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Low mass pre-main sequence stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud
As a part of an ongoing effort to characterise the young stellarpopulations in the Large Magellanic Cloud, we present HST-WFPC2 broadand narrow band imaging of two fields with recent star formationactivity in the Tarantula region. A population of objects with Hαand/or Balmer continuum excess was identified. On account of the intenseHα emission (equivalent widths up to several tens of Å), itscorrelation with the Balmer continuum excess and the stars' location onthe HR diagram, we interpret them as low mass ( 1{-}2Mȯ) Pre-Main Sequence stars. In this framework, the datashow that coeval high and low mass stars have significantly differentspatial distributions, implying that star formation processes fordifferent ranges of stellar masses are rather different and/or requiredifferent initial conditions. We find that the overall slope of the massfunction of the young population is somewhat steeper than the classicalSalpeter value and that the star formation density of this youngcomponent is 0.2{-}0.4 Mȯ yr-1kpc-2, i.e. intermediate between the value for an activespiral disk and that of a starburst region. The uncertainties associatedwith the determination of the slope of the mass function and the starformation density are thoroughly discussed.
| OB stellar associations in the Large Magellanic Cloud: Survey of young stellar systems
The method developed by Gouliermis et al. (\cite{Gouliermis00}, PaperI), for the detection and classification of stellar systems in the LMC,was used for the identification of stellar associations and openclusters in the central area of the LMC. This method was applied on thestellar catalog produced from a scanned 1.2 m UK Schmidt Telescope Platein U with a field of view almost 6\fdg5 x 6\fdg5, centered on the Bar ofthis galaxy. The survey of the identified systems is presented herefollowed by the results of the investigation on their spatialdistribution and their structural parameters, as were estimatedaccording to our proposed methodology in Paper I. The detected openclusters and stellar associations show to form large filamentarystructures, which are often connected with the loci of HI shells. Thederived mean size of the stellar associations in this survey was foundto agree with the average size found previously by other authors, forstellar associations in different galaxies. This common size of about 80pc might represent a universal scale for the star formation process,whereas the parameter correlations of the detected loose systems supportthe distinction between open clusters and stellar associations.
| A statistical study of binary and multiple clusters in the LMC
Based on the Bica et al. (\cite{bica}) catalogue, we studied the starcluster system of the LMC and provide a new catalogue of all binary andmultiple cluster candidates found. As a selection criterion we used amaximum separation of 1farcm4 corresponding to 20 pc (assuming adistance modulus of 18.5 mag). We performed Monte Carlo simulations andproduced artificial cluster distributions that we compared with the realone in order to check how many of the found cluster pairs and groups canbe expected statistically due to chance superposition on the plane ofthe sky. We found that, depending on the cluster density, between 56%(bar region) and 12% (outer LMC) of the detected pairs can be explainedstatistically. We studied in detail the properties of the multiplecluster candidates. The binary cluster candidates seem to show atendency to form with components of similar size. When possible, westudied the age structure of the cluster groups and found that themultiple clusters are predominantly young with only a few cluster groupsolder than 300 Myr. The spatial distribution of the cluster pairs andgroups coincides with the distribution of clusters in general; however,old groups or groups with large internal age differences are mainlylocated in the densely populated bar region. Thus, they can easily beexplained as chance superpositions. Our findings show that a formationscenario through tidal capture is not only unlikely due to the lowprobability of close encounters of star clusters, and thus the evenlower probability of tidal capture, but the few groups with largeinternal age differences can easily be explained with projectioneffects. We favour a formation scenario as suggested by Fujimoto &Kumai (\cite{fk}) in which the components of a binary cluster formedtogether and thus should be coeval or have small age differencescompatible with cluster formation time scales. Table 6 is only availablein electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr(130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/391/547
| Ultraviolet Imaging Polarimetry of the Large Magellanic Cloud. II. Models
