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Rapid mass segregation in young star clusters without substructure?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 August 2011

C. Olczak
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Heidelberg, Germany email: [email protected] National Astronomical Observatories of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China The Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at Peking University, Beijing, China
R. Spurzem
Affiliation:
National Astronomical Observatories of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China The Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at Peking University, Beijing, China Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
Th. Henning
Affiliation:
Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie, Heidelberg, Germany email: [email protected]
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Abstract

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The young star clusters we observe today are the building blocks of a new generation of stars and planets in our Galaxy and beyond. Despite their fundamental role we still lack knowledge about the initial conditions under which star clusters form and the impact of these often harsh environments on the formation and evolution of their stellar and substellar members.

We present recent results showing that mass segregation in realistic models of young star clusters occurs very quickly for subvirial spherical systems without substructure. This finding is a critical step to resolve the controversial debate on mass segregation in young star clusters and provides strong constraints on their initial conditions. The rapid concentration of massive stars is usually associated with strong gravitational interactions early on during cluster evolution and the subsequent formation of multiple systems and ejection of stars.

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2011

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