| 1. |
- Costa Silva, A. R., et al.
(författare)
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NIR jets from a clustered region of massive star formation: Morphology and composition in the IRAS 18264-1152 region
- 2022
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 659
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Massive stars play crucial roles in determining the physical and chemical evolution of galaxies. However, they form deeply embedded in their parental clouds, making it challenging to directly observe these stars and their immediate environments. It is known that accretion and ejection processes are intrinsically related, thus observing the massive protostellar outflows can provide crucial information about the processes governing massive star formation very close to the central engine. Aims. We aim to probe the IRAS 18264-1152 (also known as G19.88-0.53) high-mass star-forming complex in the near infrared (NIR) through its molecular hydrogen (H2) jets to analyse the morphology and composition of the line emitting regions and to compare with other outflow tracers. Methods. We observed the H2 NIR jets via K-band (1.9 2.5 μm) observations obtained with the integral field units VLT/SINFONI and VLT/KMOS. VLT/SINFONI provides the highest NIR angular resolution achieved so far for the central region of IRAS 18264-1152 (∼0.2). We compared the geometry of the NIR outflows with that of the associated molecular outflow, probed by CO (2-1) emission mapped with the Submillimeter Array. Results. We identify nine point sources in the SINFONI and KMOS fields of view. Four of these display a rising continuum in the K-band and are Brγ emitters, revealing that they are young, potentially jet-driving sources. The spectro-imaging analysis focusses on the H2 jets, for which we derived visual extinction, temperature, column density, area, and mass. The intensity, velocity, and excitation maps based on H2 emission strongly support the existence of a protostellar cluster in this region, with at least two (and up to four) different large-scale outflows, found through the NIR and radio observations. We compare our results with those found in the literature and find good agreement in the outflow morphology. This multi-wavelength comparison also allows us to derive a stellar density of ∼4000 stars pc-3. Conclusions. Our study reveals the presence of several outflows driven by young sources from a forming cluster of young, massive stars, demonstrating the utility of such NIR observations for characterising massive star-forming regions. Moreover, the derived stellar number density together with the geometry of the outflows suggest that stars can form in a relatively ordered manner in this cluster.
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| 2. |
- Crowe, S., et al.
(författare)
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Near-infrared observations of outflows and young stellar objects in the massive star-forming region AFGL 5180
- 2024
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 682
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Massive stars play important roles throughout the universe; however, their formation remains poorly understood. Observations of jets and outflows in high-mass star-forming regions, as well as surveys of young stellar object (YSO) content, can help test theoretical models of massive star formation. Aims. We aim at characterizing the massive star-forming region AFGL 5180 in the near-infrared (NIR), identifying outflows and relating these to sub-mm/mm sources, as well as surveying the overall YSO surface number density to compare to massive star formation models. Methods. Broad- and narrow-band imaging of AFGL 5180 was made in the NIR with the Large Binocular Telescope, in both seeing-limited (~0.5′) and high angular resolution (~0.09′) Adaptive Optics (AO) modes, as well as with the Hubble Space Telescope. Archival continuum data from the Atacama Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) was also utilized. Results. At least 40 jet knots were identified via NIR emission from H2 and [FeII] tracing shocked gas. Bright jet knots outflowing from the central most massive protostar, S4 (estimated mass ~11 M⊙, via SED fitting), are detected towards the east of the source and are resolved in fine detail with the AO imaging. Additional knots are distributed throughout the field, likely indicating the presence of multiple driving sources. Sub-millimeter sources detected by ALMA are shown to be grouped in two main complexes, AFGL 5180 M and a small cluster ~15′ (0.15 pc in projection) to the south, AFGL 5180 S. From our NIR continuum images we identify YSO candidates down to masses of ~0.1 M⊙. Combined with the sub-mm sources, this yields a surface number density of such YSOs of N* ~ 103pc-2 within a projected radius of about 0.1 pc. Such a value is similar to those predicted by models of both core accretion from a turbulent clump environment and competitive accretion. The radial profile of N* is relatively flat on scales out to 0.2 pc, with only modest enhancement around the massive protostar inside 0.05 pc, which provides additional constraints on these massive star formation models. Conclusions. This study demonstrates the utility of high-resolution NIR imaging, in particular with AO, for detecting outflow activity and YSOs in distant regions. The presented images reveal the complex morphology of outflow-shocked gas within the large-scale bipolar flow of a massive protostar, as well as clear evidence for several other outflow driving sources in the region. Finally, this work presents a novel approach to compare the observed YSO surface number density from our study against different models of massive star formation.
