[26.02] The Birth of Super Star Clusters: High Resolution OVRO Imaging of the Inner Molecular Disk of M 82

AAS 205th Meeting, 9-13 January 2005
Session 26 Starbursts in Galaxies
Poster, Monday, January 10, 2005, 9:20am-6:30pm, Exhibit Hall

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[26.02] The Birth of Super Star Clusters: High Resolution OVRO Imaging of the Inner Molecular Disk of M 82

J. M. Cannon, F. Walter (MPIA), J.S. Gallagher (Wisconsin), A. Weiss (IRAM), N.Z. Scoville (Caltech), L.J. Smith (University College London), N.M. Förster Schreiber (MPE)

We present a new multiconfiguration, high resolution (1\arcsec ~ 20 pc) OVRO CO (1arrow0) mosaic of the inner molecular disk of the starburst galaxy M 82. These interferometric data are corrected for zero-spacing flux via supplemental IRAM 30-m observations. We correlate the distribution and masses of the molecular gas clumps with the locations of super star clusters (SSCs) as seen in HST and WIYN imaging. These results are directly applicable to the initial conditions required for SSC formation in extreme star formation environments. We also study the kinematics of the inner disk, and evaluate the correlation between internal extinction as indicated by positions of dark clouds and the locations of dense molecular gas. Finally, we examine the evidence for and against a bar in the inner disk as postulated in previous works.

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