this director.s discretionary time proposal will use mid-infrared atomic fine-structure lines to probe the excitation conditions of the ism in the vicinity of the recently-discovered arches cluster, g0.12+0.02 (cotera et al. 1996; see also nagata et al. 1993, 1995, 1996). the arches cluster is perhaps the most powerful cluster in the galactic center, and new imaging with keck (serabyn et al. 1998) suggests that there are more massive o stars in this cluster than in any known cluster in the entire galactic disk. as this massive young star cluster lies in a region with an estimated 30 magnitudes of visual extinction, mid-infrared spectroscopy with iso is uniquely poised to probe its effects on the interstellar medium in the extreme environment of the galactic center. a near-infrared spectroscopic study of the arches cluster (cotera et al. 1996) describes the detection of 13 emission-line stars. the keck imaging study suggests there are virgul100 main sequence o stars in this young cluster, including a significant population of the youngest, most massive o stars known (serabyn et al. 1998). a detailed examination of the excitation produced by these massive stars, using sws spectroscopy, will make an important contribution to understanding the interaction of massive stars and the ism in different star formation environments. a study of the excitation of the arches cluster has important implications for the interpretation of similar diagnostics in the more distant star-formation environments of starburst nuclei, where the stellar population cannot be directly observed.
Instrument
SWS02
Temporal Coverage
1998-04-03T10:43:30Z/1998-04-03T12:20:56Z
Version
1.0
Mission Description
The Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) was the world's first true orbiting infrared observatory. Equipped with four highly-sophisticated and versatile scientific instruments, it was launched by Ariane in November 1995 and provided astronomers world-wide with a facility of unprecedented sensitivity and capabilities for a detailed exploration of the Universe at infrared wavelengths.
European Space Agency, 1999, The Arches Cluster: Probing The Interaction Between Massive Stars And The Ism In The Galactic Center, 1.0, European Space Agency, https://doi.org/10.5270/esa-hv6sszv
