Journal article
Centrally concentrated star formation in young clusters
Astronomy and astrophysics (Berlin), v 705, pp 1-16
01 Jan 2026
Abstract
The study of star cluster evolution necessitates modeling how their density profiles develop from their natal gas distribution. Observational evidence indicates that many star clusters follow a Plummer-like density profile. However, most studies have focused on the phase after gas ejection, neglecting the influence of gas on early dynamical evolution. We investigate the development of star clusters forming within gas clouds, particularly those with a centrally concentrated gas profile. Simulations were conducted using the Torch framework, integrating the FLASH magnetohydrodynamics code into AMUSE. This permitted detailed modeling of star formation, stellar evolution, stellar dynamics, radiative transfer, and gas magnetohydrodynamics. We study the collapse of centrally concentrated, turbulent spheres with a total mass of 2.5 x 10(3) M-circle dot, investigating the effects of varying numerical resolution and star formation scenarios. The free-fall time is shorter at the center than at the edges of the cloud, with a minimum value of 0.55 Myr. The key conclusions from this study are: (1) the final stellar density profile is more centrally concentrated than was analytically predicted, reflecting the role of global gas collapse and feedback; (2) subclusters can initially form even in centrally concentrated gas clouds; (3) gas collapses globally toward the center on the central free-fall timescale, contradicting the assumption in analytical models of local fragmentation and star formation; and (4) the mass of the most massive star formed is directly correlated with the cluster effective radius and inversely correlated with the velocity dispersion, while the duration of star formation correlates with the star formation efficiency.
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Details
- Title
- Centrally concentrated star formation in young clusters
- Creators
- Adilkhan Assilkhan - American Museum of Natural HistoryMordecai-Mark Mac Low - Columbia UniversityBrooke Polak - American Museum of Natural HistoryErnazar Abdikamalov - Nazarbayev UniversityClaude Cournoyer-Cloutier - Max Planck Institute for AstrophysicsSean C. Lewis - Drexel UniversityMukhagali Kalambay - Al-Farabi Kazakh National UniversityAigerim Otebay - Fesenkov Astrophysical InstituteBekdaulet Shukirgaliyev (Corresponding Author) - Aktobe Regional State University named after K.Zhubanov
- Publication Details
- Astronomy and astrophysics (Berlin), v 705, pp 1-16
- Publisher
- Edp Sciences
- Number of pages
- 16
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Physics
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001655657600021
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-105027516406
- Other Identifier
- 991022196575204721