The Simultaneous Formation of Massive Stars and Stellar Clusters

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates through simulations that massive stars and stellar clusters form simultaneously, with global collapse funneling mass inward, leading to the growth of massive stars within evolving clusters.

Contribution

It introduces a model showing simultaneous formation of massive stars and clusters, emphasizing the role of global collapse and accretion in massive star development.

Findings

Massive stars form via accretion during cluster collapse.

Clumps become more concentrated as they collapse.

Young regions show more substructure than older ones.

Abstract

We show that massive stars and stellar clusters are formed simultaneously, the global evolution of the forming cluster is what allows the central stars to become massive. We predict that massive star forming clumps, such as those observed in Motte et al. 2007, contract and grow in mass leading to the formation of massive stars. This occurs as mass is continually channeled from large radii onto the central proto-stars, which can become massive through accretion. Using SPH simulations of massive star forming clumps in a Giant Molecular Cloud, we show that clumps are initially diffuse and filamentary, and become more concentrated as they collapse. Simulated interferometry observations of our data provide an explanation as to why young massive star forming regions show more substructure than older ones. The most massive stars in our model are found within the most bound cluster. Most of the mass accreted by the massive stars was originally distributed throughout the clump at low densities, and was later funneled to the star due to global in-fall. Even with radiative feedback no massive pre-stellar cores are formed. The original cores are of intermediate mass and gain their additional mass in the proto-stellar stage. We also find that cores which form low mass stars exist within the volume from which the high mass stars accrete, but are largely unaffected by this process.