Distribution Of Young Stellar Objects Research Articles

Climbing the Cliffs: Classifying Young Stellar Objects in the Cosmic Cliffs JWST Data Using a Probabilistic Random Forest

Among the first observations released to the public from the JWST was a section of the star-forming region NGC 3324 known colloquially as the “Cosmic Cliffs.” We build a photometric catalog of the region and test the ability of using the probabilistic random forest machine-learning method to identify its young stellar objects (YSOs). We find 450 candidate YSOs (cYSOs) out of 19,497 total objects within the field, 413 of which are cYSOs not found in previous works. These classifications are verified with several different metrics, including recall and precision. Using the obtained probabilities of objects being YSOs, we employ a Monte Carlo approach to determine the surface density of cYSOs in the Cosmic Cliffs, which we find to be largely coincident with column densities derived from Herschel data, up to a column density of 1.37 × 1022 cm−2. The newly determined number and spatial distribution of YSOs in the Cosmic Cliffs demonstrate that JWST is far more capable of detecting YSOs in dusty regions than Spitzer. Comparisons of the observed colors and brightness of faint cYSOs with those of pre-main-sequence models suggest JWST has detected a significant population of substellar YSOs in the Cosmic Cliffs. The size of this population further suggests previous estimates of star formation efficiencies in molecular clouds have been systematically low.

Climbing the Cliffs: Classifying Young Stellar Objects in the Cosmic Cliffs JWST Data Using a Probabilistic Random Forest

Among the first observations released to the public from the JWST was a section of the star-forming region NGC 3324 known colloquially as the “Cosmic Cliffs.” We build a photometric catalog of the region and test the ability of using the probabilistic random forest machine-learning method to identify its young stellar objects (YSOs). We find 450 candidate YSOs (cYSOs) out of 19,497 total objects within the field, 413 of which are cYSOs not found in previous works. These classifications are verified with several different metrics, including recall and precision. Using the obtained probabilities of objects being YSOs, we employ a Monte Carlo approach to determine the surface density of cYSOs in the Cosmic Cliffs, which we find to be largely coincident with column densities derived from Herschel data, up to a column density of 1.37 × 1022 cm−2. The newly determined number and spatial distribution of YSOs in the Cosmic Cliffs demonstrate that JWST is far more capable of detecting YSOs in dusty regions than Spitzer. Comparisons of the observed colors and brightness of faint cYSOs with those of pre-main-sequence models suggest JWST has detected a significant population of substellar YSOs in the Cosmic Cliffs. The size of this population further suggests previous estimates of star formation efficiencies in molecular clouds have been systematically low.

AFGL 5180 and AFGL 6366S: sites of hub–filament systems at the opposite edges of a filamentary cloud

ABSTRACT We present a multiscale and multiwavelength study to unveil massive star formation (MSF) processes around sites AFGL 5180 and AFGL 6366S, both hosting a Class ii 6.7 GHz methanol maser emission. The radio continuum map at 8.46 GHz reveals a small cluster of radio sources towards AFGL 5180. Signatures of the early stages of MSF in our target sites are spatially seen at the opposite edges of a filamentary cloud (length ∼5 pc), which is observed in the submillimetre dust continuum maps. Using the near-infrared photometric data, the spatial distribution of young stellar objects is found towards the entire filament, primarily clustered at its edges. The getsf utility on the Herschel far-infrared images reveals a hub–filament system (HFS) towards each target site. The analysis of the molecular line data, which benefits from large area coverage (∼1° × 1°), detects two cloud components with a connection in both position and velocity space. This supports the scenario of a cloud–cloud collision (CCC) that occurred ∼1 Myr ago. The filamentary cloud, connecting AFGL 5180 and AFGL 6366S, seems spatially close to an H ii region Sh 2−247 excited by a massive O9.5 star. Based on the knowledge of various pressures exerted by the massive star on its surroundings, the impact of its energetic feedback on the filamentary cloud is found to be insignificant. Overall, our observational outcomes favour the possibility of the CCC scenario driving MSF and the formation of HFSs towards the target sites.

