Compact Obscured Star Clusters in the Nearby Starburst Galaxy NGC 253

NGC 253 (D=3.5 Mpc) is the nearest example of a nuclear starburst and with ALMA's capabilities, a prime candidate for studying intense star formation in detail. A majority of the star formation activity in this galaxy is concentrated in the central region of the galaxy within deeply embedded, massive star clusters. In the present day universe, the formation and evolution of massive star clusters is rare, however, it is believed to be a common mode of star formation in the early Universe. Thus, these nearby clusters provide critical insight into the nature of star formation over cosmic time and the starburst phase of galactic evolution. We leverage high resolution ALMA observations of the molecular emission from individual cluster regions in order to analyze the evolution and impact these clusters have on their surroundings over their lifetimes. We compare observations of multiple lines from several abundant dense gas tracers (HCN and HC3N), examining emission from both lower-energy rotationally-excited transitions which trace less dense gas in the cluster environment and higher-energy vibrationally-excited transitions from the dense and dusty inner cores. By comparing the gas motions in these two regions, we isolate signatures of both gas outflow and inflow on cluster-scales that allow us to better understand the life cycle of massive star clusters and how they contribute to large-scale winds that shape the evolution of entire galaxies.