Motivated by new sounding-rocket wide-field polarimetric images of theLarge Magellanic Cloud (reported simultaneously by Cole et al.), we haveused a three-dimensional Monte Carlo radiation transfer code toinvestigate the escape of near-ultraviolet photons from young stellarassociations embedded within a disk of dusty material (i.e., a galaxy).As photons propagate through the disk, they may be scattered or absorbedby dust. Scattered photons are polarized and tracked until they escapethe dust layer, allowing them to be observed; absorbed photons heat thedust, which radiates isotropically in the far-infrared where the galaxyis optically thin. The code produces four output images: near-UV andfar-IR flux, and near-UV images in the linear Stokes parameters Q and U.From these images we construct simulated UV polarization maps of theLMC. We use these maps to place constraints on the star+dust geometry ofthe LMC and the optical properties of its dust grains. By tuning themodel input parameters to produce maps that match the observedpolarization maps, we derive information about the inclination of theLMC disk to the plane of the sky and about the scattering phase functiong. We compute a grid of models with i=28 deg, 36 deg, and 45 deg, andg=0.64, 0.70, 0.77, 0.83, and 0.90. The model that best reproduces theobserved polarization maps has i=36 deg+2-5 andg~0.7. Because of the low signal-to-noise in the data, we cannot placefirm constraints on the value of g. The highly inclined models do notmatch the observed centrosymmetric polarization patterns around brightOB associations or the distribution of polarization values. Our modelsapproximately reproduce the observed ultraviolet photopolarimetry of thewestern side of the LMC; however, the output images depend on many inputparameters and are nonunique. We discuss some of the limitations of themodels and outline future steps to be taken; our models make somepredictions regarding the polarization properties of diffuse lightacross the rest of the LMC.
| A Revised and Extended Catalog of Magellanic System Clusters, Associations, and Emission Nebulae. II. The Large Magellanic Cloud
A survey of extended objects in the Large Magellanic Cloud was carriedout on the ESO/SERC R and J Sky Survey Atlases, checking entries inprevious catalogs and searching for new objects. The census provided6659 objects including star clusters, emission-free associations, andobjects related to emission nebulae. Each of these classes containsthree subclasses with intermediate properties, which are used to infertotal populations. The survey includes cross identifications amongcatalogs, and we present 3246 new objects. We provide accuratepositions, classification, and homogeneous measurements of sizes andposition angles, as well as information on cluster pairs andhierarchical relation for superimposed objects. This unification andenlargement of catalogs is important for future searches of fainter andsmaller new objects. We discuss the angular and size distributions ofthe objects of the different classes. The angular distributions show twooff-centered systems with different inclinations, suggesting that theLMC disk is warped. The present catalog together with its previouscounterpart for the SMC and the inter-Cloud region provide a totalpopulation of 7847 extended objects in the Magellanic System. Theangular distribution of the ensemble reveals important clues on theinteraction between the LMC and SMC.
| Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope Observations of the Magellanic Clouds
We present wide-field far-ultraviolet (FUV; 1300-1800 Å) images ofthe Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC, SMC). These data wereobtained by the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT) during the Astro-1(1990 December 1-10) and Astro-2 (1995 March 2-18) missions; the imagesprovide an extensive FUV mosaic of the SMC and contain numerous regionsin the LMC, covering a wide range of stellar densities and current starformation activity. A total of 47 LMC/Lucke-Hodge and 37 SMC/Hodge OBassociations are completely or partially included in the observedfields. FUV data can identify the hottest OB stars more easily than canoptical photometry, and these stars dominate the ionizing flux, which iscorrelated to the observed Hα flux of the associated H ii regions.Of the H ii regions in the catalog of Davies, Elliott, & Meaburn(DEM), the UIT fields completely or partially include 102 DEM regions inthe LMC and 74 DEM regions in the SMC. We present a catalog of FUVmagnitudes derived from point-spread function photometry for 37,333stars in the LMC (the UIT FUV magnitudes for 11,306 stars in the SMCwere presented recently by Cornett et al.), with a completeness limit ofm_UV ~ 15 mag and a detection limit of m_UV ~ 17.5. The averageuncertainty in the photometry is ~0.1 mag. The full catalog withastrometric positions, photometry, and other information is alsoavailable from publicly accessible astronomical data archives. We dividethe catalog into field stars and stars that are in DEM regions. Weanalyze each of these two sets of stars independently, comparing thecomposite UV luminosity function of our data with UV magnitudes derivedfrom stellar evolution and atmosphere models in order to derive theunderlying stellar formation parameters. We find a most probable initialmass function (IMF) slope for the LMC field stars of Gamma = -1.80 +/-0.09. The statistical significance of this single slope for the LMCfield stars is extremely high, though we also find some evidence for afield star IMF slope of Gamma ~ -1.4, roughly equal to the Salpeterslope. However, in the case of the stars in the DEM regions (the starsin all the regions were analyzed together as a single group), we findthree IMF slopes of roughly equal likelihood: Gamma = -1.0, -1.6, and-2.0. No typical age for the field stars is found in our data for timeperiods up to a continuous star formation age of 500 Myr, which is themaximum age consistent with the completeness limit magnitude of thecatalog's luminosity function. The best age for the collection ofcluster stars was found to be t_0 = 3.4 +/- 1.9 Myr; this is consistentwith the age expected for a collection of OB stars from many differentclusters.
