SALT and SUNBIRD: Young massive star clusters and superwinds in strongly star-forming galaxies

Abstract

An overview of ongoing research on luminous infrared galaxies, LIRGs, is presented. A sample of approximately 40 such strongly star-forming galaxies have been studied with adaptive optics imaging using VLT and Gemini, and the galaxies then followed-up with a uniform SALT spectroscopic survey. Two different long-slit configurations were used, often with multiple slit orientations. The project investigates the LIRG histories, their stellar populations and abundances, and the gradients thereof, galaxy wide gas inflow and outflows, and their super star cluster population characteristics. Some early results are presented with motivation for the various aspects of this large SALT survey.