Herschel Observations of the W3 GMC (II): Clues to the Formation of Clusters of High-mass Stars
Journal
Date Issued
2015
Author(s)
Rivera-Ingraham, A.
•
Martin, P. G.
•
Polychroni, D.
•
Schneider, N.
•
Motte, F.
•
Bontemps, S.
•
Hennemann, M.
•
Men'shchikov, A.
•
Nguyen Luong, Q.
•
Zavagno, A.
•
André, Ph.
•
Bernard, J. -Ph.
•
Di Francesco, J.
•
Fallscheer, C.
•
Hill, T.
•
Könyves, V.
•
Marston, A.
•
•
•
•
White, G. J.
Description
A.R.-I. acknowledges support from an Ontario Graduate Scholarship and a Connaught Fellowship at the University of Toronto. A.R.-I. is currently a Research Fellow at ESA/ESAC and also acknowledges support from the ESA Internal Fellowship Programme. The authors also thank the anonymous referee for very useful comments that have significantly improved the clarity and content of the paper. This research was supported in part by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). SPIRE has been developed by a consortium of institutes led by Cardiff Univ. (UK) and including: Univ. Lethbridge (Canada); NAOC (China); CEA, LAM (France); IFSI, Univ. Padua (Italy); IAC (Spain); Stockholm Observatory (Sweden); Imperial College London, RAL, UCL-MSSL, UKATC, Univ. Sussex (UK); and Caltech, JPL, NHSC, Univ. Colorado (USA). This development has been supported by national funding agencies: CSA (Canada); NAOC (China); CEA, CNES, CNRS (France); ASI (Italy); MCINN (Spain); SNSB (Sweden); STFC, UKSA (UK); and NASA (USA). PACS has been developed by a consortium of institutes led by MPE (Germany) and including UVIE (Austria); KU Leuven, CSL, IMEC (Belgium); CEA, LAM (France); MPIA (Germany); INAF-IFSI/OAA/OAP/OAT, LENS, SISSA (Italy); IAC (Spain). This development has been supported by the funding agencies BMVIT (Austria), ESA-PRODEX (Belgium), CEA/CNES (France), DLR (Germany), ASI/INAF (Italy), and CICYT/MCYT (Spain). D.P. is funded through the Operational Program “Education and Lifelong Learning” and is co-financed by the European Union (European Social Fund) and Greek national funds. This research has made use of the SIMBAD database, operated at CDS, Strasbourg, France.
Abstract
The W3 giant molecular cloud is a prime target for investigating the formation of high-mass stars and clusters. This second study of W3 within the HOBYS Key Program provides a comparative analysis of subfields within W3 to further constrain the processes leading to the observed structures and stellar population. Probability density functions (PDFs) and cumulative mass distributions (CMDs) were created from dust column density maps, quantified as extinction {A}{{V}}. The shape of the PDF, typically represented with a lognormal function at low {A}{{V}} “breaking” to a power-law tail at high {A}{{V}}, is influenced by various processes including turbulence and self-gravity. The breaks can also be identified, often more readily, in the CMDs. The PDF break from lognormal ({A}{{V}}(SF) ≈ \6-10 mag) appears to shift to higher {A}{{V}} by stellar feedback, so that high-mass star-forming regions tend to have higher PDF breaks. A second break at {A}{{V}}\gt 50 mag traces structures formed or influenced by a dynamic process. Because such a process has been suggested to drive high-mass star formation in W3, this second break might then identify regions with potential for hosting high-mass stars/clusters. Stellar feedback appears to be a major mechanism driving the local evolution and state of regions within W3. A high initial star formation efficiency in a dense medium could result in a self-enhancing process, leading to more compression and favorable star formation conditions (e.g., colliding flows), a richer stellar content, and massive stars. This scenario would be compatible with the “convergent constructive feedback” model introduced in our previous Herschel study.
Volume
809
Issue
1
Start page
81
Issn Identifier
0004-637X
Ads BibCode
2015ApJ...809...81R
Rights
open.access
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