| Two serendipitous low-mass LMC clusters discovered with HST1
We present V and I photometry of two open clusters in the LMC down toV~26. The clusters were imaged with the Wide Field and Planetary Camera2 (WFPC2) on board the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), as part of theMedium Deep Survey Key Project. Both are low-luminosity (M_V~-3.5),low-mass (M~10^3 Msolar) systems. The chance discovery of these twoclusters in two parallel WFPC2 fields suggests a significantincompleteness in the LMC cluster census near the bar. One of theclusters is roughly elliptical and compact, with a steep light profile,a central surface brightness mu_V(0)~20.2 mag arcsec^-2, a half-lightradius r_hl~0.9 pc (total visual major diameter D~3 pc) and an estimatedmass M~1500 Msolar. From the colour-magnitude diagram and isochrone fitswe estimate its age as tau~(2-5)x10^8 yr. Its mass function has a fittedslope of Gamma=Deltalogphi(M)/DeltalogM=-1.8+/-0.7 in the range probed(0.9<~M/Msolar<~4.5). The other cluster is more irregular andsparse, having shallower density and surface brightness profiles. Weobtain Gamma=-1.2+/-0.4, and estimate its mass as M~400 Msolar. Aderived upper limit for its age is tau<~5x10^8 yr. Both clusters havemass functions with slopes similar to that of R136, a massive LMCcluster, for which HST results indicate Gamma~-1.2. They also seem to berelaxed in their cores and well contained in their tidal radii.
| HST observations of the field star population in the Large Magellanic Cloud
We present V and I photometry, obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope,for ~15 800 stars in a field in the inner disc of the Large MagellanicCloud. We confirm previous results indicating that an intense starformation event, probably corresponding to the formation of the LMCdisc, occurred a few times 10^9 yr ago. We find a small but realdifference between our field and one further out in the disc observed byGallagher et al.: either star formation in the inner disc commencedslightly earlier, or the stars are slightly more metal-rich. We alsofind evidence for a later burst, around 1 Gyr ago, which may correspondto the formation of the LMC bar. About 5 per cent of the stars in ourfield are substantially older than either burst, and are probablymembers of an old disc or halo population with age ~12 Gyr.
| Integrated UBV Photometry of 624 Star Clusters and Associations in the Large Magellanic Cloud
We present a catalog of integrated UBV photometry of 504 star clustersand 120 stellar associations in the LMC, part of them still embedded inemitting gas. We study age groups in terms of equivalent SWB typesderived from the (U-B) X (B-V) diagram. The size of the spatialdistributions increases steadily with age (SWB types), whereas adifference of axial ratio exists between the groups younger than 30 Myrand those older, which implies a nearly face-on orientation for theformer and a tilt of ~45^deg^ for the latter groups. Asymmetries arepresent in the spatial distributions, which, together with thenoncoincidence of the centroids for different age groups, suggest thatthe LMC disk was severely perturbed in the past.
| The initial mass function for massive stars in the Magellanic Clouds. 2: Interstellar reddening toward 14 OB associations
We have used UBV CCD photometry to determine the interstellar reddeningtoward 14 OB associations in the Magellanic Clouds. The tworeddening-free indices available in the UBV system were used to obtainthe reddening estimates. The mean color excesses of the associationsrange from E(B-V) = 0.01-0.26 mag in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC)and from E(B-V) = 0.06-0.25 mag in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). Wehave modeled the observed scatter in the color excesses of individualstars within the associations and find that statisically significantdifferential reddening exists in at least some of the associations.
