HST photometry of ESO 338-IG04 globular clusters

The youngest objects are predominantly found in the crowded starburst region. They have properties which agree with what is expected for young globular clusters, although it cannot be excluded that some of them may be dissolved or disrupted. For objects older than a few times 10Myr, the only plausible explanation is that these are globular clusters.

The galaxy presently appears to be involved in a merger, which is the probable cause of the present globular cluster formation. The presence of a numerous intermediate age (2.5 to 5Gyr) population of globular clusters, suggests that a previous merger might have occurred. As the starburst fades, this galaxy will become very rich in globular clusters.

Transforming all objects to an age comparable to that of Milky Way globular clusters reveals a luminosity function similar to the Galactic. We suggest that this galaxy is the result of a merger between a dwarf elliptical and a gas rich dwarf. The possibility of dating the globular clusters offers an efficient way of studying the history of violent star formation in this and similar galaxies.