To distinguish between the different theories proposed to explain massive
star formation, it is crucial to establish the distribution, the extinction,
and the density of low-mass stars in massive star-forming regions. We analyze
deep X-ray observations of the Orion massive star-forming region using the
Chandra Orion Ultradeep Project (COUP) catalog. We studied the stellar
distribution as a function of extinction, with cells of 0.03 pc x 0.03 pc, the
typical size of protostellar cores. We derived stellar density maps and
calculated cluster stellar densities. We found that low-mass stars cluster
toward the three massive star-forming regions: the Trapezium Cluster (TC), the
Orion Hot Core (OHC), and OMC1-S. We derived low-mass stellar densities of
10^{5} stars pc^{-3} in the TC and OMC1-S, and of 10^{6} stars pc^{-3} in the
OHC. The close association between the low-mass star clusters with massive star
cradles supports the role of these clusters in the formation of massive stars.
The X-ray observations show for the first time in the TC that low-mass stars
with intermediate extinction are clustered toward the position of the most
massive star, which is surrounded by a ring of non-extincted low-mass stars.
This 'envelope-core' structure is also supported by infrared and optical
observations. Our analysis suggests that at least two basic ingredients are
needed in massive star formation: the presence of dense gas and a cluster of
low-mass stars. The scenario that better explains our findings assumes high
fragmentation in the parental core, accretion at subcore scales that forms a
low-mass stellar cluster, and subsequent competitive accretion. Finally,
although coalescence does not seem a common mechanism for building up massive
stars, we show that a single stellar merger may have occurred in the evolution
of the OHC cluster, favored by the presence of disks, binaries, and gas
accretion.Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures, 3 Tables. Accepted for publication in A&
