Constraining the star formation rate in the Solar neighbourhood with star clusters

This paper investigates the star formation rate (SFR) in the Solar neighbourhood. First, we build the local age distribution function (ADF) with an updated sample of 442 star clusters located at less than 1\,kpc from the Sun. Next, we define the SFR, compute the individual mass evolution of a population of artificial clusters covering the broad range of parameters observed in actual clusters, and assume 100\,\ms\ as the low-mass limit for effective cluster observation. This leads to a simulated ADF, which is compared to the low-noise Solar neighbourhood ADF. The best match corresponds to a non-constant SFR presenting two conspicuous excesses for ages $\le9$\,Myr and between 220-600\,Myr (the local starburst). The average formation rate is \bar{SFR}\approx(2500\pm500)\,\mmy, corresponding to the average surface formation rate \bar{\ssfr}\approx(790\pm160)\,\mmk. These values are consistent with the formation rate inferred from embedded clusters (ECs), but much lower (\la16%) than that implied by field stars. Both the local starburst and the recent star formation period require $SFR\sim2\times\bar{SFR}$ to be described. The simulations show that $91.2\pm2.7$ of the clusters created in the Solar neighbourhood do not survive the first 10\,Myr, which is consistent with the rate of EC dissolution.Comment: Accepted by MNRA

Astrophysical parameters of 14 open clusters projected close to the Galactic plane

Astrophysical parameters (\textit{age, reddening, distance, core and cluster radii}) of 14 open clusters (OCs) projected close to the Galactic plane are derived with 2MASS photometry. The OCs are Be 63, Be 84, Cz 6, Cz 7, Cz 12, Ru 141, Ru 144, Ru 172, FSR 101, FSR 1430, FSR 1471, FSR 162, FSR 178 and FSR 198. The OCs Be 63, Be 84, Ru 141, Ru 144, and Ru 172 are studied in more detail than in previous works, while the others have astrophysical parameters derived for the first time. The open clusters of the sample are located at $d_\odot=1.6-7.1$ kpc from the Sun and at Galactocentric distances $5.5-11.8$ kpc, with age in the range 10 Myr to 1.5 Gyr and reddening $E(B-V)$ in the range $0.19-2.56$ mag. The core and cluster radii are in the range $0.27-1.88$ pc and $2.2-11.27$ pc, respectively. Cz 6 and FSR 198 are the youngest OCs of this sample, with a population of pre-main sequence (PMS) stars, while FSR 178 is the oldest cluster.Comment: 11 pages, 14 figures - accepted by A&

From proper motions to star cluster dynamics: measuring velocity dispersion in deconvolved distribution functions

We investigate the effect that the usually large errors associated with ground-based proper motion (PM) components have on the determination of a star cluster's velocity dispersion (\sv). Rather than histograms, we work with PM distribution functions (PMDFs), taking the $1\sigma$ uncertainties formally into account. In this context, a cluster's intrinsic PMDF is broadened by the error distribution function (eDF) that, given the average error amplitude, has a width usually comparable to the cluster PMDF. Thus, we apply a Richardson-Lucy (RL) deconvolution to the PMDFs of a set of relatively nearby and populous open clusters (OCs), using the eDFs as point spread functions (PSFs). The OCs are NGC\,1039 (M\,34), NGC\,2477, NGC\,2516, NGC\,2682 (M\,67), and NGC\,7762. The deconvolved PMDFs are approximately Gaussian in shape, with dispersions lower than the observed ones by a factor of 4-10. NGC\,1039 and NGC\,2516, the nearest OCs of the sample, have deconvolved \sv\ compatible with those of bound OCs of mass $\sim10^3$\,\ms. NGC\,2477 and NGC\,2682 have deconvolved PMDFs with a secondary bump, shifted towards higher average velocities, which may be an artefact of the RL deconvolution when applied to asymmetric profiles. Alternatively, it may originate from cluster merger, large-scale mass segregation or, least probably, binaries.Comment: Accepted by MNRA

Probing the age and structure of the nearby very young open clusters NGC 2244 and NGC 2239

