160 research outputs found
Planar infall of CH3OH gas around Cepheus A HW2
Aims: In order to test the nature of an (accretion) disk in the vicinity of
Cepheus A HW2, we measured the three-dimensional velocity field of the CH3OH
maser spots, which are projected within 1000au of the HW2 object, with an
accuracy of the order of 0.1km/s. Methods: We made use of the European VLBI
Network (EVN) to image the 6.7GHz CH3OH maser emission towards Cepheus A HW2
with 4.5 milli-arcsecond resolution (3au). We observed at three epochs spaced
by one year between 2013 and 2015. During the last epoch, on mid-march 2015, we
benefited from the new deployed Sardinia Radio Telescope. Results: We show that
the CH3OH velocity vectors lie on a preferential plane for the gas motion with
only small deviations of 12+/-9 degrees away from the plane. This plane is
oriented at a position angle of 134 degrees east of north, and inclined by 26
degrees with the line-of-sight, closely matching the orientation of the
disk-like structure previously reported by Patel et al.(2005). Knowing the
orientation of the equatorial plane, we can reconstruct a face-on view of the
CH3OH gas kinematics onto the plane. CH3OH maser emission is detected within a
radius of 900au from HW2, and down to a radius of about 300au, the latter
coincident with the extent of the dust emission at 0.9mm. The velocity field is
dominated by an infall component of about 2km/s down to a radius of 300au,
where a rotational component of 4km/s becomes dominant. We discuss the nature
of this velocity field and the implications for the enclosed mass. Conclusions:
These findings bring direct support to the interpretation that the high-density
gas and dust emission, surrounding Cepheus A HW2, trace an accretion disk.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables, accepted by Astronomy & Astrophysic
Distribution and excitation of thermal methanol in 6.7 GHz maser bearing star-forming regions. I. The nearby source Cepheus A
Context. Candidate high-mass star-forming regions can be identified through the occurrence of 6.7 GHz methanol masers. In these sources the methanol abundance of the gas must be enhanced, because the masers require a considerable methanol path length. The place and time of origin of this enhancement is not well known. Similarly, it is debated in which of the physical components of the high-mass star-forming region the masers are located.Aims. The aim of this study is to investigate the distribution and excitation of the methanol gas around Cep A and to describe the physical conditions of the region. In addition the large-scale abundance distribution is determined to understand the morphology and kinematics of star-forming regions in which methanol masers occur.Methods. The spatial distribution of methanol is studied by mapping the line emission, as well as the column density and excitation temperature, which are estimated using rotation diagrams. For a limited number of positions the parameters are checked with non-LTE models. Furthermore, the distribution of the methanol abundance is derived in comparison with archival dust continuum maps.Results. Methanol is detected over a 0.3x0.15 pc area centred on the Cep A HW2 source and shows an outflow signature. Most of the gas can be characterized by a moderately warm rotation temperature (30-60 K). At the central position two velocity components are detected with different excitation characteristics, the first related to the large-scale outflow. The second component, uniquely detected at the central location, is probably associated with the maser emission on much smaller scales of 2 ''. A detailed analysis reveals that the highest densities and temperatures occur for these inner components. In the inner region the dust and gas are shown to have different physical parameters.Conclusions. Abundances of methanol in the range 10(-9)-10(-7) are inferred, with the abundance peaking at the maser position. The geometry of the large-scale methanol is in accordance with previous determinations of the Cep A geometry, in particular those from methanol masers. The dynamical and chemical time-scales are consistent with a scenario where the methanol originates in a single driving source associated with the HW2 object and the masers in its equatorial region.</p
VALES: IV. Exploring the transition of star formation efficiencies between normal and starburst galaxies using APEX/SEPIA Band-5 and ALMA at low redshift
In this work we present new APEX/SEPIA Band-5 observations targeting the CO
() emission line of 24 Herschel-detected galaxies at .
Combining this sample {with} our recent new Valpara\'iso ALMA Line Emission
Survey (VALES), we investigate the star formation efficiencies (SFEs =
SFR/) of galaxies at low redshift. We find the SFE of our sample
bridges the gap between normal star-forming galaxies and Ultra-Luminous
Infrared Galaxies (ULIRGs), which are thought to be triggered by different star
formation modes. Considering the as the SFR and the
ratio, our data show a continuous and smooth increment as a function of
infrared luminosity (or star formation rate) with a scatter about 0.5 dex,
instead of a steep jump with a bimodal behaviour. This result is due to the use
of a sample with a much larger range of sSFR/sSFR using LIRGs, with
luminosities covering the range between normal and ULIRGs. We conclude that the
main parameters controlling the scatter of the SFE in star-forming galaxies are
the systematic uncertainty of the conversion factor, the gas
fraction and physical size.Comment: 9pages, 7 figures, 1 table, accepted for publication in MNRA
Magnetic field regulated infall on the disc around the massive protostar Cepheus A HW2
We present polarization observations of the 6.7-GHz methanol masers around
the massive protostar Cepheus A HW2 and its associated disc. The data were
taken with the Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network. The maser
polarization is used to determine the full three-dimensional magnetic field
structure around Cepheus A HW2. The observations suggest that the masers probe
the large scale magnetic field and not isolated pockets of a compressed field.
