Distances, Kinematics, and Structure of Nearby Star-Forming Regions

In this thesis I present an analysis of the structure and kinematics of the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex in an effort to better characterize the dynamical state of the closest region of the ongoing massive star formation and to provide a baseline for comparison of the upcoming results from the Gaia space telescope. In order to achieve this goal, I measured stellar parallax and proper motions, using very large baseline radio interferometry of non-thermally-emitting sources.. Based on these observations I measured the average distance in Orion A molecular cloud of 388+/-5 pc toward the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC), 428+/-10 pc toward the southern portion of L1641, as well as the distance in Orion B of 388+/-10 pc toward NGC 2068, and roughly ~420 pc toward NGC 2024. These are the first direct distance measurements with <5% uncertainty to the regions within the Orion Complex outside of the ONC. Little can be said about the proper motions due to the sparcity of the sample size; however, I identified a number of binary systems and fitted their orbital motion, which allows for the direct measurement of the masses of the individual components. I also identified three stars that have been ejected from the ONC due to the gravitational interactions with its most massive stars. I complemented the parallax and proper motion measurements with the observations of radial velocities (RV) of the stars toward the Orion Complex, probing the histories of both dynamic evolution and star formation in the region. I found that in the Orion A cloud and in NGC 2024 there exists an asymmetry between the stellar RVs and those of the molecular gas, with a small fraction of the stars stars being preferentially blueshifted relative to the gas. Several possible explanations for this have been proposed, although presently there is not yet a definitive solution. I also analyzed the multiplicity fraction of the spectroscopic binaries in the ONC, and found that it is largely consistent to what is observed in the nearby field stars. Finally, I explored the substructure of the ONC by focusing on NGC 1980, a cluster that has previously been identified as foreground to and older than the ONC. I examined these claims to show that there is little evidence that there is a discrepancy in distance between the stellar populations of the ONC and NGC 1980. Additionally, while the stars of NGC 1980 are likely somewhat older than the ONC, their age is consistent with the stellar population of the rest of the Orion A molecular cloud.PHDAstronomy and AstrophysicsUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140833/1/mkounkel_1.pd

Stellar Properties for a Comprehensive Collection of Star-forming Regions in the SDSS APOGEE-2 Survey*

Artículo escrito por 28 autores.The Sloan Digital Sky Survey IV APOGEE-2 primary science goal was to observe red giant stars throughout the Galaxy to study its dynamics, morphology, and chemical evolution. The APOGEE instrument, a high-resolution 300-fiber H-band (1.55-1.71 μm) spectrograph, is also ideal to study other stellar populations in the Galaxy, among which are a number of star-forming regions and young open clusters. We present the results of the determination of six stellar properties (T eff, log g , [Fe/H], L/L ⊙, M/M ⊙, and age) for a sample that is composed of 3360 young stars, of subsolar to supersolar types, in 16 Galactic star formation and young open cluster regions. Those sources were selected by using a clustering method that removes most of the field contamination. Samples were also refined by removing targets affected by various systematic effects of the parameter determination. The final samples are presented in a comprehensive catalog that includes all six estimated parameters. This overview study also includes parameter spatial distribution maps for all regions and Hertzsprung-Russell ( log L / L ⊙ vs. T eff) diagrams. This study serves as a guide for detailed studies on individual regions and paves the way for the future studies on the global properties of stars in the pre-main-sequence phase of stellar evolution using more robust samples