Friday, October 12, 2012: 5:00 PM
Hall 4E/F (WSCC)
An accurate selection method for identifying and characterizing stellar groupings in nearby galaxies is essential for determining the size scales of stellar clustering. By generating fields of simulated star clusters with known ages, masses, sizes and metallicity, the accuracy of such a selection algorithm can be analyzed. Using code developed in IDL, the Massive Cluster Evolution and Analysis Package (MASSCLEAN) and SkyMaker have been used to simulate clusters of varying ages, masses, and sizes with properties tuned to mimic stellar groupings found in Hubble Space Telescope, Wide Field Camera 3, F336W images of the dwarf irregular galaxy NGC 4214. The point spread function (PSF) has been modeled using Tiny Tim. An archive of simulated star cluster fields with varying numbers of clusters (~10-200) and randomly selected positions within the field has been created. Primarily we examine the number of clusters generated versus the number retained and discuss the limitations of the selection algorithm in light of these results. A reliable selection method is imperative for studying the size scales and disruption time of stellar groupings in nearby galaxies and the relationship between the properties of stellar groupings and their host galaxies.