How to Find Young Massive Cluster Progenitors

We propose that bound, young massive stellar clusters form from dense clouds that have escape speeds greater than the sound speed in photo-ionized gas. In these clumps, radiative feedback in the form of gas ionization is bottled up, enabling star formation to proceed to sufficiently high efficiency...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:arXiv.org 2012-08
Main Authors: Bressert, Eli, Ginsburg, Adam, Battersby, Cara, Bally, John, Longmore, Steven, Testi, Leonardo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aerial surveys
Clumps
Gas ionization
Star & galaxy formation
Star clusters
Star formation
Universe
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We propose that bound, young massive stellar clusters form from dense clouds that have escape speeds greater than the sound speed in photo-ionized gas. In these clumps, radiative feedback in the form of gas ionization is bottled up, enabling star formation to proceed to sufficiently high efficiency so that the resulting star cluster remains bound even after gas removal. We estimate the observable properties of the massive proto-clusters (MPCs) for existing Galactic plane surveys and suggest how they may be sought in recent and upcoming extragalactic observations. These surveys will potentially provide a significant sample of MPC candidates that will allow us to better understand extreme star-formation and massive cluster formation in the Local Universe.
ISSN:2331-8422
DOI:10.48550/arxiv.1208.3472