Role of stellar winds in the early evolution of massive star clusters

Determine the role of fast, line-driven stellar winds in the early evolution of massive star clusters, establishing how these winds interact with the surrounding interstellar medium during the embedded phase and contribute to the development of diffuse hot gas and feedback signatures.

Background

The paper investigates the highly embedded N79 star-forming complex in the Large Magellanic Cloud to paper wind-driven feedback at the onset of massive star cluster formation. The authors focus on H72.97−69.39, a very young (<0.5 Myr) potential proto-super-star cluster, using new Chandra observations to detect diffuse, hard X-ray emission attributed to hot gas produced by stellar winds.

By comparing observed X-ray properties with wind bubble models, the paper aims to shed light on how stellar wind energy is deposited and potentially lost during early cluster assembly, but explicitly acknowledges that the broader role of winds in the earliest cluster stages remains unresolved.