doi.eso.org

• Clark, Simon [School of Physical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK]
• Lohr, Marcus [School of Physical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK]
• Najarro, Francisco [Departamento de Astrofísica, Centro de Astrobiología, (CSIC-INTA), Madrid, Spain]
• Patrick, Lee [Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, La Laguna, Spain]
• Evans, Chris [UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, UK]
• Dong, Hui [Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, Granada, Spain]
• Figer, Don [Rochester Institute of Technology, USA]
• Lennon, Danny [ESA, European Space Astronomy Centre, Madrid, Spain]
• Crowther, Paul [Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Sheffield, UK]

Many galaxies host pronounced (circum)nuclear starbursts, fuelled by infalling gas. Such activity drives the secular evolution of the nucleus and may also generate super winds which enrich the interstellar and intergalactic medium. Given the intense radiation fields and extreme gas densities present within these nuclear regions, star formation may not occur in the same manner as it does in more “quiescent” regions of the galactic disc. To address this uncertainty, we are driven to investigate the only circumnuclear starburst where individual stars and star clusters may be resolved. Its proximity permitting dissection at resolutions a hundred times better than available for M31, the Galactic Centre provides us with a unique laboratory to study both stellar and galactic evolution.