Abstract details

We use optical integral field and long-slit spectroscopy to study the star formation histories of the circumnuclear regions of some ten galaxies, most of which are barred and show current massive star formation in the form of a nuclear ring. Using stellar population modelling in conjunction with our stellar absorption and emission lines, we are able to trace the star formation history of these regions. Using previous work on the multi-wavelength morphology and on numerical modelling of the gas dynamics, we can, for the first time, reach a comprehensive understanding of the detailed interplay between the host galaxy dynamics and the star formation histories of the starburst regions. On the basis of these results, wider implications, for galaxy evolution and for starburst triggering, will be reviewed and further explored.