Using homogeneous CCD photometric data from the 105-cm Kiso Schmidt telescope covering a 50 x 50 field, we study the mass functions (MFs) of nine open clusters. The ages and Galactocentric distances of the target clusters vary from 16 - 2000 Myr and
9-10.8 kpc, respectively. The values of MF slopes vary from -1.1 to -2.1. The classical value derived by Salpeter (1955) for the slope of the IMF is Gamma = -1.35. The MFs in the outer regions of the clusters are found to be steeper than in the inner regions, indicating the presence of mass segregation in the clusters.The MF slopes (in the outer region as well as the whole cluster) undergo an exponential decay with the evolutionary parameter tau (= age/ relaxation time). It seems that the evaporation of low-mass members from outer regions of the clusters is not significant at larger Galactocentric distances. It is concluded that the initial mass function (IMF) in the anticentre direction of the Galaxy might have been steeper than the IMF in the opposite direction. A comparison of the observed CMDs of the clusters with synthetic CMDs gives a photometric binary content of ~40%.
We present $UBVI_C$ CCD photometry of the young open cluster Be 59 with the aim to study the star formation scenario in the cluster. The radial extent of the cluster is found to be $sim$ 10 arcmin (2.9 pc). The interstellar extinction in the cluster
region varies between $E(B-V) simeq$ 1.4 to 1.8 mag. The ratio of total-to-selective extinction in the cluster region is estimated as $3.7pm0.3$. The distance of the cluster is found to be $1.00pm0.05$ kpc. Using near-infrared colours and slitless spectroscopy, we have identified young stellar objects (YSOs) in the open cluster Be 59 region. The ages of these YSOs range between $<1$ Myr to $sim$ 2 Myr, whereas the mean age of the massive stars in the cluster region is found to be $sim$ 2 Myr. There is evidence for second generation star formation outside the boundary of the cluster, which may be triggered by massive stars in the cluster. The slope of the initial mass function, $Gamma$, in the mass range $2.5 < M/M_odot le 28$ is found to be $-1.01pm0.11$ which is shallower than the Salpeter value (-1.35), whereas in the mass range $1.5 < M/M_odot le 2.5$ the slope is almost flat. The slope of the K-band luminosity function is estimated as $0.27pm0.02$, which is smaller than the average value ($sim$0.4) reported for young embedded clusters. Approximately 32% of H$alpha$ emission stars of Be 59 exhibit NIR excess indicating that inner disks of the T-Tauri star (TTS) population have not dissipated. The MSX and IRAS-HIRES images around the cluster region are also used to study the emission from unidentified infrared bands and to estimate the spatial distribution of optical depth of warm and cold interstellar dust.
We present a comprehensive multi-wavelength study of the star-forming region NGC 1893 to explore the effects of massive stars on low-mass star formation. Using near-infrared colours, slitless spectroscopy and narrow-band $Halpha$ photometry in the cl
uster region we have identified candidate young stellar objects (YSOs) distributed in a pattern from the cluster to one of the nearby nebulae Sim 129. The $V, (V-I)$ colour-magnitude diagram of the YSOs indicates that majority of these objects have ages between 1 to 5 Myr. The spread in the ages of the YSOs may indicate a non-coeval star formation in the cluster. The slope of the KLF for the cluster is estimated to be $0.34pm0.07$, which agrees well with the average value ($sim 0.4$) reported for young clusters. For the entire observed mass range $0.6 < M/M_odot le 17.7$ the value of the slope of the initial mass function, $`Gamma$, comes out to be $-1.27pm0.08$, which is in agreement with the Salpeter value of -1.35 in the solar neighborhood. However, the value of $`Gamma$ for PMS phase stars (mass range $0.6 < M/M_odot le 2.0$) is found to be $-0.88pm0.09$ which is shallower than the value ($-1.71pm0.20$) obtained for MS stars having mass range $2.5 < M/M_odot le 17.7$ indicating a break in the slope of the mass function at $sim 2 M_odot$. Estimated $`Gamma$ values indicate an effect of mass segregation for main-sequence stars, in the sense that massive stars are preferentially located towards the cluster center. The estimated dynamical evolution time is found to be greater than the age of the cluster, therefore the observed mass segregation in the cluster may be the imprint of the star formation process. There is evidence for triggered star formation in the region, which seems to govern initial morphology of the cluster.