Hierarchical structure of YSO clusters in the W40 and Serpens South region: group extraction and comparison with fractal clusters

ABSTRACT Young stellar clusters are believed to inherit the spatial distribution like hierarchical structures of their natal molecular cloud during their formation. However, the change of the structures between the cloud and the young clusters is not well constrained observationally. We select the W40–Serpens South region (∼7 × 9 pc2) of the Aquila Rift as a testbed and investigate hierarchical properties of spatial distribution of young stellar objects (YSOs) in this region. We develop a minimum spanning tree (MST) based method to group stars into several levels by successively cutting down edges longer than an algorithmically determined critical value. A total of 832 YSOs are divided into 5 levels with 23 groups. For describing the hierarchical properties in a controlled way, we construct a set of synthetic source distributions at various fractal dimensions, and apply the same method to explore their group characters. By comparing the Q parameter and the surface density profiles of the observed and the synthetic data, we find that the YSO observation matches spatial patterns from multifractal dimensions. In the periphery region where the molecular clouds are more diffuse, the YSO structure is close to a fractal dimension of 2.0. While in the core regions, the fractal dimensions are close to 1.6 and 1.4 for the W40 and the Serpens South regions, respectively. Therefore, the YSOs may inherit the fractal pattern of the dense part of the molecular clouds, but such pattern dissipates slowly in several Myr.

New evidences in IRDC G333.73 + 0.37: colliding filamentary clouds, hub-filament system, and embedded cores

ABSTRACTTo unravel the star formation process, we present a multi-scale and multi-wavelength study of the filamentary infrared dark cloud (IRDC) G333.73 + 0.37, which hosts previously known two H ii regions located at its center. Each H ii region is associated with a mid-infrared source, and is excited by a massive OB star. Two filamentary structures and a hub-filament system (HFS) associated with one H ii region are investigated in absorption using the Spitzer 8.0 μm image. The 13CO(J = 2–1) and C18O(J = 2–1) line data reveal two velocity components (around −35.5 and −33.5 km s−1) toward the IRDC, favouring the presence of two filamentary clouds at different velocities. Non-thermal (or turbulent) motions are depicted in the IRDC using the C18O line data. The spatial distribution of young stellar objects (YSOs) identified using the VVV near-infrared data traces star formation activities in the IRDC. Low-mass cores are identified toward both the H ii regions using the ALMA 1.38 mm continuum map. The VLT/NACO adaptive-optics L′-band images show the presence of at least three point-like sources and the absence of small-scale features in the inner 4000 AU around YSOs NIR31 and MIR 16 located toward the H ii regions. The H ii regions and groups of YSO are observed toward the central part of the IRDC, where the two filamentary clouds intersect. A scenario of cloud–cloud collision or converging flows in the IRDC seems to be applicable, which may explain star formation activities including HFS and massive stars.

Sh 2-301: A Blistered H ii Region Undergoing Star Formation

Abstract We present a multiwavelength study of the H ii region Sh 2-301 (S301) using deep optical data, near-infrared data, radio continuum data, and other archival data at longer wavelengths. A cluster of young stellar objects (YSOs) is identified in the northeast (NE) direction of S301. The Hα and radio continuum images trace the distribution of the ionized gas surrounding a massive star, ALS 207, and the S301 H ii region is bounded by an arc-like structure of gas and dust emission in the southeastern direction. The northwestern part of S301 seems to be devoid of gas and dust emission, while the presence of molecular material between the NE cluster and the central massive star ALS 207 is found. The distribution of warm dust emission, ionized gas, and neutral hydrogen together suggests a blistered morphology of the S301 H ii region powered by ALS 207, which appears to be located near the edge of the cloud. The location of the NE cluster embedded in the cold molecular cloud is found opposite to the blistered morphology. There is a noticeable age difference investigated between the massive star and the NE cluster. This age difference, pressure calculation, photodissociation regions, and the distribution of YSOs favor the positive feedback of the massive star ALS 207 in S301. On a wider scale of S301, the H ii region and the young stellar cluster are depicted toward the central region of a hub-filamentary system, which is evident in the infrared images.

