8000(  1) - 04/16/98 14:14  - [  1]

    PROPOSAL FOR HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE OBSERVATIONS   ST ScI Use Only
                                                       ID:      8000
                                                       Version: 1
                                                       Check-in Date: 16-Apr-1998
                                                                      14:10:23

1.Proposal Title:
Dissecting the Local Starburst Clone NGC3603
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2. Proposal For  3. Cycle
AR               7
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4. Investigators
                                                                                     Contact?
    PI: GLENN SCHNEIDER                   STEWARD OBSERVATORY
   CoI: Daniel Devost                     Space Telescope Science Institute             N

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5. Abstract

Starburst galaxies are the dominant extragalactic population in the local universe
at luminosities above 10^11 \Ls. They are powered by young stars which are formed in
numerous compact (sizes of a few pc), massive (masses of 10^5 - 10^6 \Ms) star
clusters. Lack of spatial resolution and severe dust extinction preclude a detailed
analysis of the stars and gas in the clusters. We propose an archival study of the
Galactic star cluster and giant H II region NGC3603, which may be a low -luminosity
clone of a luminous starburst cluster. NGC3603 has been selected as a NICMOS
calibration target, with more than 1000 images in the archive. Combining the NICMOS
data with other available HST imagery, we will be able to detect stars down to about
1 \Ms\ if they are present. From comparisons with evolutionary synthesis models we
intend to recreate the most recent star-formation history and constrain the initial
mass function. We will correlate the spatial morphology of stars and gas to analyze
the effects of stars on the interstellar medium, both in terms of radiative
(ionizing photons) and non-thermal (winds and supernovae) energy output. Our initial
goal is to determine how the small-scale structure of NGC3603 is related to its
global properties. Next we hope to be able to generalize our results to distant
starburst clusters. This will allow us to test model predictions for the stellar
content of starburst galaxies based on observations of global properties only.
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  Data Distribution

  Media:           ELECTRONIC
  Blocking Factor: 10
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                                                8000(  1) - 04/16/98 14:14  - [  2]

            Summary Form for Proposal  8000

  Item                         Used in this proposal
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  Proposal Category            AR
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