HERSCHELOBSERVATIONS OF THE W3 GMC: CLUES TO THE FORMATION OF CLUSTERS OF HIGH-MASS STARS
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abstract
The W3 GMC is a prime target for the study of the early stages of high-mass
star formation. We have used Herschel data from the HOBYS key program to
produce and analyze column density and temperature maps. Two preliminary
catalogs were produced by extracting sources from the column density map and
from Herschel maps convolved to the 500 micron resolution. Herschel reveals
that among the compact sources (FWHM<0.45 pc), W3 East, W3 West, and W3 (OH)
are the most massive and luminous and have the highest column density.
Considering the unique properties of W3 East and W3 West, the only clumps with
on-going high-mass star formation, we suggest a 'convergent constructive
feedback' scenario to account for the formation of a cluster with decreasing
age and increasing system/source mass toward the innermost regions. This
process, which relies on feedback by high-mass stars to ensure the availability
of material during cluster formation, could also lead to the creation of an
environment suitable for the formation of Trapezium-like systems. In common
with other scenarios proposed in other HOBYS studies, our results indicate that
an active/dynamic process aiding in the accumulation, compression, and
confinement of material is a critical feature of the high-mass star/cluster
formation, distinguishing it from classical low-mass star formation. The
environmental conditions and availability of triggers determine the form in
which this process occurs, implying that high-mass star/cluster formation could
arise from a range of scenarios: from large scale convergence of turbulent
flows, to convergent constructive feedback or mergers of filaments.
