THE W40 REGION IN THE GOULD BELT: AN EMBEDDED CLUSTER AND H II REGION AT THE JUNCTION OF FILAMENTS

We present a multiwavelength study of the W40 star-forming region using infrared (IR) observations in the UKIRT JHK bands, Spitzer Infrared Array Camera bands, and Herschel PACS bands, 2.12 mu m H sub(2) narrowband imaging, and radio continuum observations from GMRT (610 and 1280 MHz), in a field of view (FoV) of ~34' x 40'. Archival Spitzer observations in conjunction with near-IR observations are used to identify 1162 Class II/III and 40 Class I sources in the FoV. The nearest-neighbor stellar surface density analysis shows that the majority of these young stellar objects (YSOs) constitute the embedded cluster centered on the high-mass source IRS 1A South. Radio continuum analysis shows that this region has a blister morphology, with the radio peak coinciding with a protostellar source.