- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/144/31
- Title:
- Spitzer+2MASS photometry of protostar candidates
- Short Name:
- J/AJ/144/31
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We identify protostars in Spitzer surveys of nine star-forming (SF) molecular clouds within 1kpc: Serpens, Perseus, Ophiuchus, Chamaeleon, Lupus, Taurus, Orion, Cep OB3, and Mon R2, which combined host over 700 protostar candidates. These clouds encompass a variety of SF environments, including both low-mass and high-mass SF regions, as well as dense clusters and regions of sparsely distributed star formation. Our diverse cloud sample allows us to compare protostar luminosity functions in these varied environments. We combine near- and mid-infrared photometry from the Two Micron All Sky Survey and Spitzer to create 1-24{mu}m spectral energy distributions (SEDs). Using protostars from the c2d survey with well-determined bolometric luminosities, we derive a relationship between bolometric luminosity, mid-IR luminosity (integrated from 1-24{mu}m), and SED slope. Estimations of the bolometric luminosities for protostar candidates are combined to create luminosity functions for each cloud. Contamination due to edge-on disks, reddened Class II sources, and galaxies is estimated and removed from the luminosity functions. We find that luminosity functions for high-mass SF clouds (Orion, Mon R2, and Cep OB3) peak near 1L_{sun}_ and show a tail extending toward luminosities above 100L_{sun}_. The luminosity functions of the low-mass SF clouds (Serpens, Perseus, Ophiuchus, Taurus, Lupus, and Chamaeleon) do not exhibit a common peak, however the combined luminosity function of these regions peaks below 1L_{sun}_. Finally, we examine the luminosity functions as a function of the local surface density of young stellar objects. In the Orion molecular clouds, we find a significant difference between the luminosity functions of protostars in regions of high and low stellar density, the former of which is biased toward more luminous sources. This may be the result of primordial mass segregation, although this interpretation is not unique. We compare our luminosity functions to those predicted by models and find that our observed luminosity functions are best matched by models that invoke competitive accretion, although we do not find strong agreement between the high-mass SF clouds and any of the models.
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- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/682/445
- Title:
- Spitzer observations of S254-S258
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/682/445
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present Spitzer IRAC, NOAO 2.1m Flamingos, Keck NIRC, and FCRAO SEQUOIA observations of the massive star-forming complex S254-S258, covering an area of 25'x20'. Using a combination of the IRAC and NIR data, we identify and classify the young stellar objects (YSOs) in the complex. We detect 510 sources with near- or mid-IR excess, and we classify 87 Class I and 165 Class II sources. The YSOs are found in clusters surrounded by isolated YSOs in a low-density distributed population. The ratio of clustered to total YSOs is 0.8. We identify six new clusters in the complex. One of them, G192.63-00, is located around the ionizing star of the HII region S255. We hypothesize that the ionizing star of S255 was formed in this cluster. We also detect a southern component of the cluster in HII region S256. The cluster G192.54-0.15, located inside HII region S254 has a V_LSR_ of 17km/s with respect to the main cloud, and we conclude that it is located in the background of the complex. The structure of the molecular cloud is examined using ^12^CO, and ^13^CO, as well as a near-IR extinction map. The main body of the molecular cloud has V_LSR_ between 5 and 9km/s. The arc-shaped structure of the molecular cloud following the border of the HII regions and the high column density in the border of the HII regions support the idea that the material has been swept up by the expansion of the HII regions.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJS/186/111
- Title:
- Spitzer observations of Taurus members
- Short Name:
- J/ApJS/186/111
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We have analyzed nearly all images of the Taurus star-forming region at 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, 8.0, and 24{mu}m that were obtained during the cryogenic mission of the Spitzer Space Telescope (46deg^2^) and have measured photometry for all known members of the region that are within these data, corresponding to 348 sources, or 99% of the known stellar population. By combining these measurements with previous observations with the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph and other facilities, we have classified the members of Taurus according to whether they show evidence of circumstellar disks and envelopes (classes I, II, and III). Through these classifications, we find that the disk fraction in Taurus, N(II)/N(II+III), is ~75% for solar-mass stars and declines to ~45% for low-mass stars and brown dwarfs (0.01-0.3M_{sun}_). Through an analysis of multiple epochs of Spitzer photometry that are available for ~200 Taurus members, we find that stars with disks exhibit significantly greater mid-infrared (mid-IR) variability than diskless stars, which agrees with the results of similar variability measurements for a smaller sample of stars in Chamaeleon I. The variability fraction for stars with disks is higher in Taurus than in Chamaeleon I, indicating that the IR variability of disks decreases with age. Finally, we have used our data in Taurus to refine the observational criteria for primordial, evolved, and transitional disks. The ratio of the number of evolved and transitional disks to the number of primordial disks in Taurus is 15/98 for spectral types of K5-M5, indicating a timescale of 0.15x{tau}_primordial_~0.45Myr for the clearing of the inner regions of optically thick disks.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/743/39
