The VMC Survey. XXIX. Turbulence-controlled hierarchical star formation in the Small Magellanic Cloud

Ning Chen Sun; Richard De Grijs; Maria-Rosa L. Cioni; Stefano Rubele; Smitha Subramanian; Jacco Th van Loon; Kenji Bekki; Cameron P.M. Bell; Valentin D. Ivanov; Marcella Marconi; Tatiana Muraveva; Joana M. Oliveira; Vincenzo Ripepi

doi:10.3847/1538-4357/aabc50

The VMC Survey. XXIX. Turbulence-controlled hierarchical star formation in the Small Magellanic Cloud

Ning Chen Sun, Richard De Grijs, Maria-Rosa L. Cioni, Stefano Rubele, Smitha Subramanian, Jacco Th van Loon, Kenji Bekki, Cameron P.M. Bell, Valentin D. Ivanov, Marcella Marconi, Tatiana Muraveva, Joana M. Oliveira, Vincenzo Ripepi

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Abstract

In this paper we report a clustering analysis of upper main-sequence stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud, using data from the VMC survey (the VISTA near-infrared YJK _s survey of the Magellanic system). Young stellar structures are identified as surface overdensities on a range of significance levels. They are found to be organized in a hierarchical pattern, such that larger structures at lower significance levels contain smaller ones at higher significance levels. They have very irregular morphologies, with a perimeter-area dimension of 1.44 ± 0.02 for their projected boundaries. They have a power-law mass-size relation, power-law size/mass distributions, and a log-normal surface density distribution. We derive a projected fractal dimension of 1.48 ± 0.03 from the mass-size relation, or of 1.4 ± 0.1 from the size distribution, reflecting significant lumpiness of the young stellar structures. These properties are remarkably similar to those of a turbulent interstellar medium, supporting a scenario of hierarchical star formation regulated by supersonic turbulence.

Original language	English
Article number	31
Pages (from-to)	1-15
Number of pages	15
Journal	Astrophysical Journal
Volume	858
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/aabc50
Publication status	Published - 3 May 2018

Bibliographical note

Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

Keywords

galaxies: star clusters: general
infrared: stars
Magellanic Clouds
stars: formation

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10.3847/1538-4357/aabc50Licence: CC BY

Publisher version (open access)Final published version, 2.58 MBLicence: CC BY

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Sun, N. C., De Grijs, R., Cioni, M.-R. L., Rubele, S., Subramanian, S., van Loon, J. T., Bekki, K., Bell, C. P. M., Ivanov, V. D., Marconi, M., Muraveva, T., Oliveira, J. M., & Ripepi, V. (2018). The VMC Survey. XXIX. Turbulence-controlled hierarchical star formation in the Small Magellanic Cloud. Astrophysical Journal, 858(1), 1-15. Article 31. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/aabc50

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abstract = "In this paper we report a clustering analysis of upper main-sequence stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud, using data from the VMC survey (the VISTA near-infrared YJK s survey of the Magellanic system). Young stellar structures are identified as surface overdensities on a range of significance levels. They are found to be organized in a hierarchical pattern, such that larger structures at lower significance levels contain smaller ones at higher significance levels. They have very irregular morphologies, with a perimeter-area dimension of 1.44 ± 0.02 for their projected boundaries. They have a power-law mass-size relation, power-law size/mass distributions, and a log-normal surface density distribution. We derive a projected fractal dimension of 1.48 ± 0.03 from the mass-size relation, or of 1.4 ± 0.1 from the size distribution, reflecting significant lumpiness of the young stellar structures. These properties are remarkably similar to those of a turbulent interstellar medium, supporting a scenario of hierarchical star formation regulated by supersonic turbulence.",

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AU - Sun, Ning Chen

AU - De Grijs, Richard

AU - Cioni, Maria-Rosa L.

AU - Rubele, Stefano

AU - Subramanian, Smitha

AU - van Loon, Jacco Th

AU - Bekki, Kenji

AU - Bell, Cameron P.M.

AU - Ivanov, Valentin D.

AU - Marconi, Marcella

AU - Muraveva, Tatiana

AU - Oliveira, Joana M.

AU - Ripepi, Vincenzo

N1 - Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.

PY - 2018/5/3

Y1 - 2018/5/3

N2 - In this paper we report a clustering analysis of upper main-sequence stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud, using data from the VMC survey (the VISTA near-infrared YJK s survey of the Magellanic system). Young stellar structures are identified as surface overdensities on a range of significance levels. They are found to be organized in a hierarchical pattern, such that larger structures at lower significance levels contain smaller ones at higher significance levels. They have very irregular morphologies, with a perimeter-area dimension of 1.44 ± 0.02 for their projected boundaries. They have a power-law mass-size relation, power-law size/mass distributions, and a log-normal surface density distribution. We derive a projected fractal dimension of 1.48 ± 0.03 from the mass-size relation, or of 1.4 ± 0.1 from the size distribution, reflecting significant lumpiness of the young stellar structures. These properties are remarkably similar to those of a turbulent interstellar medium, supporting a scenario of hierarchical star formation regulated by supersonic turbulence.

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The VMC Survey. XXIX. Turbulence-controlled hierarchical star formation in the Small Magellanic Cloud

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