Publication Date:
2016-07-15
Description:
We present a multiwavelength investigation of the young stellar population and star formation activities around the H ii region Sharpless 311. Using our deep near-infrared observations and archival Spitzer -IRAC observations, we have detected a total of 125 young stellar objects (YSOs) in an area of ~86 arcmin 2 . The YSO sample includes eight Class I and 117 Class II candidate YSOs. The mass completeness of the identified YSO sample is estimated to be 1.0 M . The ages and masses of the majority of the candidate YSOs are estimated to be in the range ~0.1–5 Myr and ~0.3–6 M , respectively. The 8-μm image of S311 displays an approximately spherical cavity around the ionizing source, which was possibly created by the expansion of the H ii region. The spatial distribution of the candidate YSOs reveals that a significant number of them are distributed systematically along the 8-μm emission with a majority clustered around the eastern border of the H ii region. Four clumps/compact H ii regions are detected in the radio continuum observations at 1280 MHz, which may have been formed during the expansion of the H ii region. The estimated dynamical age of the region, main-sequence lifetime of the ionizing source, the spatial distribution and ages of the candidate YSOs indicate triggered star formation in the complex.
Print ISSN:
0035-8711
Electronic ISSN:
1365-2966
Topics:
Physics