- Title:
- Spitzer observations of W3 molecular cloud
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/743/39
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- In this work, we have carried out an in-depth analysis of the young stellar content in the W3 giant molecular cloud (GMC). The young stellar object (YSO) population was identified and classified in the Infrared Array Camera/Multiband Imaging Photometer color-magnitude space according to the "Class" scheme and compared to other classifications based on intrinsic properties. Class 0/I and II candidates were also compared to low-/intermediate-mass pre-main-sequence (PMS) stars selected through their colors and magnitudes in the Two Micron All Sky Survey. We find that a reliable color/magnitude selection of low-mass PMS stars in the infrared requires prior knowledge of the protostar population, while intermediate-mass objects can be more reliably identified. By means of the minimum spanning tree algorithm and our YSO spatial distribution and age maps, we investigated the YSO groups and the star formation history in W3.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/880/9
- Title:
- Spitzer obs. of YSOs in the SMOG field
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/880/9
- Date:
- 07 Mar 2022 07:09:50
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- In this paper we undertake a study of the 21deg^2^ SMOG field, a Spitzer cryogenic mission Legacy program to map a region of the outer Milky Way toward the Perseus and outer spiral arms with the IRAC and MIPS instruments. We identify 4648 YSOs across the field. Using the DBSCAN method, we identify 68 clusters or aggregations of YSOs in the region, having eight or more members. We identify 1197 Class I objects, 2632 Class II objects, and 819 Class III objects, of which 45 are candidate transition disk objects, utilizing the MIPS 24 photometry. The ratio of YSOs identified as members of clusters was 2872/4648, or 62%. The ratios of Class I to Class II YSOs in the clusters are broadly consistent with those found in the inner Galactic and nearby Gould Belt young star formation regions. The clustering properties indicate that the protostars may be more tightly bound to their natal sites than the Class II YSOs, and the Class III YSOs are generally widely distributed. We further perform an analysis of the WISE data of the SMOG field to determine how the lower resolution and sensitivity of WISE affects the identification of YSOs as compared to Spitzer: we identify 931 YSOs using combined WISE and 2MASS photometry, or 20% (931/4648) of the total number identified with Spitzer. Performing the same clustering analysis finds 31 clusters that reliably trace the larger associations identified with the Spitzer data. Twelve of the clusters identified have previously measured distances from the WISE HII survey. SEDFitter modeling of these YSOs is reported, leading to an estimation of the initial mass function in the aggregate of these clusters that approximates that found in the inner Galaxy, implying that the processes behind stellar mass distribution during star formation are not widely affected by the lower density and metallicity of the outer Galaxy.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/AJ/144/192
- Title:
- Spitzer survey of Orion A and B. I. YSO catalog
- Short Name:
- J/AJ/144/192
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present a survey of the Orion A and B molecular clouds undertaken with the IRAC and MIPS instruments on board Spitzer. In total, five distinct fields were mapped, covering 9deg^2^ in five mid-IR bands spanning 3-24{mu}m. The survey includes the Orion Nebula Cluster, the Lynds 1641, 1630, and 1622 dark clouds, and the NGC 2023, 2024, 2068, and 2071 nebulae. These data are merged with the Two Micron All Sky Survey point source catalog to generate a catalog of eight-band photometry. We identify 3479 dusty young stellar objects (YSOs) in the Orion molecular clouds by searching for point sources with mid-IR colors indicative of reprocessed light from dusty disks or infalling envelopes. The YSOs are subsequently classified on the basis of their mid-IR colors and their spatial distributions are presented. We classify 2991 of the YSOs as pre-main-sequence stars with disks and 488 as likely protostars. Most of the sources were observed with IRAC in two to three epochs over six months; we search for variability between the epochs by looking for correlated variability in the 3.6 and 4.5{mu}m bands. We find that 50% of the dusty YSOs show variability. The variations are typically small (~0.2mag) with the protostars showing a higher incidence of variability and larger variations. The observed correlations between the 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8{mu}m variability suggests that we are observing variations in the heating of the inner disk due to changes in the accretion luminosity or rotating accretion hot spots.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJS/184/18
- Title:
- Spitzer survey of young stellar clusters
- Short Name:
- J/ApJS/184/18
