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Research Areas

MYStIX, SFiNCs, MOXC & Missing Link projects
Understanding young stars and their environments

MYStIX (Massive Young Star-Forming Complex Study in Infrared and X-ray) is a project to synthesize multi-wavelength photometric data on 20 star forming regions within d<4 kpc to obtain new censuses of cluster stars and images of nebular emission. SFiNCs (Star Formation in Nearby Clouds) extends the sample to 22 smaller star forming regions within d<1kpc, MOXC (Massive Star-forming Regions Omnibus X-ray Catalog) extends the X-ray survey to d<6 kpc, and Missing Link extends the survey to stellar ages 5-20 Myr.  Sophisticated data analysis techniques are developed to find identify young stars via X-ray and astrometric properties, discriminate clusters of stars of different sizes and shapes, estimate stellar ages from X-ray and infrared photometry, map faint diffuse X-ray emission from hot plasma, and identify powerful flare events. The central datasets are from Chandra ACIS, UKIRT UKIDSS, 2MASS, Spitzer IRAC, and Gaia surveys. By combining infrared, X-ray and astrometric selected cluster members, both disk-bearing (Class I and II) and disk-free (Class III) young stars are identified. Altogether, over 60,000 young stars are identified.

The science goals are to improve our understanding of clustered star formation, early cluster dynamics, OB star feedback processes, triggered star formation, star formation histories of molecular clouds, pre-main sequence magnetic activity, survivability of protoplanetary disks, and the origin of the Galactic hot interstellar medium. A new goal is to quantify the effects of stellar flares on young planetary atmospheres.  

This Web site provides to the public papers, electronic sources tables, and selected presentations from the MYStIX,  SFiNCs, MOXC and Missing Link projects.

Members of the MYStIX, SFiNCs & MOXC teams:

MYStIX contact: Eric Feigelson e5f@psu.edu

SFiNCs & Missing Link contact: Kostantin Getman kug1@psu.edu

MOXC contact: Leisa Townsley townsley@astro.psu.edu

NGC 6231 contact: Michael Kuhn mkuhn1@gmail.com

Other members include: Michael Kuhn (Caltech), Matthew Povich (Cal State Pomona), Mathew Bate and Tim Naylor (Exeter), and Alison Sills (McMaster)

Overview of the Massive Young Star-Forming Complex Study in Infrared and X-Ray (MYStIX) Project Astrophys. J. 209:26 (Feigelson, Townsley, Broos, Busk, Getman, King, Kuhn, Naylor, Pobich, Baddeley, Bate, Indebetouw, Luhman, McCaughrean, Pittard, Pudritz, Sills, Song, Wadsley)

The Spatial Structure of Young Stellar Clusters. I. Subclusters Astrophys. J., 787:107 (Kuhn, Getman, Feigelson, Baddeley, Townsley, Broos, Sills, Bate, Povich, Luhman, Busk, Naylor, King, Song)

Age Gradients in Stellar Populations of Massive Star Forming Regions Based on a New Stellar Chronometer Astrophys. J., 787:108, 2014 (Getman, Feigelson, Kuhn, Broos, Townsley, Naylor, Povich, Luhman, Garmire)

Core-Halo Age Gradients and Star Formation in the Orion Nebula and NGC 2024 Young Star Clusters Astrophys. J., 787:109, 2014 (Getman, Feigelson, Kuhn)

The Spatial Structure of Young Stellar Clusters. II. Total Young Stellar Populations Astrophys. J., 802, #60, 2015 (Kuhn, Getman, Feigelson)

The Spatial Structure of Young Stellar Clusters. III. Physical Properties and Evolutionary States Astrophys. J., 812, #131, 2015 (Kuhn, Feigelson, Getman, Sills, Bate, Borissova)

No Evidence for Protoplanetary Disk Destruction by OB Stars in the MYStIX Sample Astrophys. J., 811, #10, 2015 (Richert, Feigelson, Getman, Kuhn)

Young Stellar Populations in MYStIX Star Forming Regions: Candidate Protostars Astrophys. J., 833, #193, 2016 (Romine, Feigelson, Getman, Kuhn, Povich)

Candidate X-ray Emitting OB Stars in the MYStIX Massive Star-Forming Regions Astrophys. J., 838, #61, 2017 https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017ApJ...838...61P/abstract(Povich, Busk, Feigelson, Townsley, Kuhn)