Comparing the spatial and kinematic distribution of gas and young stars around the shell-like structure in the CMa OB1 association

Context. The relationship between young stellar clusters and their respective parental molecular clouds remains an open issue. Recent inquiries consider the similarities between substructures of clouds and clusters and whether they are a coincidence or, rather, an indication of a physical relationship. To address these issues, we studied the CMa OB1/R1 region, which shows evidence of a complex star formation history. Aims. We obtained molecular cloud mapping with the IRAM-30 metre telescope to reveal the physical conditions of an unexplored side of the CMa region with the aim of comparing the morphology of the clouds to the distribution of young stellar objects (YSOs). We also studied the cloud kinematics in pursuit of gradients and jet signatures that could trace different star formation scenarios. Methods. The YSOs were selected on the basis of astrometric data from Gaia EDR3 that characterize the moving groups. The distance of 1099−24+25 pc was obtained for the sample, based on the mean error-weighted parallax. Optical and near-infrared photometry was used to verify the evolutionary status and circumstellar characteristics of the YSOs. Results. Among the selected candidates, we found 40 members associated with the cloud: 1 Class I, 11 Class II, and 28 Class III objects. Comparing the spatial distribution of the stellar population with the cores revealed by the 13CO map, we verified that peaks of emission coincide with the position of YSOs, confirming the association of these objects to their dense natal gas. Conclusions. Our observations support the large-scale scenario of the CMa shell-like structure formation as a relic of successive supernova events.

Massive young stellar objects in the Local Group irregular galaxy NGC 6822 identified using machine learning

ABSTRACT We present a supervised machine learning methodology to classify stellar populations in the Local Group dwarf-irregular galaxy NGC 6822. Near-IR colours (J − H, H − K, and J − K), K-band magnitudes and far-IR surface brightness (at 70 and 160 $\mu$m) measured from Spitzer and Herschel images are the features used to train a Probabilistic Random Forest (PRF) classifier. Point-sources are classified into eight target classes: young stellar objects (YSOs), oxygen- and carbon-rich asymptotic giant branch stars, red giant branch and red supergiant stars, active galactic nuclei, massive main-sequence stars, and Galactic foreground stars. The PRF identifies sources with an accuracy of ∼ 90 per cent across all target classes rising to ∼96 per cent for YSOs. We confirm the nature of 125 out of 277 literature YSO candidates with sufficient feature information, and identify 199 new YSOs and candidates. Whilst these are mostly located in known star-forming regions, we have also identified new star formation sites. These YSOs have mass estimates between ∼15 and 50 M⊙, representing the most massive YSO population in NGC 6822. Another 82 out of 277 literature candidates are definitively classified as non-YSOs by the PRF analysis. We characterize the star formation environment by comparing the spatial distribution of YSOs to those of gas and dust using archival images. We also explore the potential of using (unsupervised) t-distributed stochastic neighbour embedding maps for the identification of the same stellar population classified by the PRF.

Spatial statistics in star-forming regions: is star formation driven by column density alone?

