No Arabic abstract
We use photometric and kinematic data from Gaia DR2 to explore the structure of the star forming region associated with the molecular cloud of Perseus. Apart from the two well known clusters, IC 348 and NGC 1333, we present five new clustered groups of young stars, which contain between 30 and 300 members, named Autochthe, Alcaeus, Heleus, Electryon and Mestor. We demonstrate these are co-moving groups of young stars, based on how the candidate members are distributed in position, proper motion, parallax and colour-magnitude space. By comparing their colour-magnitude diagrams to isochrones we show that they have ages between 1 and 5 Myr. Using 2MASS and WISE colours we find that the fraction of stars with discs in each group ranges from 10 to 50 percent. The youngest of the new groups is also associated with a reservoir of cold dust, according to the Planck map at 353 GHz. We compare the ages and proper motions of the five new groups to those of IC 348 and NGC 1333. Autochthe is clearly linked with NGC 1333 and may have formed in the same star formation event. The seven groups separate roughly into two sets which share proper motion, parallax and age: Heleus, Electryon, Mestor as the older set, and NGC 1333, Autochthe as the younger set. Alcaeus is kinematically related to the younger set, but at a more advanced age, while the properties of IC 348 overlap with both sets. All older groups in this star forming region are located at higher galactic latitude.
We characterize the kinematic and chemical properties of 589 Galactic Anticenter Substructure Stars (GASS) with K-/M- giants in Integrals-of-Motion space. These stars likely include members of previously identified substructures such as Monoceros, A13, and the Triangulum-Andromeda cloud (TriAnd). We show that these stars are on nearly circular orbits on both sides of the Galactic plane. We can see velocity($V_{Z}$) gradient along Y-axis especially for the south GASS members. Our GASS members have similar energy and angular momentum distributions to thin disk stars. Their location in [$alpha$/M] vs. [M/H] space is more metal poor than typical thin disk stars, with [$alpha$/M] textbf{lower} than the thick disk. We infer that our GASS members are part of the outer metal-poor disk stars, and the outer-disk extends to 30 kpc. Considering the distance range and $alpha$-abundance features, GASS could be formed after the thick disk was formed due to the molecular cloud density decreased in the outer disk where the SFR might be less efficient than the inner disk.
(Abridged) In this paper, we present analyses of images taken with the Herschel ESA satellite from 70mu to 500mu. We first constructed column density and dust temperature maps. Next, we identified compact cores in the maps, and characterize the cores using modified blackbody fits to their SEDs: we identified 684 starless cores, of which 199 are bound and potential prestellar cores, and 132 protostars. We also matched the Herschel-identified young stars with GAIA sources to model distance variations across the Perseus cloud. We measure a linear gradient function with right ascension and declination for the entire cloud. From the SED fits, mass and temperature of cores were derived. The core mass function can be modelled with a log-normal distribution that peaks at 0.82~$M_sun$ suggesting a star formation efficiency of 0.30. The high-mass tail can be modelled with a power law of slope $sim-2.32$, close to the Salpeters value. We also identify the filamentary structure of Perseus, confirming that stars form preferentially in filaments. We find that the majority of filaments where star formation is ongoing are transcritical against their own internal gravity because their linear masses are below the critical limit of 16~$M_sun$pc$^{-1}$ above which we expect filaments to collapse. We find a possible explanation for this result, showing that a filament with a linear mass as low as 8~$M_sun$pc$^{-1}$ can be already unstable. We confirm a linear relation between star formation efficiency and slope of dust probability density function and a similar relation is also seen with the core formation efficiency. We derive a lifetime for the prestellar core phase of $1.69pm0.52$~Myr for Perseus but different regions have a wide range in prestellar core fractions, hint that star-formation has started only recently in some clumps. We also derive a free-fall time for prestellar cores of 0.16~Myr.
Aims:We take advantage of the second data release of the Gaia space mission and the state-of-the-art astrometry delivered from very long baseline interferometry observations to revisit the structure and kinematics of the nearby Taurus star-forming region. Methods: We apply a hierarchical clustering algorithm for partitioning the stars in our sample into groups (i.e., clusters) that are associated with the various molecular clouds of the complex, and derive the distance and spatial velocity of individual stars and their corresponding molecular clouds. Results: We show that the molecular clouds are located at different distances and confirm the existence of important depth effects in this region reported in previous studies. For example, we find that the L 1495 molecular cloud is located at $d=129.9^{+0.4}_{-0.3}$ pc, while the filamentary structure connected to it (in the plane of the sky) is at $d=160.0^{+1.2}_{-1.2}$ pc. We report B 215 and L 1558 as the closest ($d=128.5^{+1.6}_{-1.6}$ pc) and most remote ($d=198.1^{+2.5}_{-2.5}$ pc) substructures of the complex, respectively. The median inter-cloud distance is 25 pc and the relative motion of the subgroups is on the order of a few km/s. We find no clear evidence for expansion (or contraction) of the Taurus complex, but signs of the potential effects of a global rotation. Finally, we compare the radial velocity of the stars with the velocity of the underlying $^{13}$CO molecular gas and report a mean difference of $0.04pm0.12$ km/s (with r.m.s. of 0.63 km/s) confirming that the stars and the gas are tightly coupled.
The dust emissivity spectral index, $beta$, is a critical parameter for deriving the mass and temperature of star-forming structures, and consequently their gravitational stability. The $beta$ value is dependent on various dust grain properties, such as size, porosity, and surface composition, and is expected to vary as dust grains evolve. Here we present $beta$, dust temperature, and optical depth maps of the star-forming clumps in the Perseus Molecular Cloud determined from fitting SEDs to combined Herschel and JCMT observations in the 160 $mu$m, 250 $mu$m, 350 $mu$m, 500 $mu$m, and 850 $mu$m bands. Most of the derived $beta$, and dust temperature values fall within the ranges of 1.0 - 2.7 and 8 - 20 K, respectively. In Perseus, we find the $beta$ distribution differs significantly from clump to clump, indicative of grain growth. Furthermore, we also see significant, localized $beta$ variations within individual clumps and find low $beta$ regions correlate with local temperature peaks, hinting at the possible origins of low $beta$ grains. Throughout Perseus, we also see indications of heating from B stars and embedded protostars, as well evidence of outflows shaping the local landscape.
The Gaia mission has opened a new window into the internal kinematics of young star clusters at the sub-km/s level, with implications for our understanding of how star clusters form and evolve. We use a sample of 28 clusters and associations with ages from 1-5 Myr, where lists of members are available from previous X-ray, optical, and infrared studies. Proper motions from Gaia DR2 reveals that at least 75% of these systems are expanding; however, rotation is only detected in one system. Typical expansion velocities are on the order of ~0.5 km/s, and, in several systems, there is a positive radial gradient in expansion velocity. Systems that are still embedded in molecular clouds are less likely to be expanding than those that are partially or fully revealed. One-dimensional velocity dispersions, which range from 1 to 3 km/s, imply that most of the stellar systems in our sample are supervirial and that some are unbound. In star-forming regions that contain multiple clusters or subclusters, we find no evidence that these groups are coalescing, implying that hierarchical cluster assembly, if it occurs, must happen rapidly during the embedded stage.