Theory Group in Concepcion investigates survival of embedded star clusters

Introduction

Most if not all stars form in clustered environments (see pictures to the right), ranging from low-density, low-number, loosely bound associations, to extreme star bursts forming hundreds of massive star clusters in confined areas (now called star cluster complexes). With the exception of the extreme star formation events, we see that after only 10-20 Myr the majority of stars are dispersed into the field. The destruction of the young star clusters has been dubbed ‘infant mortality’. The best candidate to explain this early destruction is the expulsion of the remaining gas (i.e. gas which was not converted into stars), by stellar feedback (through radiation and stellar winds and finally once the first super-novae explode)…

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