The Topical Overview on Star Cluster Astrophysics (TOSCA) workshop aims at creating a common environment for different astrophysical communities to have a joint and comprehensive discussion on the physics of star clusters.
Star Clusters are among the most studied celestial objects. They are the fundamental building blocks of galaxies and represent crucial laboratories for understanding a wide range of astrophysical problems.
In recent times, star clusters have been proposed as cosmic ray factories, as suggested by the detection of some of the youngest and most massive star clusters in the high- and very high-energy gamma-ray band. However, we still lack of a comprehensive understanding of particle acceleration and propagation in those objects. While the acceleration is probably driven by the power injected through stellar winds and supernova explosions, the particle propagation is affected by stellar feedback which shapes the surrounding medium. The presence of freshly accelerated particles provide a new component thet may modify the way stellar cluster feedback onto the interstellar medium.
Scientific topics will include:
- Gamma-ray observations
- Particle acceleration and propagation
- Stellar feedback
- Stellar wind physics
- Population properties