ABSTRACT Star formation is known to occur more readily where more raw materials are available. This is often expressed by a ‘Kennicutt–Schmidt’ relation where the surface density of young stellar objects (YSOs) is proportional to column density to some power, μ. The aim of this work was to determine if column density alone is sufficient to explain the locations of Class 0/I YSOs within Serpens South, Serpens Core, Ophiuchus, NGC 1333, and IC348, or if there is clumping or avoidance that would point to additional influences on the star formation. Using the O-ring test as a summary statistic, 95 per cent confidence envelopes were produced for different values of μ from probability models made using the Herschel column density maps. The YSOs were tested against four distribution models: the best estimate of μ for the region, μ = 0 above a minimum column density threshold, and zero probability elsewhere, μ = 1, and the power law that best represents the five regions as a collective, μ = 2.05 ± 0.20. Results showed that μ = 2.05 model was consistent with the majority of regions and, for those regions, the spatial distribution of YSOs at a given column density is consistent with being random. Serpens South and NGC 1333 rejected the μ = 2.05 model on small scales of ${\sim}0.15\, \mathrm{pc}$ which implies that small-scale interactions may be necessary to improve the model. On scales above 0.15 pc, the positions of YSOs in all five regions can be well described using column density alone.

The link between gas and stars in the S254–S258 star-forming region

ABSTRACT The paper aims to study relation between the distributions of the young stellar objects (YSOs) of different ages and the gas-dust constituents of the S254–S258 star formation complex. This is necessary to study the time evolution of the YSO distribution with respect to the gas and dust compounds that are responsible for the birth of the young stars. For this purpose, we use correlation analysis between different gas, dust, and YSO tracers. We compared the large-scale CO, HCO+, near-IR extinction, and far-IR Herschel maps with the density of YSOs of the different evolutionary classes. The direct correlation analysis between these maps was used together with the wavelet-based spatial correlation analysis. This analysis reveals a much tighter correlation of the gas-dust tracers with the distribution of class I YSOs than with that of class II YSOs. We argue that class I YSOs that were initially born in the central bright cluster S255-IR (both N and S parts) during their evolution to class II stage (∼2 Myr) had enough time to travel through the whole S254–S258 star formation region. Given that the region contains several isolated YSO clusters, the evolutionary link between these clusters and the bright central S255-IR (N and S) cluster can be considered. Despite the complexity of the YSO cluster formation in the non-uniform medium, the clusters of class II YSOs in the S254-258 star formation region can contain objects born in the different locations of the complex.

The spatial evolution of young massive clusters

Context. Better understanding of star formation in clusters with high-mass stars requires rigorous dynamical and spatial analyses of star-forming regions. Aims. We seek to demonstrate that “INDICATE” is a powerful spatial analysis tool which when combined with kinematic data from Gaia DR2 can be used to probe star formation history in a robust way. Methods. We compared the dynamic and spatial distributions of young stellar objects (YSOs) at various evolutionary stages in NGC 2264 using Gaia DR2 proper motion data and INDICATE. Results. The dynamic and spatial behaviours of YSOs at different evolutionary stages are distinct. Dynamically, Class II YSOs predominately have non-random trajectories that are consistent with known substructures, whereas Class III YSOs have random trajectories with no clear expansion or contraction patterns. Spatially, there is a correlation between the evolutionary stage and source concentration: 69.4% of Class 0/I, 27.9% of Class II, and 7.7% of Class III objects are found to be clustered. The proportion of YSOs clustered with objects of the same class also follows this trend. Class 0/I objects are both found to be more tightly clustered with the general populous/objects of the same class than Class IIs and IIIs by a factor of 1.2/4.1 and 1.9/6.6, respectively. An exception to these findings is within 0.05° of S Mon where Class III objects mimic the behaviours of Class II sources across the wider cluster region. Our results suggest (i) current YSOs distributions are a result of dynamical evolution, (ii) prolonged star formation has been occurring sequentially, and (iii) stellar feedback from S Mon is causing YSOs to appear as more evolved sources. Conclusions. Designed to provide a quantitative measure of clustering behaviours, INDICATE is a powerful tool with which to perform rigorous spatial analyses. Our findings are consistent with what is known about NGC 2264, effectively demonstrating that when combined with kinematic data from Gaia DR2 INDICATE can be used to study the star formation history of a cluster in a robust way.

