Duration and properties of the embedded phase of star formation in 37 nearby galaxies from PHANGS-JWST
Abstrak
Light reprocessed by dust grains emitting in the infrared enables the study of the physics at play in dusty embedded regions, where ultraviolet and optical wavelengths are attenuated. Infrared telescopes such as JWST have made it possible to study the earliest feedback phases, when stars are shielded by cocoons of gas and dust. Comprehending this phase is crucial for unravelling the effects of feedback from young stars that leads to their emergence and the dispersal of their host molecular clouds. Here we show that the transition from the embedded to the exposed phase of star formation is short (< 4 Myr) and sometimes almost absent (< 1 Myr) across a sample of 37 nearby star-forming galaxies covering a wide range of morphologies, from massive barred spirals to irregular dwarfs. The short duration of the dust-clearing timescales suggests a predominant role of pre-supernova feedback mechanisms in revealing newborn stars, confirming previous results on smaller samples and allowing, for the first time, a statistical analysis of their dependencies. We find that the timescales associated with mid-infrared emission at 21 μm, tracing a dust-embedded feedback phase, are controlled by a complex interplay between giant molecular cloud properties (masses and velocity dispersions) and galaxy morphology. We report relatively longer durations of the embedded phase of star formation in barred spiral galaxies, while this phase is significantly reduced in low-mass irregular dwarf galaxies. We discuss tentative trends with gas-phase metallicity, which may favor faster cloud dispersal at low metallicities.
Topik & Kata Kunci
Penulis (35)
Ramambason Lise
Chevance Mélanie
Kim Jaeyeon
Belfiore Francesco
Diederik Kruijssen J. M.
Romanelli Andrea
Amiri Amirnezam
Boquien Médéric
Chown Ryan
Dale Daniel A.
Dlamini Simthembile
Egorov Oleg V.
Gerasimov Ivan
Glover Simon C. O.
Grasha Kathryn
Hassani Hamid
Kim Hwihyun
Kreckel Kathryn
Koziol Hannah
Leroy Adam K.
Méndez-Delgado José Eduardo
Neumann Justus
Neumann Lukas
Pan Hsi-An
Pathak Debosmita
Sandstrom Karin
Sarbadhicary Sumit K.
Schinnerer Eva
Sun Jiayi
Sutter Jessica
Thilker David A.
Ubeda Leonardo
Weinbeck Tony D.
Whitmore Bradley C.
Williams Thomas G.
Akses Cepat
PDF tidak tersedia langsung
Cek di sumber asli →- Tahun Terbit
- 2026
- Sumber Database
- DOAJ
- DOI
- 10.1051/0004-6361/202556206
- Akses
- Open Access ✓