| The initial mass function for massive stars in the Magellanic Clouds. 1: UBV photometry and color-magnitude diagrams for 14 OB associations
UBV charge coupled device (CCD) photometry has been obtained for 14 OBassociations in the Magellanic Clouds using the University of Toronto's0.6 m telescope and the Carnegie Institution of Washington's 1.0 mreflector, both on Las Campanas, Chile. The data are presented and usedto construct color-magnitude diagrams for the purposes of investigatingthe massive-star content of the associations.
| Propagation of star formation south of 30 DOR ?
Not Available
| X-rays from superbubbles in the Large Magellanic Cloud
Diffuse X-ray emission not associated with known supernova remnants(SNRs) are found in seven Large Magellanic Cloud H II complexesencompassing 10 OB associations: N44, N51D, N57A, N70, N154, N157 (30Dor), and N158. Their X-ray luminosities range from 7 x 10 to the 34thergs/s in N57A to 7 x 10 to the 36th ergs/s in 30 Dor. All, except 30Dor, have simple ring morphologies, indicating shell structures.Modeling these as superbubbles, it is found that the X-ray luminositiesexpected from their hot interiors fall an order of magnitude below theobserved values. SNRs close to the center of a superbubble add verylittle emission, but it is calculated that off-center SNRs hitting theionized shell could explain the observed emission.
| Integrated UV magnitudes of the Large Magellanic Cloud associations
UV photographs (2600 A, 350 A passband) of the LMC have been obtained bythe S183 experiment during a Skylab mission. The background is estimatedand a method for deriving the integrated fluxes is presented. Theintegrated magnitudes of about 50 associations and isocontours of theirintensities are given, along with the B and V integrated magnitudes of13 associations.
| Vacuum ultraviolet images of the Large Magellanic Cloud
Linearized, absolutely calibrated VUV images of the LMC with aresolution of about 50 arcsec are presented. The images were made by asounding rocket payload in two bandpasses with effective wavelengths forhot stars near 1500 A and 1930 A. The flux in each bandpass is measuredfor the associations in the list of Lucke and Hodge (1970). The resultsare discussed and their relationship to the overall characteristics ofstar formation in the LMC are discussed. A simple model for propagatingstar formation in the LMC is presented whose results closely resemblethe distribution of associations revealed by the VUV images.
| Young stars and bubbles in the Large Megellanic Cloud
The generating mechanisms of bubbles are investigated on a galaxy-widescale for the Large Magellanic Cloud. Several formation processes forring-shaped and filamentary emission regions are considered, andformulas are given for the time dependence of the shell radius takingthe interaction of supernovas and stellar winds into account. Theparameters of associations and H II regions are compiled, reduced to ahomogeneous system, and presented. Correlations between associationparameters and emission region parameters are investigated. It is foundthat stellar content versus emission region diameter, H-alpha fluxversus FUV flux, star surface density versus H-alpha brightness, and FUVflux versus stellar content of blue stars all show correlations withcoefficients greater than 0.4. A diameter-age diagram for bubbleevolution is depicted in which the H II region evolution effect and thestellar wind effect are separated.
| Faint, nebulous filaments, 2000 PC diameter, around the 30 Doradus nebula
A 5h exposure of the Large Magellanic Cloud at H alpha + (N II) has beenprinted at high contrast and through a mask that filters out informationat low spatial frequencies. The consequences are that many filaments ofextremely faint nebulosity over a region, about 2000 pc diameter,surrounding the 30 Doradus nebula are revealed and their relationship tothe brighter central filaments demonstrated. All the nebulous ridges,the enclosed OB associations and H I ridges have been correlated.Spherical, or more probably, cylindrical, neutral and ionized shells areproposed to explain these phenomena.
| A catalogue of stellar associations in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1970AJ.....75..171L
| A Catalogue of Clusters in The LMC
Not Available
| Large Magellanic Cloud.
Not Available
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