Large-scale star formation in Auriga region

ABSTRACT New observations in the VI bands along with archival data from the 2MASS and WISE surveys have been used to generate a catalogue of young stellar objects (YSOs) covering an area of about 6° × 6° in the Auriga region centred at l ∼ 173° and b ∼ 1.5°. The nature of the identified YSOs and their spatial distribution are used to study the star formation in the region. The distribution of YSOs along with that of the ionized and molecular gas reveals two ring-like structures stretching over an area of a few degrees each in extent. We name these structures as Auriga Bubbles 1 and 2. The centre of the Bubbles appears to be above the Galactic mid-plane. The majority of Class I YSOs are associated with the Bubbles, whereas the relatively older population, i.e. Class ii objects are rather randomly distributed. Using the minimum spanning tree analysis, we found 26 probable subclusters having five or more members. The subclusters are between ∼0.5 and ∼3 pc in size and are somewhat elongated. The star formation efficiency in most of the subcluster region varies between 5 ${{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ and 20 ${{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ indicating that the subclusters could be bound regions. The radii of these subclusters also support it.

Spatial statistics in star-forming regions: testing the limits of randomness

AbstractObservational studies of star formation reveal spatial distributions of young stellar objects (YSOs) that are ‘snapshots’ of an ongoing star formation process. Using methods from spatial statistics it is possible to test the likelihood that a given distribution process could produce the observed patterns of YSOs. The aim of this paper is to determine the usefulness of the spatial statistics tests Diggle’s G function (G), the ‘free-space’ function (F), Ripley’s K, and O-ring for application to astrophysical data. The spatial statistics tests were applied to simulated data containing 2D Gaussian clusters projected on random distributions of stars. The number of stars within the Gaussian cluster and number of background stars were varied to determine the tests’ ability to reject complete spatial randomness (CSR) with changing signal-to-noise. The best performing test was O-ring optimized with overlapping logarithmic bins, closely followed by Ripley’s K. The O-ring test is equivalent to the two-point correlation function. Both F and G (and the minimum spanning tree, of which G is a subset) performed significantly less well, requiring a cluster with a factor of two higher signal-to-noise in order to reject CSR consistently. We demonstrate the tests on example astrophysical datasets drawn from the Spitzer Gould's Belt Survey catalogue.

Evidence of Interacting Elongated Filaments in the Star-forming Site AFGL 5142

To probe the ongoing physical mechanism, we studied a wide-scale environment around AFGL 5142 (area ~25 pc x 20 pc) using a multi-wavelength approach. The Herschel column density (N(H_2)) map reveals a massive inverted Y-like structure (mass ~6280 M_sun), which hosts a pair of elongated filaments (lengths >10 pc). The Herschel temperature map depicts the filaments in a temperature range of ~12.5-13.5 K. These elongated filaments overlap each other at several places, where N(H_2) > 4.5 x 10^{21}cm^{-2}. The 12CO and 13CO line data also show two elongated cloud components (around -1.5 and -4.5 km/s) toward the inverted Y-like structure, which are connected in the velocity space. First moment maps of CO confirm the presence of two intertwined filamentary clouds along the line of sight. These results explain the morphology of the inverted Y-like structure through a combination of two different filamentary clouds, which are also supported by the distribution of the cold HI gas. Based on the distribution of young stellar objects (YSOs), star formation (SF) activities are investigated toward the inverted Y-like structure. The northern end of the structure hosts AFGL 5142 and tracers of massive SF, where high surface density of YSOs (i.e., 5-240 YSOs/pc^2) reveals strong SF activity. Furthermore, noticeable YSOs are found toward the overlapping zones of the clouds. All these observational evidences support a scenario of collision/interaction of two elongated filamentary clouds/flows, which appears to explain SF history in the site AFGL 5142.

