The Physical Conditions in Extreme Star Forming Regions in the ALMA Era

超级星团（ssc）是活跃恒星形成的非常大的区域，被认为是球状星团的前身。它们通常包含许多年轻的大质量恒星，周围是电离氢气（H II）和尘埃区域。围绕着ssc的尘埃通常会在光谱的可见部分掩盖H区和恒星。因此，对ssc的观测通常在从无线电到红外的波长范围内进行。本提案的目标是通过使用阿塔卡马大型毫米波/亚毫米波阵列（ALMA）和扬斯基甚大阵列（JVLA）的观测计划来研究产生ssc的物理条件。ssc代表了宇宙中最极端的恒星形成模式之一。PI计划寻找并研究分子云区域，这些分子云区域是这些ssc的前体。PI将使用无线电（JVLA）和亚毫米/毫米（ALMA）数据来研究在蓝色致密矮星系Henize 2-10和合并天线星系重叠区域发现的原始ssc。此外，PI将提出新的观测，在这两个源和其他星系系统中寻找新的SSC前体。该提案将允许PI继续作为先前NSF奖励的一部分开发的公共宣传的优秀项目。“黑暗的天空，明亮的孩子”（DSBK）是一个为期8周的针对小学生的课外课程，包括实践活动和家庭观察之夜。DSBK项目在该项目运行的5年中有超过10,000个学生接触小时。该计划还提供了许多研究生和博士后志愿者参与DSBK“现实世界”的教育培训。

Super Star Clusters (SSCs) are very large regions of active star formation that are thought to be the precursors to globular clusters of stars. They typically contain a number of young massive stars surrounded by regions of ionized hydrogen gas (H II) and dust. The dust surrounding the SSCs typically obscures the H II regions and stars from the visible part of the spectrum. Observations of SSCs are, therefore, usually performed at wavelengths from the radio to infrared. The goal of this proposal is to investigate the physical conditions that give rise to SSCs through a program of observations using the Atacama Large Millimeter/Sub-millimeter Array (ALMA) and the Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA). SSCs represent one of the most extreme modes of star formation in the universe. The PI proposes to find and study the molecular cloud regions that are the pre-cursors to these SSCs. The PI will use radio (JVLA) and sub-millimeter/millimeter (ALMA) data already in hand to study proto-SSCs found in the blue compact dwarf galaxy Henize 2-10 and the overlap region in the merging Antennae galaxies. In addition, the PI will propose new observations to search for new SSC precursors within these two sources and in other galaxy systems.The proposal will allow the PI to continue an excellent program of public outreach developed as part of a prior NSF award. The program entitled "Dark Skies, Bright Kids" (DSBK) is an 8-week after-school curriculum for elementary school children consisting of hands-on activities and family observing nights. The DSBK program has over 10,000 student contact hours in the 5 years the program has been running. The program also provides numerous graduate student and postdoctoral volunteers involved in DSBK "real world" training in education.