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| Starburst99 | |
|---|---|
| Name | Starburst99 |
| Developer | Space Telescope Science Institute; Leitherer, Claus; Robert C. Kennicutt Jr.; Christy A. Tremonti |
| Released | 1999 |
| Latest release version | (varies) |
| Programming language | Fortran; Unix; Linux |
| Operating system | Linux; macOS; Windows |
| Genre | Stellar population synthesis |
| License | Academic |
Starburst99 is a computational synthesis code designed to model the spectral and photometric evolution of stellar populations in star-forming regions, star clusters, and galaxies. It provides predictions for spectra, luminosities, ionizing photon output, and supernova rates using libraries of stellar evolutionary tracks and atmospheres maintained by major observatories and research groups. The code has been used widely by investigators at institutions such as the Space Telescope Science Institute, European Southern Observatory, Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, and by teams associated with missions like the Hubble Space Telescope, James Webb Space Telescope, and instruments on the Very Large Telescope.
Starburst99 synthesizes integrated properties of simple and composite stellar populations by combining stellar evolution models, atmosphere spectra, and initial mass function prescriptions to produce time-dependent outputs for observables used by observers analyzing data from facilities including the Keck Observatory, Atacama Large Millimeter Array, Subaru Telescope, Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the Spitzer Space Telescope. The software serves astronomers studying resolved and unresolved stellar systems in environments exemplified by the Large Magellanic Cloud, Small Magellanic Cloud, M31, and distant galaxies observed in surveys like the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the CANDELS survey. Research groups at universities such as Harvard University, California Institute of Technology, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, and Princeton University have incorporated Starburst99 outputs into analyses of star formation histories and feedback.
Initial development was led by teams including researchers at the Space Telescope Science Institute and collaborators such as Leitherer, Claus; subsequent maintenance and updates involved contributors from centers like the European Southern Observatory, Max Planck Society, and university groups at University of Arizona and Pennsylvania State University. Major versions incorporated updated stellar evolutionary tracks from consortia producing outputs for the Geneva Observatory grids, the Padova group, and inputs aligned with atmosphere libraries produced by projects at the Kurucz group, the TLUSTY project, and the WM-basic code. Releases typically addressed incorporation of rotated stellar models used by researchers at the Geneva Observatory, revised mass-loss rates influenced by work at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh, and tracks tailored to metallicities characteristic of systems like the Sculptor Dwarf Galaxy and the Fornax Dwarf Galaxy.
Starburst99 computes time-dependent spectral energy distributions, bolometric corrections, ionizing photon rates, and mechanical energy outputs from stellar winds and supernovae, enabling comparisons with observations from the Hubble Space Telescope Cosmic Origins Spectrograph, the Very Large Array, and the Atacama Large Millimeter Array. It supports combinations of stellar libraries such as the empirical spectra compiled by the International Ultraviolet Explorer archives, the theoretical grids from the Kurucz models, and high-resolution outputs adopted by teams at the European Southern Observatory and the National Optical Astronomy Observatory. Outputs assist analysis in studies tied to research programs like those at the Keck Observatory Archive, the Gemini Observatory, and survey projects including the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the Two Micron All Sky Survey.
Users select inputs for initial mass function prescriptions from forms popularized by authors at institutions like Salpeter, Edwin, Kroupa, Pavel, and Chabrier, Gilles, and choose stellar evolutionary tracks from groups including the Geneva Observatory and the Padova group. Metallicity options span values relevant to systems such as the Milky Way, Large Magellanic Cloud, and Small Magellanic Cloud; users may enable rotation following studies by the Geneva Observatory team or select binary evolution approximations influenced by work at the University of Brussels and the Geneva Observatory. Star formation histories can be instantaneous bursts or continuous modes used in analyses by researchers at University College London and Imperial College London.
Astronomers apply Starburst99 results to interpret spectra and colors of young star clusters in galaxies observed with instruments on the Hubble Space Telescope, James Webb Space Telescope, and the Very Large Telescope, and to estimate star formation rates and feedback in studies from groups at University of California, Santa Cruz, University of Toronto, University of Melbourne, and University of Tokyo. The code's predictions are used in projects examining reionization-era galaxies targeted by teams using the James Webb Space Telescope, in analyses of starburst galaxies such as M82 and NGC 253, and in investigations of feedback processes referenced alongside work at the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics and the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
Validation studies compared outputs with resolved stellar populations in the Large Magellanic Cloud and integrated spectra of objects in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and deep fields like the Hubble Ultra Deep Field, with cross-checks against supernova rates cataloged by surveys such as the Palomar Transient Factory and the Zwicky Transient Facility. Limitations include sensitivity to choices of evolutionary tracks (e.g., Geneva vs. Padova), atmosphere libraries (e.g., Kurucz, TLUSTY), binary evolution treatments developed at institutions like University of Bonn and Monash University, and uncertainties in mass-loss prescriptions explored by groups at the Royal Observatory Edinburgh and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy.
Starburst99 is distributed to the community via portals hosted by the Space Telescope Science Institute and affiliated centers; users at observatories such as the European Southern Observatory, National Optical Astronomy Observatory, and research groups at Johns Hopkins University access code releases or online interfaces. Interfaces range from command-line deployments on Linux clusters used at the Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg to web-based forms employed by researchers at the Space Telescope Science Institute and educators at institutions like the University of Michigan.
Category:Stellar population synthesis software