A multiwavelength study of filamentary cloud G341.244-00.265

We present a multiwavelength study toward the filamentary molecular cloud G341.244-00.265, to investigate the physical and chemical properties, as well as star formation activities taking place therein. Our radio continuum and molecular line data were obtained from the Sydney University Molonglo Sky Survey (SUMSS), Atacama Pathfinder Experiment Telescope Large Area Survey of the Galaxy (ATLASGAL), Structure, excitation, and dynamics of the inner Galactic interstellar medium (SEDIGISM) and Millimeter Astronomy Legacy Team Survey at 90 GHz (MALT90). The infrared archival data come from Galactic Legacy Infrared Midplane Survey Extraordinaire (GLIMPSE), Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), and Herschel InfraRed Galactic Plane Survey (Hi-GAL). G341.244-00.265 displays an elongated filamentary structure both in far-infrared and molecular line emissions; the “head” and “tail” of this molecular cloud are associated with known infrared bubbles S21, S22, and S24. We made H2 column density and dust temperature maps of this region by the spectral energy distribution (SED) method. G341.244-00.265 has a linear mass density of about 1654 M⊙ pc−1 and has a projected length of 11.1 pc. The cloud is prone to collapse based on the virial analysis. Even though the interactions between this filamentary cloud and its surrounding bubbles are evident, we found these bubbles are too young to trigger the next generation of star formation in G341.244-00.265. From the ATLASGAL catalog, we found eight dense massive clumps associated with this filamentary cloud. All of these clumps have sufficient mass to form massive stars. Using data from the GLIMPSE and WISE survey, we search the young stellar objects (YSOs) in G341.244-00.265. We found an age gradient of star formation in this filamentary cloud: most of the YSOs distributed in the center are Class I sources, while most Class II candidates are located in the head and tail of G341.244-00.265, indicating star formation at the two ends of this filament is prior to the center. The abundance ratio of N(N2H+)/N(C18O) is higher in the center than that in the two ends, also indicating that the gas in the center is less evolved. Taking into account the distributions of YSOs and the N(N2H+)/N(C18O) ratio map, our study is in agreement with the prediction of the so-called “end-dominated collapse” star formation scenario.

The Arizona Radio Observatory CO Mapping Survey of Galactic Molecular Clouds. VI. The Cep OB3 Cloud (Cepheus B and C) in CO J = 2–1, 13CO J = 2–1, and CO J = 3–2

Abstract We present (1) new fully sampled maps of CO and J = 2–1 emission and CO J = 3–2 emission toward the molecular clouds Cep B and C, associated with the Cep OB3 association; (2) a map of extinction, A V , derived from IR colors of background stars; and (3) the distribution of young stellar objects (YSOs) over the same field as the molecular maps. An LTE analysis of the CO and maps yields the distribution of molecular column densities and temperatures. Substantial variations are evident across the clouds; smaller subregions show correlations between molecular properties and dust extinction, consistent with a picture of outer photodissociation regions with a layer of CO-dark molecular gas, a CO self-shielded interior, and an inner cold dense region where CO is largely depleted onto grains. Comparing the distribution of YSOs with molecular gas surface density shows a power-law relation very similar in slope to that for the giant molecular cloud associated with the H ii region Sh2-235 from a previous paper in this series that employed the same methodology. We note the presence of several compact, isolated CO emission sources in the J = 3–2 maps. The gas temperature and velocity dispersion yield a map of the sonic Mach number, which varies across the cloud but always exceeds unity, confirming the pervasiveness of supersonic turbulence over length scales ≳0.1 pc (the map resolution). We also compute a J = 2–1 CO X-factor that varies with position but is, on average, within 20% of the Galactic average derived from CO J = 1–0 observations.

