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[28.06] IR Spectroscopy of Young Stellar Populations: The Embedded Cluster Associated with the R Cr A Cloud Core

M. R. Meyer (Steward Observatory, The University of Arizona), B. A. Wilking (The University of Missouri-St. Louis)

Infrared spectra are presented for a magnitude-limited (K<12 mag) sample of stellar objects observed toward the R Coronae Australis molecular core. These spectra, which are used to identify young stellar objects in the cloud, include emission lines from [FeII] and H₂, four of the Brackett series lines, the CO bandheads, as well as photospheric absorption lines of Na, Mg, Si, and Ca. For a subset of the sample, the spectra are compared to those of standard stars to derive spectral types and luminosity classes. By comparing their placement in the H-R diagram with theoretical evolutionary tracks, we estimate the stellar masses and assess the evolutionary state of this young aggregate. All of sources classified via near-IR spectroscopy have masses in the range 0.2-1.2 M_Sun. The locus of points in the HR diagram is lower than observed for other embedded clusters (e.g. NGC 2024 and Ophiuchus) suggesting either a more advanced evolutionary state or differences in the intrinsic stellar birthlines for these very young clusters.

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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 35 #3
© 2003. The American Astronomical Soceity.