Hierarchically Clustered Star Formation in the Magellanic Clouds

Abstract: We present a cluster analysis of the bright main-sequence and faint pre--main-sequence stellar populations of a field ~ 90 x 90 pc centered on the HII region NGC 346/N66 in the Small Magellanic Cloud, from imaging with HST/ACS. We extend our earlier analysis on the stellar cluster population in the region to characterize the structuring behavior of young stars in the region as a whole with the use of stellar density maps interpreted through techniques designed for the study of the ISM structuring. In particular, we demonstrate with Cartwrigth & Whitworth's Q parameter, dendrograms, and the Delta-variance wavelet transform technique that the young stellar populations in the region NGC 346/N66 are hierarchically clustered, in agreement with other regions in the Magellanic Clouds observed with HST. The origin of this hierarchy is currently under investigation.