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arXiv · 2611.06516

Primary and Secondary Star Formation in the Spiral Waves of NGC 628

Bruce G. Elmegreen·Sean T. Linden·Kelsey E. Johnson·Angela Adamo·Daniela Calzetti·Varun Bajaj·Giacomo Bortolini·Matteo Correnti·Ana Duarte-Cabral·Kathryn Grasha·Goran Ostlin·Alex Pedrini·Jenna Ryon·Linda J. Smith
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Abstract

To determine the role of spiral arms and stellar feedback on the formation of stars, we examine the positions of optically identified and emerging star clusters in NGC 628. We find that the youngest clusters extend further into the spiral arms at small radii than at large radii, as expected when the angular flow rate through a wave-like arm increases with greater distance from corotation. The embedded or emerging star clusters (eYSCs) are identified relative to four distinct morphological features in the 7.7 micron image: spiral arm filaments, spiral arm spurs, spiral interarm feathers, and bubbles. Spiral arm-related eYSCs are presumably first-generation stars made from interstellar gas that was directly compressed by the density wave, while clusters along the rims of bubbles are secondary generations produced by feedback compression. The mass functions of the first and second generations differ: eYSCs in spiral arm filaments extend to significantly higher masses than eYSCs in bubbles. Secondary star formation continues downstream from primary star formation, removing the expected age gradient through the arms. Bubble eYSCs account for approximately one-third of all the emerging cluster mass. The outer arms have a more mixed distribution of spiral- and bubble-related eYSCs than the inner arms, potentially providing a way to distinguish wave and material arms and to find corotation in wave-like arms. Among the 17 most massive clusters with log M(Msun)>4, eight of them are in four tight pairs; in at least one case, the dynamical time for the pair is comparable to the cluster ages.

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Bruce G. Elmegreen, Sean T. Linden, Kelsey E. Johnson, Angela Adamo, Daniela Calzetti, Varun Bajaj, Giacomo Bortolini, Matteo Correnti, Ana Duarte-Cabral, Kathryn Grasha, Goran Ostlin, Alex Pedrini, Jenna Ryon, Linda J. Smith. 2026-11-04. Primary and Secondary Star Formation in the Spiral Waves of NGC 628. https://arxiv.org/abs/2611.06516

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