The initial configuration of young stellar clusters:: A k-band number counts analysis of the surface density of stars

We present an analysis of stellar distributions for the young stellar clusters GGD 12-15, IRAS 20050+2720, and NGC 7129, which range in far-IR luminosity from 227 to 5.68x10(3) L circle dot and are all still associated with their natal molecular clouds. The data used for this analysis include near-IR data obtained with FLAMINGOS on the MMT and newly obtained wide-field 850 mu m emission maps from SCUBA on the JCMT. Cluster size and azimuthal asymmetry are measured via azimuthal and radial averaging methods, respectively. To quantify the deviation of the distribution of stars from circular symmetry, we define an azimuthal asymmetry parameter, and we investigate the statistical properties of this parameter through Monte Carlo simulations. The distribution of young stars is compared to the morphology of the molecular gas using stellar surface density maps and the 850 mu m maps. We find that two of the clusters are not azimuthally symmetric and show a high degree of structure. The GGD 12-15 cluster is elongated and is aligned with newly detected filamentary structure at 850 mu m. IRAS 20050+2720 is composed of a chain of three subclusters, in agreement with Chen and coworkers, although our results show that two of the subclusters appear to overlap. Significant 850 mu m emission is detected toward two of the subclusters but is not detected toward the central subcluster, suggesting that the dense gas may already be cleared there. In contrast to these two highly embedded subclusters, we find an anticorrelation of the stars and dust in NGC 7129, indicating that much of the parental gas and dust has been dispersed. The NGC 7129 cluster exhibits a higher degree of azimuthal symmetry, a lower stellar surface density, and a larger size than the other two clusters, suggesting that the cluster may be dynamically expanding following the recent dispersal of natal molecular gas. These analyses are further evidence that embedded, forming clusters are often not spherically symmetric structures but can be elongated and clumpy and that these morphologies may reflect the initial structure of the dense molecular gas. Furthermore, this work suggests that gas expulsion by stellar feedback results in significant dynamical evolution within the first 3 Myr of cluster evolution. We estimate peak stellar volume densities and discuss the impact of these densities on the evolution of circumstellar disks and protostellar envelopes.