Young Stellar Structures in Focus: Exploring the Galactic Tapestry from the Latte Suite of FIRE Simulations

Investigating the Milky Way disk, we utilize three high-resolution zoom-in cosmological galaxy simulations from the Latte suite of FIRE simulations. Our focus is on young massive stellar groups, both bound and unbound, at redshift zero. These Milky Way-like simulations, spanning 110 million years, share consistent spatial (~1 pc), mass (7100 M_⊙), and temporal (~ 1 Myr) resolutions. Applying a Friends-of-Friend algorithm, we identify stellar groups within the galactic disk with ages ≲ 3 Myr and masses ≳10^4.5 M_⊙. Our results demonstrate a remarkable agreement between the properties of simulated stellar groups and those observed through Hubble Space Telescope, Gaia, and SDSS data. This alignment encompasses key properties such as cluster mass function slope, median size, 1D velocity dispersion, and metallicity spread. This investigation highlights the Latte suite's capability to accurately replicate realistic star clusters and their inherent properties. The consistent alignment with observational studies validates the suite's potential for advancing our understanding of star formation processes and evolution and the dynamic environment within the Milky Way.