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EPoS |
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EPoS Contribution
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Synchronising stellar clocks. A new observable for probing star formation and dispersion
Núria Miret-Roig U Vienna, Vienna, AT | |
| Star formation is a fundamental process that impacts many fields of astrophysics, from the formation and evolution of planets to galaxies. The interaction between the natal cloud and the newborn stars is one of the least understood star formation processes and has an important impact on the final star-formation efficiency and cluster dynamics. I will present an innovative methodology to measure the timescale of the gas-embedded phase by comparing stellar ages derived with two independent methods: dynamical tracebacks and isochrone fitting. In this new framework, the dynamical-traceback "clock" initiates when a stellar cluster or association begins to expand after expelling most of the gas, while the isochronal "clock" initiates earlier when most stars form. Measuring this difference accurately and understanding its variations across different environments provides new information on the impact of local conditions and stellar feedback on the formation and dispersal of star clusters. | |
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| Caption: Diagram representing the phases of star cluster formation. Isochrone fitting ages measure the time since protostars become pre-main sequence stars. Dynamical traceback ages measure the time since stars start to expand. The offset between these two techniques (ΔAge) measures the timescale of the embedded phase (when most stars are still bound to the parent cloud). | |
| Collaborators: J. Alves, U Vienna, AT D. Barrado, CAB, ES A. Burkert, U Munich, DE S. Ratzenböck, U Vienna, AT R. Konietzka, U Harvard, US |
Key publication
Relevant topic(s): Clustered SF Feedback Low-Mass SF |
| Relevant Big Question: What physical processes regulate the interaction between newborn stars and the molecular cloud, setting the star formation efficiency? | |