520 research outputs found
GGD 27: X-rays from a Massive Protostar with an Outflow
We report the discovery of a cluster of Class I protostars in GGD 27. One of these protostars is the previously known, centrally located, GGD 27-ILL, which powers a massive bipolar outflow. We show that GGD 27-ILL, which is known to be the bright infrared (IR) source, IRAS 18162-2048, and a compact radio continuum source, is also the newly discovered hard X-ray source, GGD 27-X. The observations were made with the ACIS instrument on the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The X-rays from GGD 27-X are variable when compared with 4 years earlier, with an unabsorbed 2-10 keV X-ray luminosity in this observation of 1.5-12 × 10^31 erg s^–1 and a plasma temperature of ≥ 10^7 K. The X-rays are probably associated with the underlying B0 star (rather than outflowing material), providing a rare glimpse in hard X-rays of an optically obscured massive protostar with an outflow. The X-ray luminosity and spectrum appear to be consistent with stars of its type in other star formation regions. Several other variable X-ray sources are also detected in the IR cluster that contains GGD 27-X. We also discuss another nearby cluster. In each of the clusters there is an object that is X-ray hard, highly absorbed at low energies, in a blank optical/IR/radio field, and variable in X-ray intensity by a factor of ≥ 10 on a timescale of 4 years. These latter objects may arise from more recent episodes of star formation or may be "hidden" Class III sources
Circumstellar Disks in the Outer Galaxy: the Star-Forming Region NGC 1893
It is still debated whether star formation process depends on environment. In
particular it is yet unclear whether star formation in the outer Galaxy, where
the environmental conditions are, theoretically, less conducive, occurs in the
same way as in the inner Galaxy. We investigate the population of NGC1893, a
young cluster ~3-4 Myr in the outer part of the Galaxy (galactic radius >11
Kpc), to explore the effects of environmental conditions on star forming
regions. We present infrared observations acquired using the IRAC camera
onboard the Spitzer Space Telescope and analyze the color-color diagrams to
establish the membership of stars with excesses. We also merge this information
with that obtained from Chandra ACIS-I observations, to identify the Class III
population. We find that the cluster is very rich, with 242 PMS Classical
T-Tauri stars and 7 Class 0/I stars. We identify 110 Class III candidate
cluster members in the ACIS-I field of view. We estimate a disk fraction for
NGC1893 of about 67%, similar to fractions calculated for nearby star forming
regions of the same age. Although environmental conditions are unfavorable,
star formation can clearly be very successful in the outer Galaxy, allowing
creation of a very rich cluster like NGC1893.Comment: 10 pages,7 figures,4 table
The Distance to NGC 2264
We determine the distance to the open cluster NGC 2264 using a statistical
analysis of cluster member inclinations. We derive distance-dependent values of
sin i (where i is the inclination angle) for 97 stars in NGC 2264 from the
rotation periods, luminosities, effective temperatures, and projected
equatorial rotation velocities, v sin i, measured for these stars. We have
measured 96 of the v sin i values in our sample by analyzing high-resolution
spectra with a cross-correlation technique. We model the observed distribution
of sin i for the cluster by assuming that member stars have random axial
orientations and by adopting prescriptions for the measurement errors in our
sample. By adjusting the distance assumed in the observed sin i distribution
until it matches the modeled distribution, we obtain a best-fit distance for
the cluster. We find the data to be consistent with a distance to NGC 2264 of
913 pc. Quantitative tests of our analysis reveals uncertainties of 40 and 110
pc due to sampling and systematic effects, respectively. This distance estimate
suggests a revised age for the cluster of 1.5 Myrs, although more detailed
investigations of the full cluster membership are required to draw strong
conclusions.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figure
New Young Star Candidates in CG4 and Sa101
The CG4 and Sa101 regions together cover a region of ~0.5 square degree in
the vicinity of a "cometary globule" that is part of the Gum Nebula. There are
seven previously identified young stars in this region; we have searched for
new young stars using mid- and far-infrared data (3.6 to 70 microns) from the
Spitzer Space Telescope, combined with ground-based optical data and
near-infrared data from the Two-Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS). We find infrared
excesses in all 6 of the previously identified young stars in our maps, and we
identify 16 more candidate young stars based on apparent infrared excesses.
