Resolved star formation in the metal-poor star-forming region Magellanic Bridge C

Abstract

ABSTRACT Magellanic Bridge C (MB-C) is a metal-poor (∼1/5 Z⊙) low-density star-forming region located 59 kpc away in the Magellanic Bridge, offering a resolved view of the star formation process in conditions different to the Galaxy. From Atacama Large Millimetre Array CO (1–0) observations, we detect molecular clumps associated with candidate young stellar objects (YSOs), pre-main sequence (PMS) stars, and filamentary structure identified in far-infrared imaging. YSOs and PMS stars form in molecular gas having densities between 17 and 200 M⊙ pc−2, and have ages between ≲0.1 and 3 Myr. YSO candidates in MB -C have lower extinction than their Galactic counterparts. Otherwise, our results suggest that the properties and morphologies of molecular clumps, YSOs, and PMS stars in MB -C present no patent differences with respect to their Galactic counterparts, tentatively alluding that the bottleneck to forming stars in regions similar to MB-C is the conversion of atomic gas to molecular.