Multiwavelength Studies of Young OB Clusters [MYStIX review article], in The Birth of Star Clusters (Stahler editor), 2018  (Feigelson)

Star Formation in Nearby Clouds (SFiNCs). I. X-ray and Infrared Source Catalogs and Membership, Astrophys. J. Suppl., 229, #28 2017 (Getman, Broos, Kuhn, Feigelson, Richert, Ota, Bate, Garmire)

Young star clusters in nearby molecular clouds, Mon. Not. Royal Astr. Soc., 477, 298 2018 (Getman, Kuhn, Feigelson, Broos, Bate, Garmire)

The Young Star Cluster NGC 6231: Stellar Population, Astrophys. J., 154, #87, 2017 (Kuhn, Medina, Getman, Feigelson, Gromadzki, Borissova, Kurtev)
 
The Young Star Cluster NGC 6231: Structure, Formation and Fate, Astron. J. 154, 254, 2017 (Kuhn, Getman, Feigelson, Sills, Gromadzki, Medina, Borissova, Kurtev)

Intracluster age gradients in numerous young stellar clusters, Mon. Not. Royal Astr. Soc., 476, 1213 2018 (Getman, Feigelson, Kuhm, Bate, Broos, Garmire)

Circumstellar disk lifetimes in numerous Galactic young stellar clusters,  Mon. Not. Royal Astr. Soc., 477, 5191 2018  (Richert, Getman, Feigelson, Kuhn, Broos, Povich, Bate, Garmire)

The duration of star formation in Galactic giant molecular clouds. I. The Great Nebula in Carina, Astrophys. J. 881, 37 (Povich, Maldonado, Haze Nunez, Robitaille)

IRAS 09002-4732: A Laboratory for the Formation of Rich Stellar Clusters, Astron. J., in press (Getman, Feigelson, Kuhn, Broos, Garmire)  2019

The Massive Star-Forming Regions Omnibus X-ray Catalog Astrophys. J. Suppl., 213:1, 2014 (Townsley, Broos, Garmire, Bouwman, Povich, Feigelson, Getman, Kuhn)

The Massive Star-Forming Regions Omnibus X-ray Catalog Astrophys. J. Suppl, 235:43 2018  (Townsley, Broos, Garmire, Anderson, Feigelson, Naylor, Povich)

Kinematics in young star clusters and associations with Gaia DR2, Astrophys. J. 870, 32, 2019 (Kuhn, Hillenbrand, Sills, Feigelson, Hetman)

Gaia Stellar Kinematics in the Orion A Cloud: Runaway Stellar Groups and Gravitational Infall, Monthly Notices Royal Astronomical Society, 487, 2977, 2019 (Getman, Feigelson, Kuhn, Garmire)

Overview of the Massive Young Star-Forming Complex Study in Infrared and X-ray (MYStIX) Project Astrophys. J. Suppl. 209:26, 2013  (Feigelson, Townsley, Broos, Busk, Getman, King, Kuhn, Naylor, Povich, Baddeley, Bate, Indebetouw, Luhman, McCaughrean, Pittard, Pudritz, Sills, Song & Wadsley)

A Massive Young Stellar Complexes Study in the Infrared and X-ray: X-ray Sources in Ten Star Forming Regions Astrophys. J. Suppl. 209:27, 2013  (Kuhn, Getman, Broos, Townsley & Feigelson)

The MYStIX Wide-Field Near Infrared Data: Optimal Photometry in Crowded Fields Astrophys. J. Suppl. 209:28, 2013   (King, Naylor, Broos, Getman & Feigelson)

Massive Young Star-Forming Study in Infrared and X-rays: Mid-Infrared Observations and Catalogs Astrophys. J. Suppl. 209:29, 2013  (Kuhn, Povich, Luhman, Getman, Busk, Feigelson)

Bayesian Matching for X-ray and Infrared Sources in the MYStIX Project Astrophys. J. Suppl. 209:30, 2013   (Naylor, Broos & Feigelson)

The MYStIX InfraRed-Excess Source Catalog Astrophys. J. Suppl. 209:31, 2013   (Povich, Kuhn, Getman, Feigelson, Busk, Broos, Townsley, King, Naylor)

Identifying Young Stars in the MYStIX Project Astrophys. J. Suppl. 209:32, 2013  (Broos, Getman, Povich, Feigelson, Townsley, Naylor, Kuhn, King & Busk)