Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
Jun 1985
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1985apj...293..207s&link_type=abstract
Astrophysical Journal, Part 1 (ISSN 0004-637X), vol. 293, June 1, 1985, p. 207-215.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
50
Main Sequence Stars, Star Clusters, Star Formation, Color-Magnitude Diagram, Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram, Open Clusters, Pre-Main Sequence Stars, Star Formation Rate, Stellar Mass
Scientific paper
The popular idea that star formation has proceeded sequentially from lowest to highest mass members in open clusters is examined critically. For extremely young clusters, such as NGC 2264 and NGC 6530, this sequential hypothesis is a consequence of the assignment of pre-main-sequence contraction ages to all member stars. However, such ages yield a formation history which is implausible from a physical point of view, since the critical time for the onset of formation at any stellar mass is equal to the pre-main-sequence contraction time for that mass. Moreover, these ages are in conflict with the strong observational evidence that a substantial fraction of cluster members have already reached the main sequence. After reconsideration of the probable main-sequence members, the stellar ages in NGC 2264 and NGC 6530 are consistent with a variety of formation histories, and, in particular, with the view that all stellar masses form in approximately the same interval of time within a given cluster, i.e., that there is no mass-age correlation. A notion closely related to the sequential hypothesis, that the total star-formation rate increases exponentially with time, is subject to the same criticism.
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