The very young open cluster (OC) NGC 2244 in the Rosette Nebula was studied with field-star-decontaminated 2MASS photometry, which shows the main-sequence (MS) stars and an abundant pre-MS (PMS) population. Fundamental and structural parameters were derived with colour-magnitude diagrams (CMDs), stellar radial density profiles (RDPs) and mass functions (MFs). Most previous studies centred NGC 2244 close to the bright K0V star 12 Monocerotis, which is not a cluster member. Instead, the near-IR RDP indicates a pronounced core near the O5 star HD 46150. We derive an age within 1--6 Myr, an absorption \aV=1.7\pm0.2, a distance from the Sun \ds=1.6\pm0.2 kpc ($\approx1.5$ kpc outside the Solar circle), an MF slope $\chi=0.91\pm0.13$ and a total (MS+PMS) stellar mass of \sim625 \ms. Its RDP is characterised by the core and cluster radii \rc\approx5.6\arcmin ($\approx2.6$ pc) and \rl\approx10\arcmin ($\approx4.7$ pc), respectively. Departure from dynamical equilibrium is suggested by the abnormally large core radius and the marked central stellar excess. We also investigate the elusive neighbouring OC NGC 2239, which is low-mass (m_{MS+PMS}\approx301 \ms), young ($5\pm4$ Myr) rather absorbed (\aV=3.4\pm0.2), and located in the background of NGC 2244 at \ds=3.9\pm0.4 kpc. Its RDP follows a King-like function of \rc\approx0.5\arcmin\approx0.5 pc and \rl\approx5.0\arcmin\approx5.6 pc. The MF slope, $\chi=1.24\pm0.06$, is essentially Salpeter's IMF. NGC 2244 is probably doomed to dissolution in a few $10^7$ yr. Wide-field extractions and field-star decontamination increase the stellar statistics and enhance both CMDs and RDPs, which is essential for faint and bright star clusters.Comment: Accepted by MNRA

Towards a census of the Galactic anticentre star clusters: colour-magnitude diagram and structural analyses of a sample of 50 objects

In this work we investigate the nature of 50 overdensities from the catalogue of Froebrich, Scholz, and Raftery (FSR) projected towards the Galactic anticentre, in the sector 160{\deg} \leq \ell \leq 200{\deg}. The sample contains candidates with |b| \leq 20{\deg} classified by FSR as probable open cluster (OC) and labelled with quality flags 2 and 3. Our main purpose is to determine the nature of these OC candidates and the fraction of these objects that are unknown OCs, as well as to derive astrophysical parameters (age, reddening, distance, core and cluster radii) for the clusters and to investigate the relationship among parameters. The analysis is based on 2MASS J, (J-H), and (J-Ks) colour-magnitude diagrams (CMDs), and stellar radial density profiles (RDPs) built with decontamination tools. The tools are a field star decontamination algorithm, used to uncover the cluster's intrinsic CMD morphology, and colour-magnitude filters to isolate stars with a high probability of being cluster members. Out of the 50 objects, 16 (32%) are star clusters. We show that 9 (18%) overdensities are new OCs (FSR 735, FSR 807, FSR 812, FSR 826, FSR 852, FSR 904, FSR 941, FSR 953, and FSR 955) and 7 (14%) are previously studied or catalogued OCs (KKC1, FSR 795, Cz 22, FSR 828, FSR 856, Cz 24, and NGC 2234). These are OCs with ages in the range 5 Myr to 1 Gyr, at distances from the Sun 1.28 \precnapprox d_Sun(kpc) \precnapprox 5.78 and Galactocentric distances 8.5 R_GC(kpc) \precnapprox 12.9. We also derive parameters for the previously analysed OCs Cz 22 and NGC 2234. Five (10%) candidates are classified as uncertain cases, and the remaining objects are probable field fluctuations.Comment: 14 pages, 15 figure

Characterisation of 15 overlooked Ruprecht clusters with ages within 400Myr and 3Gyr

We derive fundamental, structural, and photometric parameters of 15 overlooked Ruprecht (hereafter Ru) star clusters by means of 2MASS photometry and field-star decontamination. Ru\,1, 10, 23, 26, 27, 34, 35, 37, 41, 54, 60, 63, 66, and 152 are located in the third Galactic quadrant, while Ru\,174 is in the first. With the constraints imposed by the field-decontaminated colour-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) and stellar radial density profiles (RDPs), we derive ages in the range 400\,Myr --- 1\,Gyr, except for the older Ru\,37, with $\sim3$\,Gyr. Distances from the Sun are within \rm1.5\la\ds(kpc)\la8.0. The RDPs are well-defined and can be described by a King-like profile for most of the radial range, except for Ru\,23, 27, 41, 63, and 174, which present a conspicuous stellar density excess in the central region. The clusters dwell between (or close to) the Perseus and Sagittarius-Carina arms. We derive evidence in favour of cluster size increasing with distance to the Galactic plane (\zgc), which is consistent with a low frequency of tidal stress associated with high-|\zgc| regions. The clusters are rather faint even in the near-infrared, with apparent integrated \jj\ magnitudes within 6.4\la m_J\la9.8, while their absolute magnitudes are -6.6\la M_J\la-2.6. Extrapolation of the relation between $M_V$ and $M_J$, derived for globular clusters, suggests that they are low-luminosity optical clusters, with -5\la M_V\la-1.Comment: The paper contains 11 figures and 3 tables. Accepted by MNRAS

Star clusters or asterisms? 2MASS CMD and structural analyses of 15 challenging targets

