Pre-main-sequence stars in the stellar association N 11 in the Large Magellanic Cloud: clustering properties

Magellanic Clouds are of extreme importance to study the star-formation process in low-metallicity environments. Here, we discuss the clustering properties of the pre-main-sequence candidates and young embedded stellar objects in N 11, located in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Deep archival HST/ACS photometry is used to derive color–magnitude diagrams of the associations in N 11 and of the foreground field population. These data are complemented by archival infrared Spitzer data which allow detection of young embedded stellar objects. The spatial distribution of the pre-main-sequence candidates and young embedded stellar objects is discussed. The degree of clustering is derived using the minimal-spanning-tree method. No significant difference is found in clustering degree of young blue main-sequence stars and faint pre-main-sequence candidates, suggesting that they might be part of the same formation process.