Dissertation defense
Student: Giulia Eduarda Anacleto Silva
Program: Astronomy
Title: "Characterization of the open cluster NGC2645: near-infrared mapping"
Advisor: Profa. Dra. Jane Cristina Gregorio Hetem
Judging Committee
- Profa. Dra. Jane Cristina Gregorio Hetem – IAG (Presidente e Orientadora)
- Prof. Dr. Jacques Raymond Daniel Lepine – IAG
- Dra. Thais dos Santos Silva - Pós-Doc - IAG
- Dr. Wilton da Silva Dias – UNIFEI
Abstract
We will conduct a photometric study based on data obtained around 2$\mu$m of a young star cluster ($<$ 50 Myr) to assess both the circumstellar characteristics of the members and the conditions of the interstellar medium they are associated with. Using complementary data from the Gaia-DR3 catalog, we will evaluate the membership relevance and the kinematic and evolutionary conditions of the stars. The physical conditions related to the formation and evolution of star clusters depend on the distribution of dense gas in their original cloud, which can be assessed through the structures in their spatial distribution. Previous work by our group revealed some interesting features in the environment surrounding several young star clusters. The study of the fractal statistics of these objects showed a distribution of stars in filamentary substructures (rather than geometries with a radial density profile). By comparison with theoretical models, it was possible to estimate that these substructures are related to the initial conditions of cluster formation, which were likely in a non-virial equilibrium (supervirial conditions). The answers to questions raised in previous works depend on a comparison between the gas distribution in a sample of objects with different fractal characteristics. Therefore, we conducted infrared imaging with Spartan at the SOAR telescope towards several clusters to investigate the occurrence of $H_2$ emission associated with the presence of condensations.
Keywords: NGC2645, Star formation, Open cluster and associations, Infrared