128 research outputs found
The low-mass stellar population in the young cluster Tr37: Disk evolution, accretion, and environment
We present a study of accretion and protoplanetary disks around M-type stars
in the 4 Myr-old cluster Tr37. With a well-studied solar-type population, Tr37
is a benchmark for disk evolution. We used low-resolution spectroscopy to
identify 141 members (78 new) and 64 probable members, mostly M-type stars.
H\alpha\ emission provides information about accretion. Optical, 2MASS,
Spitzer, and WISE data are used to trace the SEDs. We construct radiative
transfer models to explore the structures of full-disks, pre-transition,
transition, and dust-depleted disks. Including the new and previously known
members, we confirm that a substantial fraction (~2/5) of disks show signs of
evolution, either as radial dust evolution (transition/pre-transition disks) or
as a more global evolution (low small-dust masses, dust settling, and
weak/absent accretion signatures). Accretion is strongly dependent on the SED
type. About half of the transition objects are consistent with no accretion,
and dust-depleted disks have weak (or undetectable) accretion signatures,
especially among M-type stars. The analysis of accretion and disk structure
suggests a parallel evolution of dust and gas. We find several distinct classes
of evolved disks, based on SED type and accretion, pointing to different disk
dispersal mechanisms and probably different evolutionary paths. Dust depletion
and opening of inner holes appear to be independent processes: most transition
disks are not dust-depleted, and most dust-depleted disks do not require inner
holes. The differences in disk structure between M-type and solar-type stars in
Tr37 (4 Myr) are not as remarkable as in the young, sparse, Coronet cluster
(1-2 Myr), suggesting that other factors, like the environment/interactions,
are likely to play a role in the disk evolution and dispersal. Finally, we also
find some evidence of clumpy star formation or mini-clusters within Tr37.Comment: 21 pages, 16 figures, plus appendix with tables and figures. Accepted
by A&
X-rays from HH210 in the Orion nebula
We report the detection during the Chandra Orion Ultradeep Project (COUP) of
two soft, constant, and faint X-ray sources associated with the Herbig-Haro
object HH210. HH210 is located at the tip of the NNE finger of the emission
line system bursting out of the BN-KL complex, northwest of the Trapezium
cluster in the OMC-1 molecular cloud. Using a recent Halpha image obtained with
the ACS imager on board HST, and taking into account the known proper motions
of HH210 emission knots, we show that the position of the brightest X-ray
source, COUP703, coincides with the emission knot 154-040a of HH210, which is
the emission knot of HH210 having the highest tangential velocity (425 km/s).
The second X-ray source, COUP704, is located on the complicated emission tail
of HH210 close to an emission line filament and has no obvious optical/infrared
counterpart. Spectral fitting indicates for both sources a plasma temperature
of ~0.8 MK and absorption-corrected X-ray luminosities of about 1E30 erg/s
(0.5-2.0 keV). These X-ray sources are well explained by a model invoking a
fast-moving, radiative bow shock in a neutral medium with a density of ~12000
cm^{-3}. The X-ray detection of COUP704 therefore reveals, in the complicated
HH210 region, an energetic shock not yet identified at other wavelengths.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures; accepted for publication in A&A Letter
The Spatial Structure of Young Stellar Clusters. III. Physical Properties and Evolutionary States
We analyze the physical properties of stellar clusters that are detected in
massive star-forming regions in the MYStIX project--a comparative,
multiwavelength study of young stellar clusters within 3.6 kpc that contain at
least one O-type star. Tabulated properties of subclusters in these regions
include physical sizes and shapes, intrinsic numbers of stars, absorptions by
the molecular clouds, and median subcluster ages. Physical signs of dynamical
evolution are present in the relations of these properties, including
statistically significant correlations between subcluster size, central
density, and age, which are likely the result of cluster expansion after gas
removal. We argue that many of the subclusters identified in Paper I are
gravitationally bound because their radii are significantly less than what
would be expected from freely expanding clumps of stars with a typical initial
stellar velocity dispersion of ~3 km/s for star-forming regions. We explore a
model for cluster formation in which structurally simpler clusters are built up
hierarchically through the mergers of subclusters--subcluster mergers are
indicated by an inverse relation between the numbers of stars in a subcluster
and their central densities (also seen as a density vs. radius relation that is
less steep than would be expected from pure expansion). We discuss implications
of these effects for the dynamical relaxation of young stellar clusters.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal ; 48 pages, 13
figures, and 6 table
Methods for Estimating Fluxes and Absorptions of Faint X-ray Sources
X-ray sources with very few counts can be identified with low-noise X-ray
detectors such as ACIS onboard the Chandra X-ray Observatory. These sources are
often too faint for parametric spectral modeling using well-established methods
such as fitting with XSPEC. We discuss the estimation of apparent and intrinsic
broad-band X-ray fluxes and soft X-ray absorption from gas along the line of
sight to these sources, using nonparametric methods. Apparent flux is estimated
from the ratio of the source count rate to the instrumental effective area
averaged over the chosen band. Absorption, intrinsic flux, and errors on these
quantities are estimated from comparison of source photometric quantities with
those of high S/N spectra that were simulated using spectral models
characteristic of the class of astrophysical sources under study. The concept
of this method is similar to the long-standing use of color-magnitude diagrams
in optical and infrared astronomy, with X-ray median energy replacing color
index and X-ray source counts replacing magnitude. Our nonparametric method is
tested against the apparent spectra of 2000 faint sources in the Chandra
observation of the rich young stellar cluster in the M17 HII region. We show
that the intrinsic X-ray properties can be determined with little bias and
reasonable accuracy using these observable photometric quantities without
employing often uncertain and time-consuming methods of non-linear parametric
spectral modeling. Our method is calibrated for thermal spectra characteristic
of stars in young stellar clusters, but recalibration should be possible for
some other classes of faint X-ray sources such as extragalactic AGN.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal. 39 pages, 15
figure
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