Extreme star formation in the Milky Way: luminosity distributions of young stellar objects in W49A and W51

We have compared the star-formation properties of the W49A and W51 regions by using far-infrared data from the Herschel infrared Galactic Plane Survey (Hi-GAL) and 850-um observations from the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) to obtain luminosities and masses, respectively, of associated compact sources. The former are infrared luminosities from the catalogue of Elia et al. (2017), while the latter are from the JCMT Plane survey source catalogue as well as measurements from new data. The clump-mass distributions of the two regions are found to be consistent with each other, as are the clump-formation efficiency and star-formation efficiency analogues. However, the frequency distributions of the luminosities of the young stellar objects are significantly different. While the luminosity distribution in W51 is consistent with Galaxy-wide samples, that of W49A is top-heavy. The differences are not dramatic, and are concentrated in the central regions of W49A. However, they suggest that physical conditions there, which are comparable in part to those in extragalactic starbursts, are significantly affecting the star-formation properties or evolution of the dense clumps in the region.

FOREST Unbiased Galactic plane Imaging survey with the Nobeyama 45 m telescope (FUGIN). III. Possible evidence for formation of NGC 6618 cluster in M 17 by cloud–cloud collision

Abstract We present 12CO (J = 1–0), 13CO (J = 1–0), and C18O (J = 1–0) images of the M 17 giant molecular clouds obtained as part of the FUGIN (FOREST Ultra-wide Galactic Plane Survey In Nobeyama) project. The observations cover the entire area of the M 17 SW and M 17 N clouds at the highest angular resolution (∼19″) to date, which corresponds to ∼0.18 pc at the distance of 2.0 kpc. We find that the region consists of four different velocity components: a very low velocity (VLV) clump, a low velocity component (LVC), a main velocity component (MVC), and a high velocity component (HVC). The LVC and the HVC have cavities. Ultraviolet photons radiated from NGC 6618 cluster penetrate into the N cloud up to ∼5 pc through the cavities and interact with molecular gas. This interaction is correlated with the distribution of young stellar objects in the N cloud. The LVC and the HVC are distributed complementarily after the HVC is displaced by 0.8 pc toward the east-southeast direction, suggesting that collision of the LVC and the HVC created the cavities in both clouds. The collision velocity and timescale are estimated to be 9.9 km s−1 and 1.1 × 105 yr, respectively. The high collision velocity can provide a mass accretion rate of up to 10$^{-3}{\,\,}M_{\odot }\:$yr−1, and the high column density (4 × 1023 cm−2) might result in massive cluster formation. The scenario of cloud–cloud collision likely explains well the stellar population and the formation history of the NGC 6618 cluster proposed by Hoffmeister et al. (2008, ApJ, 686, 310).

Young stellar population and star formation history ofW4 HII region/Cluster Complex

The HII region/cluster complex has been a subject of numerous investigations to study the feedback effect of massive stars on their surroundings. Massive stars not only alter the morphology of the parental molecular clouds, but also influence star formation, circumstellar disks and the mass function of low-mass stars in their vicinity. However, most of the studies of low-mass stellar content of the HII regions are limited only to the nearby regions. We study the star formation in the W4 HII region using deep optical observations obtained with the archival data from Canada - France - Hawaii Telescope, Two-Micron All Sky Survey, Spitzer, Herschel and Chandra. We investigate the spatial distribution of young stellar objects in the region, their association with the remnant molecular clouds, and search for the clustering to establish the sites of recent star formation. Our analysis suggests that the influence of massive stars on circumstellar disks is significant only to their immediate neighborhood. The spatial correlation of the young stars with the distribution of gas and dust of the complex indicate that the clusters would have formed in a large filamentary cloud. The observing facilities at the 3.6-m Devasthal Optical Telescope (DOT), providing high-resolution spectral and imaging capabilities, will fulfill the major objectives in the study of HII regions.

Triggered star-formation in the NGC 7538 H II region

We have generated a catalog of young stellar objects (YSOs) in the star forming region NGC 7538 using Ha and X-ray data. The spatial distribution of YSOs along with MIR, radio and CO emission are used to study the star formation process in the region. Our analysis shows that the 03V type high mass star 'IRS 6' might have triggered the formation of young low mass stars up to a radial distance of 3 pc.