分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: In the first few Myr the massive stars dynamically interact, produce runaways and affect the initial binary population. Observing and interpreting the dynamics of young massive clusters is key to our understanding of the star formation process and predicting the outcome of stellar evolution. We have studied NGC6611 in the Eagle Nebula (M16), a young massive cluster hosting 19 O stars. We used Gaia EDR3 data to determine the membership, age, cluster dynamics and the kinematics of the massive stars including runaways. The membership analysis yields 137 members located at a mean distance of 1706 $\pm$ 7 pc. The colour - absolute magnitude diagram reveals a blue and a red population of pre-main-sequence stars, consistent with two distinct populations of stars. In line with earlier studies, the youngest population has a mean extinction $A_V$ = 3.6 $\pm$ 0.1 mag and an age = 1.3 $\pm$ 0.2 Myr, while the older population of stars has a mean extinction $A_V$ = 2.0 $\pm$ 0.1 mag and an age = 7.5 $\pm$ 0.4 Myr. The latter population is more spatially extended than the younger generation of stars. We argue that most of the OB stars belong to the younger population. We identify 8 runaways originating from the center of NGC6611, consistent with the dynamical ejection scenario. We show that ~ 50% of the O stars have velocities comparable to or greater than the escape velocity. These O stars can be traced back to the center of NGC6611 with kinematic ages ranging from 0 to 2 Myr. This suggests that dynamical interactions played an important role in the early evolution of NGC6611, which is surprising considering the low current stellar density. Comparing this to simulations of young massive clusters, the required initial radius of 0.1-0.5 pc is not consistent with that of NGC6611. The O stars could have initially formed in wide binaries and possibly harden through dynamical interactions.
分类: 天文学 >> 天文学 提交时间: 2023-02-19
摘要: Stars strongly impact their environment, and shape structures on all scales throughout the universe, in a process known as ``feedback''. Due to the complexity of both stellar evolution and the physics of larger astrophysical structures, there remain many unanswered questions about how feedback operates, and what we can learn about stars by studying their imprint on the wider universe. In this white paper, we summarize discussions from the Lorentz Center meeting `Bringing Stellar Evolution and Feedback Together' in April 2022, and identify key areas where further dialogue can bring about radical changes in how we view the relationship between stars and the universe they live in.