Stellar populations associated with the LMC Papillon Nebula

We study the Large Magellanic Cloud Papillon Nebula (N 159-5), a conspicuous High Excitation Blob (HEB) lying in the star forming complex N 159. Using JHK near-infrared photometry obtained at the ESO VLT with the ISAAC camera, we examine the stellar populations associated with the Papillon, tracing their history using stellar evolution models. Two populations are revealed: one composed of young, massive stars with an age ∼ 3 Myr, and a second consisting of older lower mass stars of age spreading between 1 and 10 Gyr. We analyze the properties of those populations and discuss their significance in the context of N 159. We also estimate that if the star at the center of the Papillon is single its initial mass is ∼ 50 M_⊙ and it is affected by an extinction A_V ∼ 7 mag.

Based on observations obtained at the European Southern Observatory, Paranal, Chile; Program 66.C-0172(A).

Table 1 is only available in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/422/129