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The conditions for star formation at low metallicity: results from the LMC

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2006

J. M. Oliveira
Affiliation:
Astrophysics Group, Keele University, UK
J. Th. van Loon
Affiliation:
Astrophysics Group, Keele University, UK
S. Stanimirović
Affiliation:
Radio Astronomy Lab, UC Berkeley, USA
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Abstract

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We present our recent work on the conditions under which star formation occurs in a metal-poor environment, the Large Magellanic Cloud ([Fe/H] ~ −0.4). Water masers are used as beacons of the current star formation in H II regions. Comparing their location with the dust morphology imaged with the Spitzer Space Telescope, and additional Hα imaging and groundbased near-infrared observations, we conclude that the LMC environment seems favourable to sequential star formation triggered by massive star feedback (Oliveira et al. 2006). Good examples of this are 30 Doradus and N 113. There are also H II regions, such as N 105A, where feedback may not be responsible for the current star formation although the nature of one young stellar object (YSO) suggests that feedback may soon start making an impact. The chemistry in one YSO hints at a stronger influence from irradiation effects in a metal-poor environment where shielding by dust is suppressed (van Loon 2005).

Type
Contributed Papers
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2007

References

Oliveira, J.M. et al. 2006, MNRAS in press, astro-ph/0609036Google Scholar
van Loon, J.Th. et al. 2005, MNRAS 364, L71CrossRefGoogle Scholar