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present a uniform mid-infrared imaging and photometric survey of 36 young, nearby, star-forming clusters and groups using Spitzer IRAC and MIPS. We have confidently identified and classified 2548 young stellar objects (YSOs) using recently established mid-infrared color-based methods. We have devised and applied a new algorithm for the isolation of local surface density enhancements from point source distributions, enabling us to extract the overdense cores of the observed star-forming regions for further analysis. We have compiled several basic structural measurements of these cluster cores from the data, such as mean surface densities of sources, cluster core radii, and aspect ratios, in order to characterize the ranges for these quantities. We find that a typical cluster core is 0.39pc in radius, has 26 members with infrared excess in a ratio of Class II to Class I sources of 3.7, is embedded in a A_Ks_=0.8mag cloud clump, and has a surface density of 60pc^-2^. We examine the nearest neighbor distances among the YSOs in several ways, demonstrating similarity in the spacings between Class II and Class I sources but large member clusters appear more dense than smaller clusters. We demonstrate that near-uniform source spacings in cluster cores are common, suggesting that simple Jeans fragmentation of parsec-scale cloud clumps may be the dominant process governing star formation in nearby clusters and groups. Finally, we compare our results to other similar surveys in the literature and discuss potential biases in the data to guide further interpretation.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/588/A29
- Title:
- Star formation in massive clumps in Milky Way
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/588/A29
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Newborn stars form within the localized, high density regions of molecular clouds. The sequence and rate at which stars form in dense clumps and the dependence on local and global environments are key factors in developing descriptions of stellar production in galaxies. We seek to observationally constrain the rate and latency of star formation in dense massive clumps that are distributed throughout the Galaxy and to compare these results to proposed prescriptions for stellar production. A sample of 24 micron based Class I protostars are linked to dust clumps that are embedded within molecular clouds selected from the APEX Telescope Large Area Survey of the Galaxy. We determine the fraction of star-forming clumps that imposes a constraint on the latency of star formation in units of a clump's lifetime. Protostellar masses are estimated from models of circumstellar environments of young stellar objects from which star formation rates are derived. Physical properties of the clumps are calculated from 870 micron dust continuum emission and NH_3_ line emission. Linear correlations are identified between the star formation rate surface density, Sigma_SFR and the quantities Sigma_H2/tau_ff and Sigma_H2/tau_cross, suggesting that star formation is regulated at the local scales of molecular clouds. The measured fraction of star forming clumps is 23%. Accounting for star formation within clumps that are excluded from our sample due to 24 micron saturation, this fraction can be as high as 31%, which is similar to previous results. Dense, massive clumps form primarily low mass (<1-2M_{sun}_) stars with emergent 24 micron fluxes below our sensitivity limit or are incapable of forming any stars for the initial 70% of their lifetimes. The low fraction of star forming clumps in the Galactic center relative to those located in the disk of the Milky Way is verified.
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/ApJ/683/822
- Title:
- Star formation in Ophiuchus and Perseus II.
- Short Name:
- J/ApJ/683/822
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- We present a census of the population of deeply embedded young stellar objects (YSOs) in the Ophiuchus molecular cloud complex based on a combination of Spitzer Space Telescope mid-infrared data from the "Cores to Disks" (c2d) legacy team and JCMT/SCUBA submillimeter maps from the COMPLETE team. We have applied a method developed for identifying embedded protostars in Perseus to these data sets and in this way construct a relatively unbiased sample of 27 candidate embedded protostars with envelopes more massive than our sensitivity limit (about 0.1M_{sun}_).
- ID:
- ivo://CDS.VizieR/J/A+A/617/A63
- Title:
- Star formation in the Vela Molecular Ridge
- Short Name:
- J/A+A/617/A63
- Date:
- 21 Oct 2021
- Publisher:
- CDS
- Description:
- Most stars born in clusters and recent results suggest that star formation (SF) preferentially occurs in subclusters. Studying the morphology and SF history of young clusters is crucial to understanding early SF. We identify the embedded clusters of young stellar objects (YSOs) down to M stars, in the HII regions RCW33, RCW32 and RCW27 of the Vela Molecular Ridge. Our aim is to characterise their properties, such as morphology and extent of the clusters in the three HII regions, derive stellar ages and the connection of the SF history with the environment. Through public photometric surveys such as Gaia, VPHAS, 2MASS and Spitzer/GLIMPSE, we identify YSOs with IR, Halpha and UV excesses, as signature of circumstellar disks and accretion. In addition, we implement a method to distinguish M dwarfs and giants, by comparing the reddening derived in several optical/IR color-color diagrams assuming suitable theoretical models. Since this diagnostic is sensitive to stellar gravity, the procedure allows us to identify pre-main sequence stars. We find a large population of YSOs showing signatures of circumstellar disks with or without accretion. In addition, with the new technique of M-type star selection, we find a rich population of young M stars with a spatial distribution strongly correlated to the more massive population. We find evidence of three young clusters, with different morphology. In addition, we identify field stars falling in the same region, by securely classifying them as giants and foreground MS stars. We identify the embedded population of YSOs, down to about 0.1M_{sun}_, associated with the HII regions RCW33, RCW32 and RCW27 and the clusters Vela T2, Cr197 and Vela T1, respectively, showing very different morphologies. Our results suggest a decreasing SF rate in Vela T2 and triggered SF in Cr197 and Vela T1.
