Multiplicity and clustering in Taurus star-forming region. I. Unexpected ultra-wide pairs of high-order multiplicity in Taurus

TL;DR

This study analyzes the spatial distribution and multiplicity of stars in Taurus, revealing unexpected ultra-wide pairs and high-order multiplicity, suggesting primordial formation imprints from molecular core fragmentation.

Contribution

Introduces the one-point correlation function to identify extended wide binary regimes and highlights the prevalence of ultra-wide pairs in young star systems.

Findings

Ultra-wide pairs extend up to 60 kAU, indicating a potential wide binary regime.

Multiple systems are more likely to have distant companions within 10 kAU.

Multiplicity fraction in ultra-wide pairs can reach approximately 83.5%.

Abstract

We collected the multiplicity data of stars in Taurus to build an up-to-date stellar/multiplicity catalog. After a general study of nearest-neighbor statistics on spatial random distribution, we introduce the one-point correlation $\Psi$ function to complement the pair correlation function and define the spatial regimes departing from randomness in Taurus. We then perform a set of statistical studies to characterize the binary regime that prevails in Taurus. The $\Psi$ function in Taurus has a scale-free trend with a similar exponent as the correlation function at small scale. It extends almost 3 decades up to $\sim 60$ kAU showing a potential extended wide binary regime. This was hidden in the correlation function due to the clustering pattern blending. Distinguishing two stellar populations, single stars versus multiple systems (separation $ \leq 1$ kAU), within Class II/III stars observed at high angular resolution, we highlight a major spatial neighborhood difference between the two populations using nearest-neighbor statistics. The multiple systems are three times more likely to have a distant companion within 10 kAU when compared to single stars. We show that this is due to the presence of most probable physical ultra-wide pairs. These UWPs are biased towards high multiplicity and higher-stellar-mass components at shorter separations. The multiplicity fraction per ultra-wide pair with separation less than 10 kAU may be as high as 83.5 $\pm$ 19.6\%. We suggest that these young pre-main sequence UWPs may be pristine imprints of their spatial configuration at birth resulting from a cascade fragmentation scenario of the natal molecular core. They could be the older counterparts, at least for those separated by less than 10 kAU, to the $\le$ 0.5 Myr prestellar cores/Class 0 multiple objects observed at radio/mm wavelengths.