Multi-wavelength study of triggered star formation around 25 H II regions

Abstract

We investigate 25 H II regions that show bubble morphology in 13CO(1–0) and infrared data, to search for quantitative evidence of triggered star formation by processes described by the collect and collapse (CC) and radiatively driven implosion (RDI) models. These H II regions display the morphology of a complete or partial bubble at 8 μm, and are all associated with the molecular clouds that surround them. We found that the electron temperature ranges from 5627 K to 6839 K in these H II regions, and the average electron temperature is 6083 K. The age of these H II regions is from 3.0 × 105 yr to 1.7 × 106 yr, and the mean age is 7.7 × 105 yr. Based on the morphology of the associated molecular clouds, we divide these H II regions into three groups, which may support CC and RDI models. We select 23 young IRAS sources which have an infrared luminosity of > 103L⊙ in 19 H II regions. In addition, we identify some young stellar objects (including Class I sources), which are only concentrated in H II regions G29.007+0.076, G44.339–0.827 and G47.028+0.232. The poly-cyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emissions of the three H II regions all show a cometary globule. Comparing the age of each H II region with the characteristic timescales for star formation, we suggest that the three H II regions can trigger clustered star formation by an RDI process. In addition, we detect seven molecular outflows in the five H II regions for the first time. These outflow sources may be triggered by the corresponding H II regions.