Monday

I will present a detailed study of the extreme star formation properties of a pair of closely interacting dwarf galaxies. The strong interaction has triggered nearly coeval galaxy-scale starbursts, with a delay time of only ~100 Myr from one galaxy to the other. It has also altered their stellar structure and content, as indicated by the presence of prominent tidal features, some of which host young massive star clusters (YMCs). I will show how HST UV-to-VIS photometry is instrumental to determine the ages, masses and sizes of the YMCs. This allows for an investigation of the cluster formation efficiency in a gas-rich, high-density, metal-poor
environment--conditions very reminiscent of those at higher redshifts. I will emphasise the need in the coming decade for a high-spatial resolution, high-UV sensitivity facility, given HST's limited lifetime.