scholarly journals Principal component analysis tomography in near-infrared integral field spectroscopy of young stellar objects – I. Revisiting the high-mass protostar W33A

2021 ◽  
Vol 503 (1) ◽  
pp. 270-291
Author(s):  
F Navarete ◽  
A Damineli ◽  
J E Steiner ◽  
R D Blum

ABSTRACT W33A is a well-known example of a high-mass young stellar object showing evidence of a circumstellar disc. We revisited the K-band NIFS/Gemini North observations of the W33A protostar using principal components analysis tomography and additional post-processing routines. Our results indicate the presence of a compact rotating disc based on the kinematics of the CO absorption features. The position–velocity diagram shows that the disc exhibits a rotation curve with velocities that rapidly decrease for radii larger than 0.1 arcsec (∼250 au) from the central source, suggesting a structure about four times more compact than previously reported. We derived a dynamical mass of 10.0$^{+4.1}_{-2.2}$ $\rm {M}_\odot$ for the ‘disc + protostar’ system, about ∼33 per cent smaller than previously reported, but still compatible with high-mass protostar status. A relatively compact H2 wind was identified at the base of the large-scale outflow of W33A, with a mean visual extinction of ∼63 mag. By taking advantage of supplementary near-infrared maps, we identified at least two other point-like objects driving extended structures in the vicinity of W33A, suggesting that multiple active protostars are located within the cloud. The closest object (Source B) was also identified in the NIFS field of view as a faint point-like object at a projected distance of ∼7000 au from W33A, powering extended K-band continuum emission detected in the same field. Another source (Source C) is driving a bipolar $\rm {H}_2$ jet aligned perpendicular to the rotation axis of W33A.

2020 ◽  
Vol 635 ◽  
pp. L12 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
A. Caratti o Garatti ◽  
R. Fedriani ◽  
R. Garcia Lopez ◽  
M. Koutoulaki ◽  
...  

Context. The inner regions of the discs of high-mass young stellar objects (HMYSOs) are still poorly known due to the small angular scales and the high visual extinction involved. Aims. We deploy near-infrared spectro-interferometry to probe the inner gaseous disc in HMYSOs and investigate the origin and physical characteristics of the CO bandhead emission (2.3–2.4 μm). Methods. We present the first GRAVITY/VLTI observations at high spectral (ℛ = 4000) and spatial (mas) resolution of the CO overtone transitions in NGC 2024 IRS 2. Results. The continuum emission is resolved in all baselines and is slightly asymmetric, displaying small closure phases (≤8°). Our best ellipsoid model provides a disc inclination of 34° ±1°, a disc major axis position angle (PA) of 166° ± 1°, and a disc diameter of 3.99 ± 0.09 mas (or 1.69  ±  0.04 au, at a distance of 423 pc). The small closure phase signals in the continuum are modelled with a skewed rim, originating from a pure inclination effect. For the first time, our observations spatially and spectrally resolve the first four CO bandheads. Changes in visibility, as well as differential and closure phases across the bandheads are detected. Both the size and geometry of the CO-emitting region are determined by fitting a bidimensional Gaussian to the continuum-compensated CO bandhead visibilities. The CO-emitting region has a diameter of 2.74±0.070.08 mas (1.16  ±  0.03 au), and is located in the inner gaseous disc, well within the dusty rim, with inclination and PA matching the dusty disc geometry, which indicates that both dusty and gaseous discs are coplanar. Physical and dynamical gas conditions are inferred by modelling the CO spectrum. Finally, we derive a direct measurement of the stellar mass of M* ∼ 14.7−3.6+2 M⊙ by combining our interferometric and spectral modelling results.


2004 ◽  
Vol 221 ◽  
pp. 425-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. G. Gibb ◽  
M. G. Hoare ◽  
L. G. Mundy ◽  
F. Wyrowski

We present subarcsecond observations at 2.7 and 1.4 mm of a sample of massive young stellar objects made with the BIMA millimetre array. For most sources the continuum emission on the smallest scales at 2.7 mm is dominated by free-free emission from the stellar wind or jet. Strong emission at 1.4 mm shows the presence of significant dust associated with Cep A and GL 490 but our resolution is not sufficient to resolve any structure. The 2.7-mm emission from GL 490 is resolved but it is not clear whether we are seeing a single circumstellar disk or a secondary companion, although near-infrared data support the disk hypothesis. Estimates of the dust mass yield values of ∼1–4 M⊙ within radii of 150 to 1000 AU.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. e1500875 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hauyu Baobab Liu ◽  
Michihiro Takami ◽  
Tomoyuki Kudo ◽  
Jun Hashimoto ◽  
Ruobing Dong ◽  
...  

