Infrared Dark Clouds in the Cygnus-X Region
Résumé
As part of the Cygnus-X Spitzer Legacy survey, we have begun a study of the infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) found in the IRAC and MIPS data of the region. Since most of the IRDCs are associated with the Cygnus-X complex at 1.4 kpc, they are closer than most of those observed in the large Galactic surveys, and therefore we can better resolve their structure and detect the low-mass young stellar objects (YSOs) that have formed in association with the clouds. We present the results of our study, in which we have located and characterized the population of IRDCs. We have found the embedded YSOs and clusters associated with the clouds, including the 4.5 micron-bright extended sources that indicate outflows from YSOs. We show the distribution of IRDCs in the Cygnus-X complex and their relationship with the other well-known active sites of star formation.