Massive Star Formation in the LMC. I. N159 and N160 Complexes

TL;DR

This study investigates massive young stellar objects in the Large Magellanic Cloud's N159 and N160 regions using infrared observations to determine their properties and evolutionary stages.

Contribution

It provides new infrared imaging and spectral energy distribution analysis of YSOs in the LMC, revealing their luminosities, ages, and dust characteristics, and clarifies their evolutionary status.

Findings

N159A is younger than N160 and the Papillon.

No new very cool Class 0 YSOs were discovered.

Mid-infrared colors help distinguish YSO evolutionary stages.

Abstract

We present images and spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of massive young stellar objects (YSOs) in three star-forming H II regions of the Large Magellanic Cloud: N159A, N159 Papillon, and N160. We use photometry from SOFIA/FORCAST at 25.3--37.1 um to constrain model fits to the SEDs and determine luminosities, ages, and dust content of the embedded YSOs and their local environments. By placing these sources on mid-infrared color-magnitude and color-color diagrams, we analyze their dust properties and consider their evolutionary status. Since each object in the FORCAST images has an obvious bright near-infrared counterpart in Spitzer Space Telescope images, we do not find any evidence for new, very cool, previously-undiscovered Class 0 YSOs. Additionally, based on its mid-infrared colors and model parameters, N159A is younger than N160 and the Papillon. The nature of the first extragalactic protostars in N159, P1 and P2, is also discussed.