The Nearest OB Association: Scorpius-Centaurus (Sco OB2)

We summarize observational results on the stellar population and star formation history of the Scorpius-Centaurus OB Association (Sco OB2), the nearest region of recent massive star formation. It consists of three subgroups, Upper Scorpius (US), Upper Centaurus-Lupus (UCL), and Lower Centaurus-Crux (LCC) which have ages of about 5, 17, and 16 Myr. In Upper Scorpius, numerous studies have recently revealed hundreds of low-mass association members, including dozens of brown dwarfs. The empirical mass function could be established over the full stellar mass range from 0.1 M_sun up to 20 M_sun, and was found to be consistent with recent determinations of the field initial mass function. A narrow range of ages around 5 Myr was found for the low-mass stars, the same age as had previously (and independently) been derived for the high-mass members. This supports earlier indications that the star formation process in US was triggered, and agrees with previous conjectures that the triggering event was a supernova- and wind-driven shock-wave originating from the nearby UCL group. In the older UCL and LCC regions, large numbers of low-mass members have recently been identified among X-ray and proper-motion selected candidates. In both subgroups, low-mass members have also been serendipitously discovered through investigations of X-ray sources in the vicinity of better known regions (primarily the Lupus and TW Hya associations). While both subgroups appear to have mean ages of ~16 Myr, they both show signs of having substructure. Their star-formation histories may be more complex than that of the younger, more compact US group. ... (abstract abbreviated; see paper for full abstract).