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How do bound star clusters form?

delete2020-03-09
delete39
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OA
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M
Mark R. Krumholz *
C
Christopher F. McKee
DOI:10.1093/mnras/staa659delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Gravitationally bound clusters that survive gas removal represent an unusual mode of star formation in the Milky Way and similar spiral galaxies. While forming, they can be distinguished observationally from unbound star formation by their high densities, virialized velocity structures, and star formation histories that accelerate towards the present, but extend multiple free-fall times into the past. In this paper, we examine several proposed scenarios for how such structures might form and evolve, and carry out a Bayesian analysis to test these models against observed distributions of protostellar age, counts of young stellar objects relative to gas, and the overall star formation rate of the Milky Way. We show that models in which the acceleration of star formation is due either to a large-scale collapse or a time-dependent increase in star formation efficiency are unable to satisfy the combined set of observational constraints. In contrast, models in which clusters form in a 'conveyor belt' mode where gas accretion and star formation occur simultaneously, but the star formation rate per free-fall time is low, can match the observations.
Keywords:
stars: formation
ISM: kinematics and dynamics
open clusters and associations: general
galaxies: star clusters: general
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Journal

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society cover
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
IF:
4.8
Papers:
7.0W
Citations:
25.0W

Organization

A
Australian National University
Scholars:
2.1W
Papers: 2.3W
Citations: 3.9W
U
University of California Berkeley
Scholars:
3.5W
Papers: 2.8W
Citations: 11.3W