Triggered Star Formation in the Orion Bright‐rimmed Clouds
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Abstract
We have developed an empirical and effective set of criteria, based on the 2MASS colors, to select candidate classical T Tauri stars (CTTS). This provides a useful tool to study the young stellar population in star-forming regions. Here we present our analysis of the bright-rimmed clouds (BRCs) B 35, B 30, IC 2118, LDN 1616, LDN 1634, and Orion East to show how massive stars interact with molecular clouds to trigger star formation. Our results support the radiation-driven implosion model in which the ionization fronts from OB stars compress a nearby cloud until the local density exceeds the critical value, thereby inducing the cloud to collapse to form stars. We find that only BRCs associated with strong IRAS 100 micron emission (tracer of high density) and H-alpha emission (tracer of ionization fronts) show signs of ongoing star formation. Relevant timescales, including the ages of O stars, expanding HII regions, and the ages of CTTS, are consistent with sequential star formation. We also find that CTTS are only seen between the OB stars and the BRCs, with those closer to the BRCs being progressively younger. There are no CTTS leading the ionization fronts, i.e., within the molecular clouds. All these provide strong evidence of triggered star formation and show the major roles massive stars play in sustaining the star-forming activities in the region.