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| 3. |
- Fedriani, Rubén, 1991, et al.
(författare)
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The SOFIA Massive (SOMA) Star Formation Survey. IV. Isolated Protostars
- 2023
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 942:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present similar to 10-40 mu m SOFIA-FORCAST images of 11 isolated protostars as part of the SOFIA Massive (SOMA) Star Formation Survey, with this morphological classification based on 37 mu m imaging. We develop an automated method to define source aperture size using the gradient of its background-subtracted enclosed flux and apply this to build spectral energy distributions (SEDs). We fit the SEDs with radiative transfer models, developed within the framework of turbulent core accretion (TCA) theory, to estimate key protostellar properties. Here, we release the sedcreator python package that carries out these methods. The SEDs are generally well fitted by the TCA models, from which we infer initial core masses M ( c ) ranging from 20-430 M (circle dot), clump mass surface densities sigma(cl) similar to 0.3-1.7 g cm(-2), and current protostellar masses m (*) similar to 3-50 M (circle dot). From a uniform analysis of the 40 sources in the full SOMA survey to date, we find that massive protostars form across a wide range of clump mass surface density environments, placing constraints on theories that predict a minimum threshold sigma(cl) for massive star formation. However, the upper end of the m (*)-sigma(cl) distribution follows trends predicted by models of internal protostellar feedback that find greater star formation efficiency in higher sigma(cl) conditions. We also investigate protostellar far-IR variability by comparison with IRAS data, finding no significant variation over an similar to 40 yr baseline.
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| 4. |
- Liu, Mengyao, et al.
(författare)
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SiO Outflows as Tracers of Massive Star Formation in Infrared Dark Clouds
- 2021
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 921:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To study the early phases of massive star formation, we present ALMA observations of SiO(5-4) emission and VLA observations of 6 cm continuum emission toward 32 Infrared Dark Cloud clumps, spatially resolved down to less than or similar to 0.05 pc. Out of the 32 clumps, we detect SiO emission in 20 clumps, and in 11 of them the SiO emission is relatively strong and likely tracing protostellar outflows. Some SiO outflows are collimated, while others are less ordered. For the six strongest SiO outflows, we estimate basic outflow properties. In our entire sample, where there is SiO emission, we find 1.3 mm continuum and infrared emission nearby, but not vice versa. We build the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of cores with 1.3 mm continuum emission and fit them with radiative transfer models. The low luminosities and stellar masses returned by SED fitting suggest these are early-stage protostars. We see a slight trend of increasing SiO line luminosity with bolometric luminosity, which suggests more powerful shocks in the vicinity of more massive YSOs. We do not see a clear relation between the SiO luminosity and the evolutionary stage indicated by L/M. We conclude that, as a protostar approaches a bolometric luminosity of similar to 10(2) L (circle dot), the shocks in the outflow are generally strong enough to form SiO emission. The VLA 6 cm observations toward the 15 clumps with the strongest SiO emission detect emission in four clumps, which is likely from shock-ionized jets associated with the more massive ones of these protostellar cores.
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| 5. |
- Liu, Mengyao, et al.
