THE CA-II TRIPLET LINES IN STARBURST AND AGN

In the frame of the Starburst Model for AGN, we show that the evolutio n of a massive stellar cluster in a high metallicity environment can r eproduce the observed equivalent widths of Ca II triplet lines in abso rption in Starburst and active galactic nuclei. In the case of Starbur st galaxies, this strength, together with the emission-line ratio [O I I]/[O III], can be used to determine the age of the cluster. The stren gth of the Ca II lines is mainly governed by the age of the stellar cl uster through the presence of red supergiant stars.