Searching for peculiar features in the gas around young stellar clusters

• Grant number: 19/25062-5
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Effective date (Start): March 01, 2020
• Effective date (End): July 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Astronomy - Astrophysics of the Interstellar Medium
• Principal Investigator: Jane Cristina Gregorio-Hetem
• Grantee: Thaina Aragao Sabino
• Home Institution: Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas (IAG). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 14/18100-4 - Stellar populations in the Milky Way: bulge, halo, disk and star forming regions; instrumentation for high resolution spectroscopy, AP.TEM

Abstract

The objective of this project is to study the physical conditions of the gas around young stellar clusters inside the Galaxy, particularly exploring condensing regions properties and the effects of ionization sources (by the presence of massive stars). Previous works of our group has revealed some conspicuous features in the site around many young stellar clusters. The study of fractal statistics of these objects showed a star distribution in filamentary sub-structures (instead of density radial profile geometries). By comparing with theoretical models it was possible to estimate that the sub-structures are correlated to the initial conditions of clusters formation that possibly were outside of virial equilibrium (supervirial conditions). The answers for the questions raised in the previous works depends on comparisons between neutral and ionized gas distributions into an objects sample showing different fractal features. Thus it was performed infrared and optical imaging with SOAR telescope towards some stellar clusters. The images made with Spartan will make possible to research condensations associated to the H2 emission, in which those can be opposed to the resultant images of H2, [SII] and [NII] observed with Soar Adaptive Optics Module (SAM), making it possible to evaluate the ionization level and excitation conditions from electronic shocks in these regions. With the present project we intend to study the NGC3572 and NGC3590 clusters in order to establish the work methodology, which may be applied in a nearby future to make the analysis of others clusters observed by our group with Spartan and SAM cameras. (AU)