The formation of stars in groups

TL;DR

This paper discusses how stars form in groups, highlighting the roles of large-scale infall, protostellar outflows, and early migration, providing insights into cluster formation and evolution.

Contribution

It presents observational evidence on the processes of star formation in clusters, emphasizing the impact of outflows and early protostellar migration.

Findings

Large scale mass infall rate of 4e-4 solar masses/year.

Protostellar outflows disrupt infall on small scales.

Early protostellar migration is a key evolutionary indicator.

Abstract

Observations of the dust and gas around embedded stellar clusters reveal some of the processes involved in their formation and evolution. Large scale mass infall with rates dM/dt=4e-4 solar masses/year is found to be disrupted on small scales by protostellar outflows. Observations of the size and velocity dispersion of clusters suggest that protostellar migration from their birthplace begins at very early times and is a potentially useful evolutionary indicator.