The formation of young massive clusters by colliding flows

ABSTRACT Young massive clusters (YMCs) are the most intense regions of star formation in galaxies. Formulating a model for YMC formation while at the same time meeting the constraints from observations is, however, highly challenging. We show that forming YMCs requires clouds with densities ≳ 100 cm...

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Veröffentlicht in:Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Letters 2020-07, Vol.496 (1), p.L1-L5
Hauptverfasser: Dobbs, C L, Liow, K Y, Rieder, S
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:ABSTRACT Young massive clusters (YMCs) are the most intense regions of star formation in galaxies. Formulating a model for YMC formation while at the same time meeting the constraints from observations is, however, highly challenging. We show that forming YMCs requires clouds with densities ≳ 100 cm−3 to collide with high velocities (≳ 20 km s−1). We present the first simulations which, starting from moderate cloud densities of ∼100 cm−3, are able to convert a large amount of mass into stars over a time period of around 1 Myr, to produce dense massive clusters similar to those observed. Such conditions are commonplace in more extreme environments, where YMCs are common, but atypical for our Galaxy, where YMCs are rare.
ISSN:1745-3925
1745-3933
DOI:10.1093/mnrasl/slaa072