(Abridged) Poorly-populated star clusters may have photometric and structural properties not much different from asterisms, to the point that, in some cases, widely-used databases present conflicting classifications. We investigate the nature of a sample of challenging targets that have been classified either as star clusters or asterisms in different studies. A few objects are studied for the first time.Comment: Accepted by A&

Discovery of three optical open clusters in the Galaxy

We report the discovery of three optical open clusters in the Milky Way. Two clusters are in Scutum (Cluster1 at l=18.44 degrees and b=-0.42 degrees, and Cluster2 at l=19.60 degrees and b=-1.02 degrees), thus projected not far from the Galactic center direction, and the other is in Canis Major (Cluster3 at l=235.61 degrees and b=-4.10 degrees), near the anti-center direction. Cluster3 is less populous than Clusters 1 and 2, but presents evidence of being a physical system. The objects were found optically by inspecting maps obtained from the Guide Star Catalogue and images from the Digitized Sky Survey. No previous identification of cluster has been reported in each area so far. The analysis was carried out with 2MASS photometry in J and H. For Cluster1 we derive an age of 25 Myr, a reddening E(B-V)=2.18 and a distance from the Sun 1.64kpc; for Cluster2, age of 500Myr, E(B-V)=0.91 and distance 2.19kpc; finally for Cluster3, age 32-100Myr, E(B-V)=0.94 and distance of 3.93kpc. Luminosity and mass functions are derived for Clusters1 and 2 which, in turn, allowed us to estimate their observed masses as 147 and 89 solar masses, respectively. Estimated total masses, by extrapolating the mass functions to 0.08 solar mass, amount to 382 and 614 solar masses, for the two clusters. Cluster3 has an observed mass of 55 solar masses. The present results indicate that further searches in the optical might still reveal new open clusters, and more so in infrared bands.Comment: accepted to Astronomy and Astrophysics, 9 figure

Uniform detection of the pre-main sequence population in the 5 embedded clusters related to the H\,II region NGC\,2174 (Sh2-252)

We investigate 5 embedded clusters (ECs) and the extended stellar group itself of the prominent H\,II region NGC\,2174 (Sh2-252), which presents scarce and heterogeneous information, coming from the optical and infrared. Considering the discrepant values of distance and age, the clusters and the H\,II region appear to be physically unrelated. The analysis is based on field-star decontaminated 2MASS photometry, which allows sampling the pre-main sequence (PMS). We find that Sh2-252A, C, E, NGC\,2175s, and Teu\,136 are small ECs (radius within $1.0 - 2.3$\,pc) characterised by a similar age ($\sim5$\,Myr), reddening (\aV\sim1), distance from the Sun (\ds\sim1.4\,kpc), and low mass (60-200\,\ms). This age is consistent with the H\,II region, the presence of O and B stars still in the MS, and the dominance (\ga95% in number) of PMS stars in colour-magnitude diagrams (CMDs). NGC\,2175 is not a star cluster, but an extended stellar group that encompasses the ECs Sh2-252\,A and C. It contains $\sim36$ of the member stars (essentially PMS) in the area, with the remaining belonging to the 2 ECs. CMDs of the overall star-forming region and the ECs provide \ds=1.4\pm0.4\,kpc for the NGC\,2174 complex, consistent with the value estimated for the physically-related association Gem\,OB1. Our uniform approach shows that NGC\,2174 and its related ECs (except, perhaps, for Teu\,136) are part of a single star-forming complex. CMD similarities among the ECs and the overall region suggest a coeval (to within $\pm5$\,Myr) star-forming event extending for several Myr. At least 4 ECs originated in the event, together with the off-cluster star formation that probably gave rise to the scattered stars of NGC\,2175.Comment: Accepted by MNRA

A possible sequential star formation in the giant molecular cloud G174+2.5

We investigate the nature of 14 embedded clusters (ECs) related to a group of four H II regions Sh2-235, Sh2-233, Sh2-232, and Sh2-231 in the giant molecular cloud G174 + 2.5. Projected towards the Galactic anticentre, these objects are a possible example of the collect and collapse scenario. We derive astrophysical parameters (age, reddening, distance, core and cluster radii) for the ECs and investigate the relationship among their parameters. Parameters are derived with field decontaminated 2MASS colour-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) and stellar radial density profiles (RDPs). The CMDs of these young clusters are characterised by a poorly-populated main sequence and a significant number of pre-main sequence stars, affected by differential reddening. The ECs are KKC 11, FSR 784, Sh2-235 E2, Sh2-235 Cluster, Sh2-233SE Cluster, BDSB 73, Sh2-235B Cluster, BDSB 72, BDSB 71, Sh2-232 IR, PCS 2, and the newly found clusters CBB 1 and CBB 2. We were able to derive fundamental parameters for all ECs in the sample. Structural parameters are derived for FSR 784, Sh2-235 Cluster and Sh2-235E2.Comment: 14 pages and 15 figures; MNRAS 201