating in the neutral interstellar medium, as well as lines probing the ionized medium, are seen extending to blueshifted velocities of 500 km s(-1) in all three knots, demonstrating the presence of an outflowing multiphase medium. We find that knots A and B have large covering fractions of neutral gas, making LyC escape along these sightlines improbable, while knot C has a much lower covering fraction (less than or similar to 50%). Knot C also has the the highest Ly alpha escape fraction, and we conclude that it is the most likely source of the escaping Lyman continuum detected in Haro 11.