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Context. Two competing models describe the formation of massive stars in objects like the Orion Trapezium. In the turbulent core accretion model, the resulting stellar masses are directly related to the mass distribution of the cloud condensations. In the competitive accretion model, the gravitational potential of the protocluster captures gas from the surrounding cloud for which the individual cluster members compete. Aims. With high resolution submillimeter observations of the structure, kinematics, and chemistry of the proto-Trapezium cluster W3 IRS5, we aim to determine which mode of star formation dominates. Methods. We present 354 GHz Submillimeter Array observations at resolutions of 1''-3'' (1800-5400 AU) of W3 IRS5. The dust continuum traces the compact source structure and masses of the individual cores, while molecular lines of CS, SO, SO2, HCN, H2CS, HNCO, and CH3OH (and isotopologues) reveal the gas kinematics, density, and temperature. Results. The observations show five emission peaks (SMM1-5). SMM1 and SMM2 contain massive embedded stars (~20 M☉); SMM3-5 are starless or contain low-mass stars (<8 M☉). The inferred densities are high, ⩾107 cm-3, but the core masses are small, 0:2-0:6 M☉. The detected molecular emission reveals four di erent chemical zones. Abundant (X ~ few 10-7 to 10-6) SO and SO2 are associated with SMM1 and SMM2, indicating active sulfur chemistry. A low abundance (5 × 10-8) of CH3OH concentrated on SMM3/4 suggest the presence of a hot core that is only just turning on, possibly by external feedback from SMM1/2. The gas kinematics are complex with contributions from a near pole-on outflow traced by CS, SO, and HCN; rotation in SO2, and a jet in vibrationally excited HCN. Conclusions. The proto-Trapezium cluster W3 IRS5 is an ideal test case to discriminate between models of massive star formation. Either the massive stars accrete locally from their local cores; in this case the small core masses imply that W3 IRS5 is at the very end stages (1000 yr) of infall and accretion, or the stars are accreting from the global collapse of a massive, cluster forming core. We find that the observed masses, densities and line widths observed toward W3 IRS 5 and the surrounding cluster forming core are consistent with the competitive accretion of gas at rates of M ~10-4 M☉ yr-1 by the massive young forming stars. Future mapping of the gas kinematics from large to small scales will determine whether large-scale gas inflow occurs and how the cluster members compete to accrete this material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report Spitzer observations of five newly identified bow shocks in the massive star-forming region RCW 38. Four are visible at Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) wavelengths, the fifth is only visible at 24 µm. Chandra X-ray emission indicates that winds from the central O5.5 binary, IRS 2, have caused an outflow to the northeast and southwest of the central subcluster. The southern lobe of hot ionized gas is detected in X-rays; shocked gas and heated dust from the shock front are detected with Spitzer at 4.5 and 24 µm. The northern outflow may have initiated the present generation of star formation, based on the filamentary distribution of the protostars in the central subcluster. Further, the bow-shock driving star, YSO 129, is photo-evaporating a pillar of gas and dust. No point sources are identified within this pillar at near- to mid-IR wavelengths. We also report on IRAC 3.6 and 5.8 µm observations of the cluster DBS2003-124, northeast of RCW 38, where 33 candidate young stellar objects (YSOs) are identified. One star associated with the cluster drives a parsec-scale jet. Two Herbig-Haro objects associated with the jet are visible at IRAC and Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS) wavelengths. The jet extends over a distance of ~3 pc. Assuming a velocity of 100 km s-1 for the jet material gives an age of 3 x 104 yr, indicating that the star (and cluster) are likely to be very young, with a similar or possibly younger age than RCW 38, and that star formation is ongoing in the extended RCW 38 region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present Spitzer 3.6, 4.5, 5.8, 8.0, and 24 μm images of the Mon OB1 East giant molecular cloud, which contains the young star forming region NGC 2264, as well as more extended star formation. With Spitzer data and Two Micron All Sky Survey photometry, we identify and classify young stellar objects (YSOs) with dusty circumstellar disks and/or envelopes in Mon OB1 East by their infrared-excess emission and study their distribution with respect to cloud material. We find a correlation between the local surface density of YSOs and column density of molecular gas as traced by dust extinction that is roughly described as a power law in these quantities. NGC 2264 follows a power-law index of ∼2.7, exhibiting a large YSO surface density for a given gas column density. Outside of NGC 2264 where the surface density of YSOs is lower, the power law is shallower and the region exhibits a larger gas column density for a YSO surface density, suggesting the star formation is more recent. In order to measure the fraction of cloud members with circumstellar disks/envelopes, we estimate the number of diskless pre-main-sequence stars by statistical removal of background star detections. We find that the disk fraction of the NGC 2264 region is 45%, while the surrounding, more distributed regions show a disk fraction of 19%. This may be explained by the presence of an older, more dispersed population of stars. In total, the Spitzer observations provide evidence for heterogenous, non-coeval star formation throughout the Mon OB1 cloud. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stars in the very early stages of their formation are characterized by strong infrared excess and X-ray emission. We present the results of the survey of Orion A in both the infrared and X-rays obtained with the Spitzer and XMM/Newton observatories. We study the spectral-energy distribution class of the young stellar object (YSO) population using infrared colors from 2mass and Spitzer (IRAC and MIPS) and by means of X-ray fluxes, luminosities and plasma temperatures. We discuss clustering properties and spatial segregation among different infrared YSO classes to trace their formation history. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]