(författare)
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The SOFIA Massive (SOMA) Star Formation Survey. II. High Luminosity Protostars
- 2019
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 874:1
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present multiwavelength images observed with SOFIA-FORCAST from similar to 10 to 40 mu m of seven high luminosity massive protostars, as part of the SOFIA Massive Star Formation Survey. Source morphologies at these wavelengths appear to be influenced by outflow cavities and extinction from dense gas surrounding the protostars. Using these images, we build spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of the protostars, also including archival data from Spitzer, Herschel, and other facilities. Radiative transfer (RT) models of Zhang & Tan, based on Turbulent Core Accretion theory, are then fit to the SEDs to estimate key properties of the protostars. Considering the best five models fit to each source, the protostars have masses m* similar to 12-64 M circle dot accreting at rates of m* similar to 10(-4) -10(-3) M circle dot yr(-1) inside cores of initial masses M-c similar to 100-500 M circle dot embedded in clumps with mass surface densities Sigma(cl) similar to 0.1-3 g cm(-2) and span a luminosity range of 10(4) -10(6) L circle dot. Compared with the first eight protostars in Paper I, the sources analyzed here are more luminous and, thus, likely to be more massive protostars. They are often in a clustered environment or have a companion protostar relatively nearby. From the range of parameter space of the models, we do not see any evidence that Sigma(cl) needs to be high to form these massive stars. For most sources, the RT models provide reasonable fits to the SEDs, though the cold clump material often influences the long wavelength fitting. However, for sources in very clustered environments, the model SEDs may not be such a good description of the data, indicating potential limitations of the models for these regions.
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| 6. |
- Liu, Mengyao, et al.
(författare)
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The SOFIA Massive (SOMA) Star Formation Survey. III. From Intermediate- to High-mass Protostars
- 2020
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 904:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present similar to 10-40 mm SOFIA-FORCAST images of 14 intermediate-mass protostar candidates as part of the SOFIA Massive (SOMA) Star Formation Survey. We build spectral energy distributions, also using archival Spitzer, Herschel, and IRAS data. We then fit the spectral energy distributions with radiative transfer models of Zhang & Tan, based on turbulent core accretion theory, to estimate key protostellar properties. With the addition of these intermediate-mass sources, based on average properties derived from SED fitting, SOMA protostars span luminosities from similar to 10(2) to 10(6) L-circle dot, current protostellar masses from similar to 0.5 to 35 M-circle dot, and ambient clump mass surface densities, Scl, from 0.1 to g cm(-2). A wide range of evolutionary states of the individual protostars and of the protocluster environments is also probed. We have also considered about 50 protostars identified in infrared dark clouds that are expected to be at the earliest stages of their evolution. With this global sample, most of the evolutionary stages of high- and intermediate-mass protostars are probed. The best-fitting models show no evidence that a threshold value of the protocluster clump mass surface density is required to form protostars up to similar to 25 M.. However, to form more massive protostars, there is tentative evidence that Sigma(cl) needs to be greater than or similar to 1 g cm(-2). We discuss how this is consistent with expectations from core accretion models that include internal feedback from the forming massive star.
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| 7. |
- Rosero, Viviana, et al.
(författare)
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The SOMA Radio Survey. I. Comprehensive SEDs of High-mass Protostars from Infrared to Radio and the Emergence of Ionization Feedback
- 2019
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 873:1
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- We study centimeter continuum emission of eight high- and intermediate-mass protostars that are part of the SOFIA Massive Star Formation Survey, thus building extended spectral energy distributions (SEDs) from the radio to the infrared. We discuss the morphology seen in the centimeter continuum images, which are mostly derived from archival Very Large Array data, and the relation to infrared morphology. We use the SEDs to test new models of high-mass star formation including radiative and disk-wind feedback and associated free-free and dust continuum emission. We show that interferometric data of the centimeter continuum flux densities provide additional, stringent tests of the models by constraining the ionizing luminosity of the source; they also help to break degeneracies encountered when modeling the infrared-only SEDs, especially for the protostellar mass. Our derived parameters are consistent with physical parameters estimated by other methods, such as dynamical protostellar masses. We find a few examples of additional stellar sources in the vicinity of the high-mass protostars, which may be low-mass young stellar objects. However, the stellar multiplicity of the regions, at least as traced by radio continuum emission, appears to be relatively low.
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| 8. |
- Tanaka, Kei E. I., et al.
