ALMA REVEALS POTENTIAL LOCALIZED DUST ENRICHMENT FROM MASSIVE STAR CLUSTERS IN II Zw 40

Abstract

We present subarcsecond images of submillimeter CO and continuum emission from a local galaxy forming massive star clusters: the blue compact dwarf galaxy II Zw 40. At ∼0.″4 resolution (20 pc), the CO(3-2), CO(1-0), 3 mm, and 870 μ m continuum maps illustrate star formation on the scales of individual molecular clouds. Dust contributes about one-third of the 870 μ m continuum emission, with free–free accounting for the rest. On these scales, there is not a good correspondence between gas, dust, and free–free emission. Dust continuum is enhanced toward the star-forming region as compared to the CO emission. We suggest that an unexpectedly low and spatially variable gas-to-dust ratio is the result of rapid and localized dust enrichment of clouds by the massive clusters of the starburst.