The formation of NGC 3603 young starburst cluster: "prompt" hierarchical assembly or monolithic starburst?

TL;DR

This study investigates whether the young massive star cluster NGC 3603 formed through hierarchical assembly or monolithic collapse, concluding that a prompt, monolithic formation scenario best explains its observed properties.

Contribution

The paper compares hierarchical and monolithic formation models for NGC 3603, finding that only prompt, close-separation assembly can reproduce observed cluster features.

Findings

Hierarchical assembly alone cannot reproduce NGC 3603's density profile.

Prompt assembly within 2 pc within 1 Myr matches observations.

Monolithic formation or prompt assembly best explains the cluster's properties.

Abstract

The formation of very young massive clusters or "starburst" clusters is currently one of the most widely debated topic in astronomy. The classical notion dictates that a star cluster is formed in-situ in a dense molecular gas clump followed by a substantial residual gas expulsion. On the other hand, based on the observed morphologies of many young stellar associations, a hierarchical formation scenario is alternatively suggested. A very young (age $\approx$ 1 Myr), massive ($>10^4M_\odot$) star cluster like the Galactic NGC 3603 young cluster (HD 97950) is an appropriate testbed for distinguishing between such "monolithic" and "hierarchical" formation scenarios. A recent study by Banerjee and Kroupa (2014) demonstrates that the monolithic scenario remarkably reproduces the HD 97950 cluster. In the present work, we explore the possibility of the formation of the above cluster via hierarchical assembly of subclusters. These subclusters are initially distributed over a wide range of spatial volumes and have various modes of sub-clustering. Unlike the monolithic model that reproduces HD 97950 very well, the same is found to be prohibitive with hierarchical assembly alone. Only those systems which assemble promptly into a single cluster (in $\lesssim1$ Myr) from a close separation (all within $\lesssim2$ pc) could match the observed density profile of HD 97950 after $\approx70$% gas dispersal. These results therefore suggest that NGC 3603 young cluster has formed essentially monolithically, i.e., either in-situ or via a prompt assembly, followed by a substantial residual gas expulsion. Both scenarios are consistent with the inferred young age and the small age spread of this cluster. Future observations of molecular cloud filaments with ALMA and proper motion measurements of young clusters with Gaia will provide more direct tests of such birth environments. [Abridged]