(författare)
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Salt, Hot Water, and Silicon Compounds Tracing Massive Twin Disks
- 2020
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : American Astronomical Society. - 2041-8213 .- 2041-8205. ; 900:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report results of 0.''. 05-resolution observations toward the O-type proto-binary system IRAS 16547-4247 with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. We present dynamical and chemical structures of the circumbinary disk, circumstellar disks, outflows, and jets, illustrated by multi-wavelength continuum and various molecular lines. In particular, we detect sodium chloride, silicon compounds, and vibrationally excited water lines as probes of the individual protostellar disks at a scale of 100 au. These are complementary to typical hot-core molecules tracing the circumbinary structures on a 1000 au scale. The H2O line tracing inner disks has an upper-state energy of E-u/k > 3000 K, indicating a high temperature of the disks. On the other hand, despite the detected transitions of NaCl, SiO, and SiS not necessarily having high upper-state energies, they are enhanced only in the vicinity of the protostars. We posit that these molecules are the products of dust destruction, which only happens in the inner disks. This is the second detection of alkali metal halide in protostellar systems after the case of the disk of Orion Source I, and also one of few massive protostellar disks associated with high-energy transition water and silicon compounds. These new results suggest that these "hot-disk" lines may be common in innermost disks around massive protostars, and have great potential for future research of massive star formation. We also tentatively find that the twin disks are counter-rotating, which might give a hint of the origin of the massive protobinary system IRAS 16547-4247.
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| 9. |
- Zhang, Yichen, et al.
(författare)
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Discovery of a Photoionized Bipolar Outflow toward the Massive Protostar G45.47+0.05
- 2019
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : American Astronomical Society. - 2041-8213 .- 2041-8205. ; 886:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Massive protostars generate strong radiation feedback, which may help set the mass that they achieve by the end of the accretion process. Studying such feedback is therefore crucial for understanding the formation of massive stars. We report the discovery of a photoionized bipolar outflow toward the massive protostar G45.47+0.05 using high-resolution observations at 1.3 mm with the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) and at 7 mm with the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). By modeling the free-free continuum, the ionized outflow is found to be a photoevaporation flow with an electron temperature of 10,000 K and an electron number density of similar to 1.5 x 10(7) cm(-3) at the center, launched from a disk of radius of 110 au. H30 alpha hydrogen recombination line emission shows strong maser amplification, with G45 being one of very few sources to show such millimeter recombination line masers. The mass of the driving source is estimated to be 30-50 M based on the derived ionizing photon rate, or 30-40 M based on the H30 alpha kinematics. The kinematics of the photoevaporated material is dominated by rotation close to the disk plane, while accelerated to outflowing motion above the disk plane. The mass loss rate of the photoevaporation outflow is estimated to be similar to(2-3.5) x 10(-5) M yr(-1). We also found hints of a possible jet embedded inside the wide-angle ionized outflow with nonthermal emissions. The possible coexistence of a jet and a massive photoevaporation outflow suggests that, in spite of the strong photoionization feedback, accretion is still ongoing.
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| 10. |
- Zhang, Yichen, et al.
(författare)
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Massive Protostars in a Protocluster—A Multi-scale ALMA View of G35.20-0.74N
- 2022
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 936:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present a detailed study of the massive star-forming region G35.2-0.74N with Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) 1.3 mm multi-configuration observations. At 0.″2 (440 au) resolution, the continuum emission reveals several dense cores along a filamentary structure, consistent with previous ALMA 0.85 mm observations. At 0.″03 (66 au) resolution, we detect 22 compact sources, most of which are associated with the filament. Four of the sources are associated with compact centimeter continuum emission, and two of these are associated with H30α recombination line emission. The H30α line kinematics shows the ordered motion of the ionized gas, consistent with disk rotation and/or outflow expansion. We construct models of photoionized regions to simultaneously fit the multiwavelength free-free fluxes and the H30α total fluxes. The derived properties suggest the presence of at least three massive young stars with nascent hypercompact H ii regions. Two of these ionized regions are surrounded by a large rotating structure that feeds two individual disks, revealed by dense gas tracers, such as SO2, H2CO, and CH3OH. In particular, the SO2 emission highlights two spiral structures in one of the disks and probes the faster-rotating inner disks. The 12CO emission from the general region reveals a complex outflow structure, with at least four outflows identified. The remaining 18 compact sources are expected to be associated with lower-mass protostars forming in the vicinity of the massive stars. We find potential evidence for disk disruption due to dynamic interactions in the inner region of this protocluster. The spatial distribution of the sources suggests a smooth overall radial density gradient without subclustering, but with tentative evidence of primordial mass segregation.
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