Cambridge University Press (CUP), Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, S246(3), p. 55-59, 2007
DOI: 10.1017/s1743921308015275
Full text: Unavailable
AbstractThe young resolved cluster NGC 346 in the SMC provides us with the opportunity to study the details of cluster formation and the efficiency of feedback mechanisms at low metallicity. I describe the latest results from a large-scale study of this cluster and its H II region N66. HST/ACS images reveal that NGC 346 is composed of a number of sub-clusters which appear to be coeval with ages of 3±1 Myr, strongly suggesting formation by the hierarchical fragmentation of a giant molecular cloud (Nota et al. 2006; Sabbi et al. 2007a). HST Hα images show that the central cluster and the sub-clusters still contain some of their residual gas. We present high resolution spectroscopy of the ionized gas, and find that it shows little evidence for gas motions. This suggests that, at the low SMC metallicity, the cluster O star winds are not powerful enough to sweep away the residual gas. Instead, we find that stellar radiation is the dominant process shaping the interstellar environment of NGC 346.