A Trapezium-like OB cluster in the making

The Trapezium Cluster in Orion teaches us that massive stars often form together in compact systems—but how such dense OB groupings are assembled remains an open question. In this talk, I will present high-resolution observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) that reveal an exceptionally young, deeply embedded massive quadruple OB system in the making. The four massive protostars are arranged in an off-center belt at radii of 0.02–0.06 pc. By decomposing the ionized and neutral gas components, we trace the dynamic interplay between stars and gas down to thousand-AU scales. The gas kinematics and orbital energetics provide direct evidence for how material transitions from unbound, parabolic trajectories to bound orbits, assembling onto the forming protostars. These observations offer a rare glimpse into the early dynamical assembly of a Trapezium-like massive cluster. 

Speaker: 
Dr. Fengwei Xu, MPIA
Place: 
KIAA Shu Qi Meeting Room
Time: 
Tuesday, March 3, 2026 - 3:30PM