13 research outputs found
The IC2118 association: new T Tauri stars in high-latitude molecular clouds
We identified new pre-main sequence stars in the region of high-latitude
molecular clouds associated with the reflection nebula IC2118, around l = 208
degr and b = -27 degr. The stars were selected as T Tauri candidates in
objective prism plates obtained with the Schmidt telescope of Konkoly
Observatory. Results of spectroscopic follow-up observations, carried out with
the FLAIR spectrograph installed on the UK Schmidt and with ALFOSC on Nordic
Optical Telescope, are presented in this paper. Based on spectral types,
presence of emission lines and lithium absorption line, we identified five
classical T Tauri stars and a candidate weak-line T Tauri star projected on the
molecular clouds, as well as two candidate pre-main sequence stars outside the
nebulous region. Using the near infrared magnitudes obtained from the 2MASS All
Sky Catalog. we determined the masses and ages of these stars. We found that
the five classical T Tauri stars projected on the clouds are physically related
to them, whereas the other stars are probably background objects. Adopting a
distance of 210 pc for IC2118 (Kun et al. 2001) and using Palla & Stahler's
(1999) evolutionary tracks we derived an average age of 2.5 million yrs and a
mass interval of 0.4--1.0 M_sun for the members of the IC2118 association.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication by Astronomy and
Astrophysic
The young stellar population in the Serpens Cloud Core: An ISOCAM survey
We present results from an ISOCAM survey in the two broad band filters LW2
(5-8.5 mu) and LW3 (12-18 mu) of a 0.13 square degree coverage of the Serpens
Main Cloud Core. A total of 392 sources were detected in the 6.7 mu band and
139 in the 14.3 mu band to a limiting sensitivity of ~ 2 mJy. Only about 50% of
the mid-IR excess sources show excesses in the near-IR J-H/H-K diagram. In the
central Cloud Core the Class I/Class II number ratio is 19/18, i.e. about 10
times larger than in other young embedded clusters such as rho Ophiuchi or
Chamaeleon. The mid-IR fluxes of the Class I and flat-spectrum sources are
found to be on the average larger than those of Class II sources. Stellar
luminosities are estimated for the Class II sample, and its luminosity function
is compatible with a coeval population of about 2 Myr which follows a three
segment power-law IMF. For this age about 20% of the Class IIs are found to be
young brown dwarf candidates. The YSOs are in general strongly clustered, the
Class I sources more than the Class II sources, and there is an indication of
sub-clustering. The sub-clustering of the protostar candidates has a spatial
scale of 0.12 pc. These sub-clusters are found along the NW-SE oriented ridge
and in very good agreement with the location of dense cores traced by
millimeter data. The smallest clustering scale for the Class II sources is
about 0.25 pc, similar to what was found for rho Ophiuchi. Our data show
evidence that star formation in Serpens has proceeded in several phases, and
that a ``microburst'' of star formation has taken place very recently, probably
within the last 10^5 yrs.Comment: 25 pages, 14 figures, accepted by A&A March 18th, see also
http://www.not.iac.es/~amanda
Astrophysics in 2005
We bring you, as usual, the Sun and Moon and stars, plus some galaxies and a new section on astrobiology. Some highlights are short (the newly identified class of gamma-ray bursts, and the Deep Impact on Comet 9P/ Tempel 1), some long (the age of the universe, which will be found to have the Earth at its center), and a few metonymic, for instance the term "down-sizing" to describe the evolution of star formation rates with redshift
NEW RADIAL SYSTEMS OF DARK GLOBULES
Presentamos los resultados de una inspecci Ìon sistem Ìatic a de las placas ESO/SRC del hemisferio sur realizada con el prop Ìosito de de scubrir nuevos sistemas radiales de gl Ìobulos oscuros. Durante esta inspecci Ìon en contramos 16 sistemas ra- diales de tipo 1 y 6 sistemas de tipo 2. Con esto, se duplica el n Ìumero de sistemas radiales conocidos. En la zona central de los sistemas de tip o 1 se encuentran es- trellas de tipo espectral O â B2, mientras que los sistemas de tipo 2 no exhiben estrellas de tipo temprano en sus centros. Proponemos una in terpretaci Ìon tentativa de los grupos de cuerpos condensados submilim Ìetricos que n o poseen una contra- parte estelar como sistemas radiales de gl Ìobulos oscuros s ituados detr Ìas de nubes oscuras gruesas, lo que explicar Ìıa por qu Ìe estos gl Ìobulo s se observan solamente en longitudes de onda submilim Ìetricas
Statistical study of OB stars in NGC 6334 and NGC 6357
Context. Star-forming complexes are large structures exhibiting massive star-formation at different stages of evolution, from dense cores to well-developed H ii regions. They are very interesting for the study of the formation and evolution of stars. NGC 6334 and NGC 6357 are two active and relatively nearby star-forming complexes. From the extinction map and the sub-mm cold dust emission, and because they have similar velocities, these regions are most likely connected. However, located in the direction of the Galactic center their radial velocity is not representative of their distance. An alternative is then to determine the distance of NGC 6334 and NGC 6357 from their stellar content. Aims: Our aim is to perform a census of O-B3 ionising stars in NGC 6334 and NGC 6357, to determine the extinction coefficient, and the distance of both regions. A census of O-B3 stars is an essential basis for estimating the statistical lifetime of the earliest massive star-forming phases. Methods: We performed a U, B, V, and R photometric survey of a large area covering NGC 6334 and NGC 6357 with the VIMOS (ESO-VLT) and the MOSAIC (CTIO) instruments. This allows us to have a complete census of O to B3 stars up to V = 22.6 mag. The OB stars are selected based on their U - B and B - V colors. The most robust extinction coefficient is determined from color - color plots before computing the distance of the OB stars. Results: We find a higher value than typical of the diffuse interstellar medium for RV of 3.53 ± 0.08 and 3.56 ± 0.15 for NGC 6357 and NGC 6334, respectively. Adopting these RV values, the distances of NGC 6357 and NGC 6334 are 1.9 ± 0.4 kpc and 1.7 ± 0.3 kpc. We conclude that, within the error bars, both regions are thus at the same distance of 1.75 kpc (weighted mean). We confirm that the value of RV is linked to the large dust grain content. In particular, we found that there are more very small grains in NGC 6357 than in NGC 6334, suggesting that NGC 6357 could be more evolved than NGC 6334. Placed in the Galactic context, the NGC 6334-NGC 6357 complex appears to be located at the inner edge of the Sagittarius-Carina arm. Our census of O to B3 stars leads to a count of ~230, which allows us to determine the statistical lifetime of the earliest phases of the massive stars. The starless and the protostellar phases have a mean statistical lifetime of ~1.5 à 104 yr and ~2.2 à 105 yr, respectively. Based on observations made with the VIMOS instrument at the VLT-ESO. Based on visiting astronomer observations, at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, National Optical Astronomy Observatory, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, under contract with the National Science Foundation.Appendices are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.orgFull Tables A.1 and A.2 are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/538/A14