H. Chen et al., IRAS-20050- AN EMBEDDED YOUNG CLUSTER ASSOCIATED WITH A MULTIPOLAR OUTFLOW(2720 ), The Astrophysical journal, 475(1), 1997, pp. 163-172
We obtained near-IR images at 1-5 mu m of IRAS 20050+2720, a very red
far-infrared source with a multipolar outflow (as noted by Bachiller e
t al.). Of the 212 sources we detected, half of them are probably memb
ers of an embedded cluster around the IRAS source. More than 50% of th
e cluster members show near-IR excesses, suggesting that they are pre-
main-sequence stars with circumstellar emission. The luminosity functi
ons of the cluster show turnovers and slopes consistent with pre-main-
sequence model predictions for an average cluster age of similar to 1
Myr. Three subclusters are identified within the cluster. One of them
(subcluster A) appears to be associated with denser molecular gas and
higher extinction than the other two subclusters. It also coincides wi
th the IRAS source, a compact millimeter continuum source, and the cen
ter of the multipolar CO outflow. We identified in subcluster A severa
l deeply embedded sources with sharply rising spectral energy distribu
tions. These results support strongly the suggestion that the multipol
ar outflow is the result of simultaneous star formation within 0.1 pc
of the IRAS source. We suggest that the cluster was formed in several
episodes of star formation over the last similar to 1 Myr and that sub
cluster A represents the most recent episode that formed multiple youn
g stars within similar to 0.1 Myr.