We find that the magnetic field is predominantly aligned along the protostellar
outflow and perpendicular to the molecular and dust disc. From the
three-dimensional magnetic field orientation and measurements of the magnetic
field strength along the line of sight, we are able to determine that the high
density material, in which the masers occurs, is threaded by a large scale
magnetic field of ~23 mG. This indicates that the protostellar environment at
~1000 AU from Cepheus A HW2 is slightly supercritical (lambda approximately
1.7) and the relation between density and magnetic field is consistent with
collapse along the magnetic field lines. Thus, the observations indicate that
the magnetic field likely regulates accretion onto the disc. The magnetic field
dominates the turbulent energies by approximately a factor of three and is
sufficiently strong to be the crucial component stabilizing the massive
accretion disc and sustaining the high accretion rates needed during massive
star-formation.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures; accepted for publication in MNRAS. High
resolution version can be found at
http://www.astro.uni-bonn.de/~wouter/papers/papers.shtm
Dynamics of the 6.7 and 12.2 GHz methanol masers around Cepheus A HW2
The 6.7 GHz methanol maser is exclusively associated with high-mass star
formation. However, it remains unclear what structures harbour the methanol
masers. Cepheus A is one of the closest regions of massive star formation,
making it an excellent candidate for detailed studies. We determine the
dynamics of maser spots in the high-mass star-forming region Cepheus A in order
to infer where and when the maser emission occurs. Very long baseline
interferometry (VLBI) observations of the 6.7 and 12.2 GHz methanol masers
allows for mapping their spatial and velocity distribution. Phase-referencing
is used to determine the astrometric positions of the maser emission, and
multi-epoch observations can reveal 3D motions. The 6.7 GHz methanol masers are
found in a filamentary structure over ~1350 AU, straddling the waist of the
radio jet HW2. The positions agree well with previous observations of both the
6.7 and 12.2 GHz methanol masers. The velocity field of the maser spots does
not show any sign of rotation, but is instead consistent with an infall
signature. The 12.2 GHz methanol masers are closely associated with the 6.7 GHz
methanol masers, and the parallax that we derive confirms previous
measurements. We show that the methanol maser emission very likely arises in a
shock interface in the equatorial region of Cepheus A HW2 and presents a model
in which the maser emission occurs between the infalling gas and the accretion
disk/process.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures; accepted for publication in Astronomy and
Astrophysic
Orion-KL Observations with the Extended Tuning Range of the New SEPIA660 APEX Facility Instrument
During Science Verification of the new SEPIA660 facility receiver at APEX, we carried out a shallow line survey of the archetypal Kleinmann- Low Nebula in the Orion star forming region (Orion-KL). These observations cover the tuning range towards the band edges, which has recently been extended beyond ALMA Band 9 specifications. At these frequencies, atmospheric transmission is very low but still sufficient to detect bright lines in Orion-KL. We present the collected spectra and compare with surveys from the literature, demonstrating the capabilities of the instrument
Multiomics in the central Arctic Ocean for benchmarking biodiversity change.
Multiomics approaches need to be applied in the central Arctic Ocean to benchmark biodiversity change and to identify novel species and their genes. As part of MOSAiC, EcoOmics will therefore be essential for conservation and sustainable bioprospecting in one of the least explored ecosystems on Earth
The SEDIGISM survey: First Data Release and overview of the Galactic structure
The SEDIGISM (Structure, Excitation and Dynamics of the Inner Galactic Interstellar Medium) survey used the APEX telescope to map 84 deg of the Galactic plane between ℓ = −60° and +31° in several molecular transitions, including CO (2 – 1) and CO (2 – 1), thus probing the moderately dense (∼10 cm) component of the interstellar medium. With an angular resolution of 30 arcsec and a typical 1σ sensitivity of 0.8–1.0 K at 0.25 km s velocity resolution, it gives access to a wide range of structures, from individual star-forming clumps to giant molecular clouds and complexes. The coverage includes a good fraction of the first and fourth Galactic quadrants, allowing us to constrain the large-scale distribution of cold molecular gas in the inner Galaxy. In this paper, we provide an updated overview of the full survey and the data reduction procedures used. We also assess the quality of these data and describe the data products that are being made publicly available as part of this First Data Release (DR1). We present integrated maps and position–velocity maps of the molecular gas and use these to investigate the correlation between the molecular gas and the large-scale structural features of the Milky Way such as the spiral arms, Galactic bar and Galactic Centre. We find that approximately 60 per cent of the molecular gas is associated with the spiral arms and these appear as strong intensity peaks in the derived Galactocentric distribution. We also find strong peaks in intensity at specific longitudes that correspond to the Galactic Centre and well-known star-forming complexes, revealing that the CO emission is concentrated in a small number of complexes rather than evenly distributed along spiral arms
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