Abstract
We investigate the evolutionary effect of dynamical mass segregation in young stellar clusters. Dynamical mass segregation acts on a time-scale of order the relaxation time of a cluster. Although some degree of mass segregation occurs earlier, the position bf massive stars in rich young clusters generally reflects the cluster's initial conditions. In particular, the positions of the massive stars in the Trapezium cluster in Orion cannot be due to dynamical mass segregation, but indicate that they formed in, or near, the centre of the cluster. Implications of this for cluster formation and for the formation of high-mass stars are discussed.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 691-698 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society |
| Volume | 295 |
| Publication status | Published - 11 Apr 1998 |
Keywords
- stars, formation
- stars, luminosity function, mass function
- open clusters and associations, general
- open clusters and associations, individual
- Trapezium
- DYNAMICAL EVOLUTION
- MOLECULAR CLOUD
- FRAGMENTATION
- SYSTEMS
- STARS
- COLLAPSE
- BINARY