Young star clusters in the circumnuclear region of NGC 2110

High-resolution observations in the near infrared show star clusters around the active galactic nucleus (AGN) of the Seyfert 1 NGC 2110, along with a 90 × 35 pc bar of shocked gas material around its nucleus. These are seen for the first time in our imaging and gas kinematics of the central 100 pc with the Keck OSIRIS instrument with adaptive optics. Each of these clusters is two to three times brighter than the Arches cluster close to the center of the Milky Way. The core star formation rate is 0.3 M ⊙ yr-1. The photoionized gas (He I) dynamics imply an enclosed mass of 3-4 × 108 M ⊙. These observations demonstrate the physical linkage between AGN feedback, which triggers star formation in massive clusters, and the resulting stellar (and supernovae) winds, which cause the observed [Fe II] emission and feed the black hole.