Resolved star formation in the metal-poor star-forming region Magellanic Bridge C

Abstract

Magellanic Bridge C (MB-C) is a metal-poor (similar to 1/5 Z(circle dot)) low-density star-forming region located 59 kpc away in the Magellanic Bridge, offering a resolved view of the star formation process in conditions different to the Galaxy. From Atacama Large Millimetre Array CO(1-0) observations, we detect molecular clumps associated with candidate young stellar objects (YSOs), pre-main sequence (PMS) stars, and filamentary structure identified in far-infrared imaging. YSOs and PMS stars form in molecular gas having densities between 17 and 200 M-circle dot pc(-2), and have ages between less than or similar to 0.1 and 3 Myr. YSO candidates in MB-C have lower extinction than their Galactic counterparts. Otherwise, our results suggest that the properties and morphologies of molecular clumps, YSOs, and PMS stars in MB-C present no patent differences with respect to their Galactic counterparts, tentatively alluding that the bottleneck to forming stars in regions similar to MB-C is the conversion of atomic gas to molecular.