Speaker
Janice Lee
(Space Telescope Science Institute)
Description
Since the discovery of "isolated extragalactic H II regions"
by Sargent & Searle in 1970, low mass dwarf galaxies
experiencing intense bursts of star formation have
periodically become the subject of frenetic research because
of their unusual and discordant properties. Today, the
study of massive star formation and its impact on the
interstellar medium seems to be at a major crossroad, with
starbursting dwarf galaxies back in the spotlight.
Stabursting dwarfs seem to be the key to understanding a
range of phenomena, from the escape of ionizing photons, to
the origins of superluminous supernovae and gamma ray
bursts, to the formation of the most massive stars. In this
talk, I will review recent findings involving dwarf
starbursting galaxies, and speculate on the propensity of
their environments to favor the formation of high mass stars
at increased efficiency.
Primary author
Janice Lee
(Space Telescope Science Institute)
