Walkaway Star Candidates in IC 348 and Their Possible Birthplaces

Abstract

Observations and theories reveal that star-forming regions eject their members during the early evolution of the cluster. We present an initial search for stars ejected from the young cluster IC 348 based on an analysis of Gaia EDR3 astrometry of previously identified members. We identify six candidate walkaway stars with projected velocities of 5–8 km s−1. The candidate with properties most consistent with a walkaway star, V701 Per, was likely ejected from a small group to the west of IC 348. Three candidates are currently located or have proper motions that trace back to the center of IC 348, though their classification as walkaway stars may also be affected by large astrometric errors. Two other candidate walkaway stars were likely born in other subgroups around IC 348 within the Perseus star-forming region. Since our search criteria are restricted to previously identified members of IC 348, we did not identify any stars that were ejected at high velocities and traveled far from the cluster. Our study suggests that ejections have potentially occurred in both the central region of IC 348 and other subgroups in Perseus. Extending the search range will lead to more candidate ejections and constrain the dynamic properties and evolution of IC 348 by comparing with simulations.