Stars may not accumulate their mass steadily, as was previously thought, but in a series of violent events manifesting themselves as sharp stellar brightening. These events can be caused by fragmentation due to gravitational instabilities in massive gaseous disks surrounding young stars, followed by migration of dense gaseous clumps onto the star. Our high-resolution near-infrared imaging has verified the presence of the key associated features, large-scale arms and arcs surrounding four young stellar objects undergoing luminous outbursts. Our hydrodynamics simulations and radiative transfer models show that these observed structures can indeed be explained by strong gravitational instabilities occurring at the beginning of the disk formation phase. The effect of those tempestuous episodes of disk evolution on star and planet formation remains to be understood.


2019 ◽  
Vol 621 ◽  
pp. L7 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Giannetti ◽  
S. Bovino ◽  
P. Caselli ◽  
S. Leurini ◽  
D. R. G. Schleicher ◽  
...  

Context. In cold and dense gas prior to the formation of young stellar objects, heavy molecular species (including CO) are accreted onto dust grains. Under these conditions H3+ and its deuterated isotopologues become more abundant, enhancing the deuterium fraction of molecules such as N2H+ that are formed via ion-neutral reactions. Because this process is extremely temperature sensitive, the abundance of these species is likely linked to the evolutionary stage of the source. Aims. We investigate how the abundances of o-H2D+ and N2D+ vary with evolution in high-mass clumps. Methods. We observed with APEX the ground-state transitions of o-H2D+ near 372 GHz, and N2D+(3–2) near 231 GHz for three massive clumps in different evolutionary stages. The sources were selected within the G351.77–0.51 complex to minimise the variation of initial chemical conditions, and to remove distance effects. We modelled their dust continuum emission to estimate their physical properties, and also modelled their spectra under the assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium to calculate beam-averaged abundances. Results. We find an anticorrelation between the abundance of o-H2D+ and that of N2D+, with the former decreasing and the latter increasing with evolution. With the new observations we are also able to provide a qualitative upper limit to the age of the youngest clump of about 105 yr, comparable to its current free-fall time. Conclusions. We can explain the evolution of the two tracers with simple considerations on the chemical formation paths, depletion of heavy elements, and evaporation from the grains. We therefore propose that the joint observation and the relative abundance of o-H2D+ and N2D+ can act as an efficient tracer of the evolutionary stages of the star-formation process.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (A30) ◽  
pp. 102-102
Author(s):  
Jungmi Kwon

AbstractMagnetic fields are ubiquitous in various scales of astronomical objects, and they are considered as playing significant roles from star to galaxy formations. However, the role of the magnetic fields in star forming regions is less well understood because conventional optical polarimetry is hampered by heavy extinction by dust. We have been conducting extensive near-infrared polarization survey of various star-forming regions from low- and intermediate-mass to high-mass star-forming regions, using IRSF/SIRPOL in South Africa. Not only linear but also circular polarizations have been measured for more than a dozen of regions. Both linear and circular polarimetric observations at near-infrared wavelengths are useful tools to study the magnetic fields in star forming regions, although infrared circular polarimetry has been less explored so far. In this presentation, we summarize our results of the near-infrared polarization survey of star forming regions and its comparison with recent submillimeter polarimetry results. Such multi-wavelength approaches can be extended to the polarimetry using ALMA, SPICA in future, and others. We also present our recent results of the first near-infrared imaging polarimetry of young stellar objects in the Circinus molecular cloud, which has been less studied but a very intriguing cluster containing numerous signs of active low-mass star formation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 922 (1) ◽  
pp. 27
Author(s):  
Benjamin Kidder ◽  
Gregory Mace ◽  
Ricardo López-Valdivia ◽  
Kimberly Sokal ◽  
Victoria E. Catlett ◽  
...  

Abstract We present measurements of the H- and K-band veiling for 141 young stellar objects (YSOs) in the Taurus-Auriga star-forming region using high-resolution spectra from the Immersion Grating Near-Infrared Spectrometer. In addition to providing measurements of r H and r K , we produce low-resolution spectra of the excess emission across the H and K bands. We fit temperatures to the excess spectra of 46 members of our sample and measure near-infrared excess temperatures ranging from 1200–2200 K, with an average of 1575 ± 225 K. We compare the luminosity of the excess continuum emission in Class II and Class III YSOs and find that a number of Class III sources display a significant amount of excess flux in the near-infrared. We conclude that the mid-infrared SED slope, and therefore young stellar object classification, is a poor predictor of the amount of near-infrared veiling. If the veiling arises in thermal emission from dust, its presence implies a significant amount of remaining inner-disk (<1 au) material in these Class III sources. We also discuss the possibility that the veiling effects could result from massive photospheric spots, unresolved binary companions, or accretion emission. Six low-mass members of our sample contain a prominent feature in their H-band excess spectra that is consistent with veiling from cool photospheric spots.


