14 research outputs found
All-sky census of galactic open cluster stars
We present the results of a systematic study of the wider neighbourhoods of 520 Galactic open clusters from data of the all-sky high-precision homogeneous catalogue ASCC-2.5. About 30 000 members have been selected on the basis of proper motion, photometric and spatial criteria. Angular and linear sizes of cluster cores and coronas, mean cluster proper motions in the Hipparcos system, distances and ages are derived for all clusters, including some 200 clusters, for which distances and ages have been obtained for the first time. Mean radial velocities are computed for about 300 clusters (for about 100 clusters for the first time). The typical cluster radii are found to be more than two times larger than previously published values. The catalogue of cluster parameters is supplemented by a catalogue of 171 000 stars located in 520 cluster areas and by an atlas of diagrams for each individual cluster
The structure and dynamics of young star clusters: King 16, NGC 1931, NGC 637 and NGC 189
In this paper, using 2MASS photometry, we study the structural and dynamical
properties of four young star clusters viz. King 16, NGC 1931, NGC 637 and NGC
189. For the clusters King 16, NGC 1931, NGC 637 and NGC 189, we obtain the
limiting radii of 7', 12', 6' and 5' which correspond to linear radii of 3.6
pc, 8.85 pc, 3.96 pc and 2.8 pc respectively. The reddening values
obtained for the clusters are 0.85, 0.65--0.85, 0.6 and 0.53 and their true
distances are 1786 pc, 3062 pc, 2270 pc and 912 pc respectively. Ages of the
clusters are 6 Myr, 4 Myr, 4 Myr and 10 Myr respectively. We compare their
structures, luminosity functions and mass functions () to the parameter to study the star
formation process and the dynamical evolution of these clusters. We find that,
for our sample, mass seggregation is observed in clusters or their cores only
when the ages of the clusters are comparable to their relaxation times (). These results suggest mass seggregation due to dynamical effects. The
values of , which characterise the overall mass functions for the
clusters are 0.96 0.11, 1.16 0.18, 0.55 0.14 and 0.66
0.31 respectively. The change in as a function of radius is a good
indicator of the dynamical state of clusters.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Scienc
Low-mass pre--main-sequence stars in the Magellanic Clouds
[Abridged] The stellar Initial Mass Function (IMF) suggests that sub-solar
stars form in very large numbers. Most attractive places for catching low-mass
star formation in the act are young stellar clusters and associations, still
(half-)embedded in star-forming regions. The low-mass stars in such regions are
still in their pre--main-sequence (PMS) evolutionary phase. The peculiar nature
of these objects and the contamination of their samples by the evolved
populations of the Galactic disk impose demanding observational techniques for
the detection of complete numbers of PMS stars in the Milky Way. The Magellanic
Clouds, the companion galaxies to our own, demonstrate an exceptional star
formation activity. The low extinction and stellar field contamination in
star-forming regions of these galaxies imply a more efficient detection of
low-mass PMS stars than in the Milky Way, but their distance from us make the
application of special detection techniques unfeasible. Nonetheless, imaging
with the Hubble Space Telescope yield the discovery of solar and sub-solar PMS
stars in the Magellanic Clouds from photometry alone. Unprecedented numbers of
such objects are identified as the low-mass stellar content of their
star-forming regions, changing completely our picture of young stellar systems
outside the Milky Way, and extending the extragalactic stellar IMF below the
persisting threshold of a few solar masses. This review presents the recent
developments in the investigation of PMS stars in the Magellanic Clouds, with
special focus on the limitations by single-epoch photometry that can only be
circumvented by the detailed study of the observable behavior of these stars in
the color-magnitude diagram. The achieved characterization of the low-mass PMS
stars in the Magellanic Clouds allowed thus a more comprehensive understanding
of the star formation process in our neighboring galaxies.Comment: Review paper, 26 pages (in LaTeX style for Springer journals), 4
figures. Accepted for publication in Space Science Review
Fitting the integrated Spectral Energy Distributions of Galaxies
Fitting the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of galaxies is an almost
universally used technique that has matured significantly in the last decade.
Model predictions and fitting procedures have improved significantly over this
time, attempting to keep up with the vastly increased volume and quality of
available data. We review here the field of SED fitting, describing the
modelling of ultraviolet to infrared galaxy SEDs, the creation of
multiwavelength data sets, and the methods used to fit model SEDs to observed
galaxy data sets. We touch upon the achievements and challenges in the major
ingredients of SED fitting, with a special emphasis on describing the interplay
between the quality of the available data, the quality of the available models,
and the best fitting technique to use in order to obtain a realistic
measurement as well as realistic uncertainties. We conclude that SED fitting
can be used effectively to derive a range of physical properties of galaxies,
such as redshift, stellar masses, star formation rates, dust masses, and
metallicities, with care taken not to over-interpret the available data. Yet
there still exist many issues such as estimating the age of the oldest stars in
a galaxy, finer details ofdust properties and dust-star geometry, and the
influences of poorly understood, luminous stellar types and phases. The
challenge for the coming years will be to improve both the models and the
observational data sets to resolve these uncertainties. The present review will
be made available on an interactive, moderated web page (sedfitting.org), where
the community can access and change the text. The intention is to expand the
text and keep it up to date over the coming years.Comment: 54 pages, 26 figures, Accepted for publication in Astrophysics &
Space Scienc
Star clusters near and far; tracing star formation across cosmic time
© 2020 Springer-Verlag. The final publication is available at Springer via https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-020-00690-x.Star clusters are fundamental units of stellar feedback and unique tracers of their host galactic properties. In this review, we will first focus on their constituents, i.e.\ detailed insight into their stellar populations and their surrounding ionised, warm, neutral, and molecular gas. We, then, move beyond the Local Group to review star cluster populations at various evolutionary stages, and in diverse galactic environmental conditions accessible in the local Universe. At high redshift, where conditions for cluster formation and evolution are more extreme, we are only able to observe the integrated light of a handful of objects that we believe will become globular clusters. We therefore discuss how numerical and analytical methods, informed by the observed properties of cluster populations in the local Universe, are used to develop sophisticated simulations potentially capable of disentangling the genetic map of galaxy formation and assembly that is carried by globular cluster populations.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio
The Magnificent Seven in the dusty prairie
Abstract The Magnificent Seven have all been discovered by their exceptional soft X-ray spectra and high ratios of X-ray to optical flux. They all are considered to be nearby sources. Searching for similar objects with larger distances, one expects larger interstellar absorption resulting in harder X-ray counterparts. Current interstellar absorption treatment depends on chosen abundances and scattering cross-sections of the elements as well as on the 3D distribution of the interstellar medium. After a discussion of these factors we use the comprehensive 3D measurements of the Local Bubble by Lallement et al. (2003) to construct two simple models of the 3D distribution of the hydrogen column density. We test these models by using a set of soft X-ray sources with known distances. Finally, we discuss possible applications for distance estimations and population synthesis studies. Keywords neutron stars · absorption · ISM · X-ray:general