Large scale star formation in Auriga region

TL;DR

This study uses multi-band observations and archival data to identify young stellar objects in the Auriga region, revealing ring-like structures called Auriga Bubbles and analyzing their star formation activity and clustering properties.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed catalog of YSOs in Auriga, identifies two large bubble structures, and analyzes sub-cluster properties and star formation efficiency.

Findings

Identification of two ring-like structures called Auriga Bubbles.

Most Class I YSOs are associated with the Bubbles, indicating active star formation.

Sub-clusters are small, elongated, and potentially gravitationally bound.

Abstract

New observations in the $VI$ bands along with archival data from the 2MASS and $WISE$ surveys have been used to generate a catalog of young stellar objects (YSOs) covering an area of about $6^\circ\times6^\circ$ in the Auriga region centered at $l\sim173^\circ$ and $b\sim1^\circ.5$. The nature of the identified YSOs and their spatial distribution are used to study the star formation in the region. The distribution of YSOs along with that of the ionized and molecular gas reveals two ring-like structures stretching over an area of a few degrees each in extent. We name these structures as Auriga Bubbles 1 and 2. The center of the Bubbles appears to be above the Galactic mid-plane. The majority of Class\,{\sc i} YSOs are associated with the Bubbles, whereas the relatively older population, i.e., Class\,{\sc ii} objects are rather randomly distributed. Using the minimum spanning tree analysis, we found 26 probable sub-clusters having 5 or more members. The sub-clusters are between $\sim$0.5 pc - $\sim$ 3 pc in size and are somewhat elongated. The star formation efficiency in most of the sub-cluster region varies between 5$\%$ - 20$\%$ indicating that the sub-clusters could be bound regions. The radii of these sub-clusters also support it.