2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Kraus ◽  
Karl-Heinz Hofmann ◽  
Karl M. Menten ◽  
Dieter Schertl ◽  
Gerd Weigelt ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 616 ◽  
pp. A126 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Fedriani ◽  
A. Caratti o Garatti ◽  
D. Coffey ◽  
R. Garcia Lopez ◽  
S. Kraus ◽  
...  

Context. Protostellar jets in high-mass young stellar objects (HMYSOs) play a key role in the understanding of star formation and provide us with an excellent tool to study fundamental properties of HMYSOs. Aims. We aim at studying the physical and kinematic properties of the near-infrared (NIR) jet of IRAS 13481-6124 from au to parsec scales. Methods. Our study includes NIR data from the Very Large Telescope instruments SINFONI, CRIRES, and ISAAC. Information about the source and its immediate environment is retrieved with SINFONI. The technique of spectro-astrometry is performed with CRIRES to study the jet on au scales. The parsec-scale jet and its kinematic and dynamic properties are investigated using ISAAC. Results. The SINFONI spectra in H and K bands are rich in emission lines that are mainly associated with ejection and accretion processes. Spectro-astrometry is applied to the Brγ line, and for the first time, to the Brα line, revealing their jet origin with milliarcsecond-scale photocentre displacements (11−15 au). This allows us to constrain the kinematics of the au-scale jet and to derive its position angle (~216°). ISAAC spectroscopy reveals H2 emission along the parsec-scale jet, which allows us to infer kinematic and dynamic properties of the NIR parsec-scale jet. The mass-loss rate inferred for the NIR jet is Ṁejec ~ 10−4 M⊙ yr−1 and the thrust is Ṗ ~ 10−2 M⊙ yr−1 km s−1, which is roughly constant for the formation history of the young star. A tentative estimate of the ionisation fraction is derived for the massive jet by comparing the radio and NIR mass-loss rates. An ionisation fraction ≲8% is obtained, which means that the bulk of the ejecta is traced by the NIR jet and that the radio jet only delineates a small portion of it.


2022 ◽  
Vol 258 (1) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
Shi-Min Song ◽  
Xi Chen ◽  
Zhi-Qiang Shen ◽  
Bin Li ◽  
Kai Yang ◽  
...  

Abstract We report a new survey of the 12.2 GHz Class II methanol masers toward a sample of 367 sources with the 6.7 GHz methanol masers conducted with the Shanghai 65 m Tianma Radio Telescope. This sample has been previously made with observations of the radio continuum emission of UC H ii regions by the VLA. A total of 176 sources were detected with the 12.2 GHz methanol maser, with a detection rate of 48%, including 8 new detections. A lower detection rate (<10%) was determined toward the sources in the Galactic longitude ranges of 60°–180°, revealing that the physical environments from those sources in the Local arm or the tails of Galactic arms do not easily excite the 12.2 GHz masers. In addition, two detections of highly excited-state OH masers at the 13.4 GHz transition were made, one of which is a new detection. Compared to previous surveys, one-third of the detected 12.2 GHz masers show considerable flux variations, implying the possible changes of their physical environments associated with variable radiation fields from their host high-mass young stellar objects. A positive log–log correlation is found between the luminosities of the 6.7 and 12.2 GHz masers in our observed sample, suggesting that both the transition masers have similar excitation conditions. The statistical analysis for the relationships between the methanol maser luminosity and UC H ii region spatial size indicates that the maser luminosities of both the 6.7 and 12.2 GHz transitions have a decreasing trend with the spatial sizes of the associated UC H ii regions, indicating that the Class II methanol masers might fade away with the H ii region evolution.


2000 ◽  
Vol 197 ◽  
pp. 213-222
Author(s):  
Ji Yang ◽  
Yongqiang Yao

Jets and outflows are typical manifestations of the stellar mass loss process during the early stage of star formation. Optical and near-infrared (NIR) imaging of jets and outflows has become extremely popular recently, especially concerning large-scale surveys of Herbig-Haro (HH) objects, NIR imaging of jets and outflows driven by both low- and high-mass stars, and detailed imaging of jets and bow shocks at sub-arcsec resolution.Optical and IR observations of jets and outflows have revealed (1) cavities evacuated by the outflow motion; (2) bow shocks inside and near the surface of the jets and outflows; (3) exciting sources; (4) circumstellar disks responsible for collimating the jets and outflows; (5) sometimes a cluster instead of a single source from which the jets and outflows initiate; (6) bursts of jets and outflows in some regions. Large-scale surveys of HH objects and outflows have been done in a number of nearby regions including Taurus, Orion, and Perseus. The prominent results of these studies range from the discovery of parsec-scale jets and outflows to their large-scale distribution. These studies also begin to reveal the relation between outflow activity and the large-scale distribution of young stellar objects.


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