8,537 research outputs found
On the heating of source of the Orion KL hot core
We present images of the J=10-9 rotational lines of HC3N in the vibrationally
excited levels 1v7, 1v6 and 1v5 of the hot core (HC) in Orion KL. The images
show that the spatial distribution and the size emission from the 1v7 and 1v5
levels are different. While the J=10-9 1v7 line has a size of 4''x 6'' and
peaks 1.1'' NE of the 3 mm continuum peak, the J=10--9 1v5 line emission is
unresolved (<3'') and peaks 1.3'' south of the 3 mm peak. This is a clear
indication that the HC is composed of condensations with very different
temperatures (170 K for the 1v7 peak and K for the 1v5 peak). The
temperature derived from the 1v7 and 1v5 lines increases with the projected
distance to the suspected main heating source I. Projection effects along the
line of sight could explain the temperature gradient as produced by source I.
However, the large luminosity required for source I, >5 10^5 Lsolar, to explain
the 1v5 line suggests that external heating by this source may not dominate the
heating of the HC. Simple model calculations of the vibrationally excited
emission indicate that the HC can be internally heated by a source with a
luminosity of 10^5 Lsolar, located 1.2'' SW of the 1v5 line peak (1.8'' south
of source I). We also report the first detection of high-velocity gas from
vibrationally excited HC3N emission. Based on excitation arguments we conclude
that the main heating source is also driving the molecular outflow. We
speculate that all the data presented in this letter and the IR images are
consistent with a young massive protostar embedded in an edge-on disk.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, To be published in Ap.J. Letter
The role of low-mass star clusters in massive star formation. The Orion Case
To distinguish between the different theories proposed to explain massive
star formation, it is crucial to establish the distribution, the extinction,
and the density of low-mass stars in massive star-forming regions. We analyze
deep X-ray observations of the Orion massive star-forming region using the
Chandra Orion Ultradeep Project (COUP) catalog. We studied the stellar
distribution as a function of extinction, with cells of 0.03 pc x 0.03 pc, the
typical size of protostellar cores. We derived stellar density maps and
calculated cluster stellar densities. We found that low-mass stars cluster
toward the three massive star-forming regions: the Trapezium Cluster (TC), the
Orion Hot Core (OHC), and OMC1-S. We derived low-mass stellar densities of
10^{5} stars pc^{-3} in the TC and OMC1-S, and of 10^{6} stars pc^{-3} in the
OHC. The close association between the low-mass star clusters with massive star
cradles supports the role of these clusters in the formation of massive stars.
The X-ray observations show for the first time in the TC that low-mass stars
with intermediate extinction are clustered toward the position of the most
massive star, which is surrounded by a ring of non-extincted low-mass stars.
This 'envelope-core' structure is also supported by infrared and optical
observations. Our analysis suggests that at least two basic ingredients are
needed in massive star formation: the presence of dense gas and a cluster of
low-mass stars. The scenario that better explains our findings assumes high
fragmentation in the parental core, accretion at subcore scales that forms a
low-mass stellar cluster, and subsequent competitive accretion. Finally,
although coalescence does not seem a common mechanism for building up massive
stars, we show that a single stellar merger may have occurred in the evolution
of the OHC cluster, favored by the presence of disks, binaries, and gas
accretion.Comment: 17 pages, 11 figures, 3 Tables. Accepted for publication in A&
A new intermediate mass protostar in the Cepheus A HW2 region
We present the discovery of the first molecular hot core associated with an
intermediate mass protostar in the CepA HW2 region. The hot condensation was
detected from single dish and interferometric observations of several high
excitation rotational lines (from 100 to 880K above the ground state) of SO2 in
the ground vibrational state and of HC3N in the vibrationally excited states
v7=1 and v7=2. The kinetic temperature derived from both molecules is 160K. The
high-angular resolution observations (1.25'' x 0.99'') of the SO2
J=28(7,21)-29(6,24) line (488K above the ground state) show that the hot gas is
concentrated in a compact condensation with a size of 0.6''(430AU), located
0.4'' (300AU) east from the radio-jet HW2. The total SO2 column density in the
hot condensation is 10E18cm-2, with a H2 column density ranging from 10E23 to 6
x 10E24cm-2. The H2 density and the SO2 fractional abundance must be larger
than 10E7cm-3 and 2 x 10E-7 respectively. The most likely alternatives for the
nature of the hot and very dense condensation are discussed. From the large
column densities of hot gas, the detection of the HC3N vibrationally excited
lines and the large SO2 abundance, we favor the interpretation of a hot core
heated by an intermediate mass protostar of 10E3 Lo. This indicates that the
CepA HW2 region contains a cluster of very young stars
Wigner Crystal State for the Edge Electrons in the Quantum Hall Effect at Filling
The electronic excitations at the edges of a Hall bar not much wider than a
few magnetic lengths are studied theoretically at filling . Both
mean-field theory and Luttinger liquid theory techniques are employed for the
case of a null Zeeman energy splitting. The first calculation yields a stable
spin-density wave state along the bar, while the second one predicts dominant
Wigner-crystal correlations along the edges of the bar. We propose an
antiferromagnetic Wigner-crystal groundstate for the edge electrons that
reconciles the two results. A net Zeeman splitting is found to produce canting
of the antiferromagnetic order.Comment: 22 pgs. of PLAIN TeX, 1 fig. in postscript, published versio
- …