arXiv subjects

Zeqiu Yu

Publications and source records attributed to Zeqiu Yu.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2022

3D Morphology of Open Clusters in the Solar Neighborhood with Gaia EDR3 II: Hierarchical Star Formation Revealed by Spatial and Kinematic Substructures

We identify members of 65 open clusters in the solar neighborhood using the machine-learning algorithm StarGO based on Gaia EDR3 data. After adding members of twenty clusters from previous studies (Pang et al. 2021a,b; Li et al. 2021) we obtain 85 clusters, and study their morphology and kinematics. We classify the substructures outside the tidal radius into four categories: filamentary (f1) and fractal (f2) for clusters $<100$ Myr, and halo (h) and tidal-tail (t) for clusters $>100$ Myr. The kinematical substructures of f1-type clusters are elongated; these resemble the disrupted cluster Group X. Kinematic tails are distinct in t-type clusters, especially Pleiades. We identify 29 hierarchical groups in four young regions (Alessi 20, IC 348, LP 2373, LP 2442); ten among these are new. The hierarchical groups form filament networks. Two regions (Alessi 20, LP 2373) exhibit global "orthogonal" expansion (stellar motion perpendicular to the filament), which might cause complete dispersal. Infalling-like flows (stellar motion along the filament) are found in UBC 31 and related hierarchical groups in the IC 348 region. Stellar groups in the LP 2442 region (LP 2442 gp 1-5) are spatially well-mixed but kinematically coherent. A merging process might be ongoing in the LP 2442 subgroups. For younger systems ($\lesssim30$ Myr), the mean axis ratio, cluster mass and half-mass radius tend to increase with age values. These correlations between structural parameters may imply two dynamical processes occurring in the hierarchical formation scenario in young stellar groups: (1) filament dissolution and (2) sub-group mergers.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

Disruption of Hierarchical Clustering in the Vela OB2 Complex and the Cluster Pair Collinder 135 and UBC7 with Gaia EDR3: Evidence of Supernova Quenching

We identify hierarchical structures in the Vela OB2 complex and the cluster pair Collinder 135 and UBC 7 with Gaia EDR3 using the neural network machine learning algorithm StarGO. Five second-level substructures are disentangled in Vela OB2, which are referred to as Huluwa 1 (Gamma Velorum), Huluwa 2, Huluwa 3, Huluwa 4 and Huluwa 5. For the first time, Collinder 135 and UBC 7 are simultaneously identified as constituent clusters of the pair with minimal manual intervention. We propose an alternative scenario in which Huluwa 1-5 have originated from sequential star formation. The older clusters Huluwa 1-3 with an age of 10-22 Myr, generated stellar feedback to cause turbulence that fostered the formation of the younger-generation Huluwa 4-5 (7-20 Myr). A supernova explosion located inside the Vela IRAS shell quenched star formation in Huluwa 4-5 and rapidly expelled the remaining gas from the clusters. This resulted in global mass stratification across the shell, which is confirmed by the regression discontinuity method. The stellar mass in the lower rim of the shell is $0.32\pm0.14$ $\rm M_\odot$ higher than in the upper rim. Local, cluster-scale mass segregation is observed in the lowest-mass cluster Huluwa 5. Huluwa 1-5 (in Vela OB2) are experiencing significant expansion, while the cluster pair suffers from moderate expansion. The velocity dispersions suggest that all five groups (including Huluwa 1A and Huluwa 1B) in Vela OB2 and the cluster pair are supervirial and are undergoing disruption, and also that Huluwa 1A and Huluwa 1B may be a coeval young cluster pair. N-body simulations predict that Huluwa 1-5 in Vela OB2 and the cluster pair will continue to expand in the future 100 Myr and eventually dissolve.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

3D Morphology of Open Clusters in the Solar Neighborhood with Gaia EDR3: its Relation to Cluster Dynamics

We analyze the 3D morphology and kinematics of 13 open clusters (OCs) located within 500 pc of the Sun, using Gaia EDR3 and kinematic data from literature. Members of OCs are identified using the unsupervised machine learning method StarGO, using 5D parameters (X, Y, Z, $\mu_\alpha \cos\delta, \mu_\delta$). The OC sample covers an age range of 25Myr--2.65Gyr. We correct the asymmetric distance distribution due to the parallax error using Bayesian inversion. The uncertainty in the corrected distance for a cluster at 500~pc is 3.0--6.3~pc, depending on the intrinsic spatial distribution of its members. We determine the 3D morphology of the OCs in our sample and fit the spatial distribution of stars within the tidal radius in each cluster with an ellipsoid model. The shapes of the OCs are well-described with oblate spheroids (NGC2547, NGC2516, NGC2451A, NGC2451B, NGC2232), prolate spheroids (IC2602, IC4665, NGC2422, Blanco1, Coma Berenices), or triaxial ellipsoids (IC2391, NGC6633, NGC6774). The semi-major axis of the fitted ellipsoid is parallel to the Galactic plane for most clusters. Elongated filament-like substructures are detected in three young clusters (NGC2232, NGC2547, NGC2451B), while tidal-tail-like substructures (tidal tails) are found in older clusters (NGC2516, NGC6633, NGC6774, Blanco1, Coma Berenices). Most clusters may be super-virial and expanding. $N$-body models of rapid gas expulsion with an SFE of $\approx 1/3$ are consistent with clusters more massive than $250\rm M_\odot$, while clusters less massive than 250$\rm M_\odot$ tend to agree with adiabatic gas expulsion models. Only six OCs (NGC2422, NGC6633, and NGC6774, NGC2232, Blanco1, Coma Berenices) show clear signs of mass segregation.

astro-ph.GA↗