The formation of NGC 3603 young starburst cluster: "prompt" hierarchical
  assembly or monolithic starburst?
  The formation of very young massive clusters or "starburst" clusters is
currently one of the most widely debated topic in astronomy. The classical
notion dictates that a star cluster is formed in-situ in a dense molecular gas
clump followed by a substantial residual gas expulsion. On the other hand,
based on the observed morphologies of many young stellar associations, a
hierarchical formation scenario is alternatively suggested. A very young (age
$\approx$ 1 Myr), massive ($>10^4M_\odot$) star cluster like the Galactic NGC
3603 young cluster (HD 97950) is an appropriate testbed for distinguishing
between such "monolithic" and "hierarchical" formation scenarios. A recent
study by Banerjee and Kroupa (2014) demonstrates that the monolithic scenario
remarkably reproduces the HD 97950 cluster. In the present work, we explore the
possibility of the formation of the above cluster via hierarchical assembly of
subclusters. These subclusters are initially distributed over a wide range of
spatial volumes and have various modes of sub-clustering. Unlike the monolithic
model that reproduces HD 97950 very well, the same is found to be prohibitive
with hierarchical assembly alone. Only those systems which assemble promptly
into a single cluster (in $\lesssim1$ Myr) from a close separation (all within
$\lesssim2$ pc) could match the observed density profile of HD 97950 after
$\approx70$% gas dispersal. These results therefore suggest that NGC 3603 young
cluster has formed essentially monolithically, i.e., either in-situ or via a
prompt assembly, followed by a substantial residual gas expulsion. Both
scenarios are consistent with the inferred young age and the small age spread
of this cluster. Future observations of molecular cloud filaments with ALMA and
proper motion measurements of young clusters with Gaia will provide more direct
tests of such birth environments. [Abridged]
