We analyse high spatial resolution near infra-red ( NIR ) imaging of NGC 6384 , a Milky Way like galaxy , using ARGOS commissioning data at the Large Binocular Telescope ( LBT ) .
ARGOS provides a stable PSF _ { FWHM } = 0 \farcs 2 - 0 \farcs 3 AO correction of the ground layer across the LUCI 2 NIR camera 4 \arcmin \times 4 \arcmin field by using six laser guide stars ( three per telescope ) and a natural guide star for tip-tilt sensing and guiding .
Enabled by this high spatial resolution we analyse the structure of the nuclear star cluster ( NSC ) and the central kiloparsec of NGC 6384 .
We find via 2D modelling that the NSC ( r _ { eff } \simeq 10 pc ) is surrounded by a small ( r _ { eff } \simeq 100 pc ) and a larger Sersić ( r _ { eff } \simeq 400 pc ) , all embedded within the NGC 6384 large-scale boxy/X-shaped bulge and disk .
This proof-of-concept study shows that with the high spatial resolution achieved by ground-layer AO we can push such analysis to distances previously only accessible from space .
SED-fitting to the NIR and optical HST photometry allowed to leverage the age-metallicity-extinction degeneracies and derive the effective NSC properties of an young to old population mass ratio of 8 \% with { \cal M } _ { \star,old } \simeq 3.5 \times 10 ^ { 7 } M _ { \odot } , Age _ { old, young } = 10.9 \pm 1.3 Gyr and 226 Myr \pm 62 \% , metallicity [ M/H ] = -0.11 \pm 0.16 and 0.33 \pm 39 \% dex , and E ( B - V ) = 0.63 and 1.44 mag .