SPYGLASS. VI. Feedback-Driven Star Formation in the Circinus Complex

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Hauptverfasser: Kerr, Ronan, Farias, Juan P., Prato, Lisa, Rector, Travis A., Speagle, Joshua S., Kraus, Adam L.
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2025
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author Kerr, Ronan
Farias, Juan P.
Prato, Lisa
Rector, Travis A.
Speagle, Joshua S.
Kraus, Adam L.
author_facet Kerr, Ronan
Farias, Juan P.
Prato, Lisa
Rector, Travis A.
Speagle, Joshua S.
Kraus, Adam L.
contents Young associations provide a record that traces the star formation process, and the youngest populations connect progenitor gas dynamics to the resulting stellar populations. We therefore conduct the first comprehensive overview of the Circinus Complex, an under-studied and massive ($\sim$1500 M$_{\odot}$) region consisting of approximately 3100 recently formed stars alongside the Circinus Molecular Cloud (CMC). We find a clear age pattern in the contiguous central region (CirCe), where younger stars are found further from the massive central cluster, and where the velocities are consistent with uniform expansion. By comparing this structure to an analogous STARFORGE simulation, we find that the age structure and dynamics of the association are consistent with star formation in two stages: the global collapse of the parent cloud that builds the $500 M_{\odot}$ central cluster ASCC 79, followed by triggered star formation in a shell swept up after the first massive stars form. We also find that filaments with a range of distances from the central cluster can naturally produce multi-generational age sequences due to differences in feedback strength and exposure. Outlying populations show velocities consistent with formation independent from the CirCe region, but with similar enough velocities that they may be difficult to distinguish from one another later in their expansion. We therefore provide a new alternative view of sequential star formation that relies on feedback from a single central cluster rather than the multiple sequential generations that are traditionally invoked, while also providing insight into the star formation history of older populations.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_02002
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle SPYGLASS. VI. Feedback-Driven Star Formation in the Circinus Complex
Kerr, Ronan
Farias, Juan P.
Prato, Lisa
Rector, Travis A.
Speagle, Joshua S.
Kraus, Adam L.
Astrophysics of Galaxies
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
Young associations provide a record that traces the star formation process, and the youngest populations connect progenitor gas dynamics to the resulting stellar populations. We therefore conduct the first comprehensive overview of the Circinus Complex, an under-studied and massive ($\sim$1500 M$_{\odot}$) region consisting of approximately 3100 recently formed stars alongside the Circinus Molecular Cloud (CMC). We find a clear age pattern in the contiguous central region (CirCe), where younger stars are found further from the massive central cluster, and where the velocities are consistent with uniform expansion. By comparing this structure to an analogous STARFORGE simulation, we find that the age structure and dynamics of the association are consistent with star formation in two stages: the global collapse of the parent cloud that builds the $500 M_{\odot}$ central cluster ASCC 79, followed by triggered star formation in a shell swept up after the first massive stars form. We also find that filaments with a range of distances from the central cluster can naturally produce multi-generational age sequences due to differences in feedback strength and exposure. Outlying populations show velocities consistent with formation independent from the CirCe region, but with similar enough velocities that they may be difficult to distinguish from one another later in their expansion. We therefore provide a new alternative view of sequential star formation that relies on feedback from a single central cluster rather than the multiple sequential generations that are traditionally invoked, while also providing insight into the star formation history of older populations.
title SPYGLASS. VI. Feedback-Driven Star Formation in the Circinus Complex
topic Astrophysics of Galaxies
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.02002