Most (73%) of the new young stars are Class II objects. There is a tighter
grouping of young stars and young star candidates in the Sa101 region, in
contrast to the CG4 region, where there are fewer young stars and young star
candidates, and they are more dispersed. Few likely young objects are found in
the "fingers" of the dust being disturbed by the ionization front from the
heart of the Gum Nebula.Comment: Accepted for publication in A
Rotation of Low-mass Stars in Taurus with K2
We present an analysis of K2 light curves (LCs) from Campaigns 4 and 13 for members of the young (~3 Myr) Taurus association, in addition to an older (~30 Myr) population of stars that is largely in the foreground of the Taurus molecular clouds. Out of 156 of the highest-confidence Taurus members, we find that 81% are periodic. Our sample of young foreground stars is biased and incomplete, but nearly all stars (37/38) are periodic. The overall distribution of rotation rates as a function of color (a proxy for mass) is similar to that found in other clusters: the slowest rotators are among the early M spectral types, with faster rotation toward both earlier FGK and later M types. The relationship between period and color/mass exhibited by older clusters such as the Pleiades is already in place by Taurus age. The foreground population has very few stars but is consistent with the USco and Pleiades period distributions. As found in other young clusters, stars with disks rotate on average slower, and few with disks are found rotating faster than ~2 days. The overall amplitude of the LCs decreases with age, and higher-mass stars have generally lower amplitudes than lower-mass stars. Stars with disks have on average larger amplitudes than stars without disks, though the physical mechanisms driving the variability and the resulting LC morphologies are also different between these two classes
Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer Observations of the Evolution of Massive Star-forming Regions
We present the results of a mid-infrared survey of 11 outer Galaxy massive star-forming regions and 3 open clusters with data from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). Using a newly developed photometric scheme to identify young stellar objects and exclude extragalactic contamination, we have studied the distribution of young stars within each region. These data tend to support the hypothesis that latter generations may be triggered by the interaction of winds and radiation from the first burst of massive star formation with the molecular cloud material leftover from that earlier generation of stars. We dub this process the "fireworks hypothesis" since star formation by this mechanism would proceed rapidly and resemble a burst of fireworks. We have also analyzed small cutout WISE images of the structures around the edges of these massive star-forming regions. We observe large (1-3 pc size) pillar and trunk-like structures of diffuse emission nebulosity tracing excited polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules and small dust grains at the perimeter of the massive star-forming regions. These structures contain small clusters of emerging Class I and Class II sources, but some are forming only a single to a few new stars
Spitzer Observations of IC 2118
IC 2118, also known as the Witch Head Nebula, is a wispy, roughly cometary,
~5 degree long reflection nebula, and is thought to be a site of triggered star
formation. In order to search for new young stellar objects (YSOs), we have
observed this region in 7 mid- and far-infrared bands using the Spitzer Space
Telescope and in 4 bands in the optical using the U. S. Naval Observatory
40-inch telescope. We find infrared excesses in 4 of the 6 previously-known T
Tauri stars in our combined infrared maps, and we find 6 entirely new candidate
YSOs, one of which may be an edge-on disk. Most of the YSOs seen in the
infrared are Class II objects, and they are all in the "head" of the nebula,
within the most massive molecular cloud of the region.Comment: Accepted to Ap
Ysovar: The First Sensitive, Wide-area, Mid-infrared Photometric Monitoring of the Orion Nebula Cluster
We present initial results from time-series imaging at infrared wavelengths of 0.9 deg^2 in the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC). During Fall 2009 we obtained 81 epochs of Spitzer 3.6 and 4.5 μm data over 40 consecutive days. We extracted light curves with ~3% photometric accuracy for ~2000 ONC members ranging from several solar masses down to well below the hydrogen-burning mass limit. For many of the stars, we also have time-series photometry obtained at optical (I_c) and/or near-infrared (JK_s ) wavelengths. Our data set can be mined to determine stellar rotation periods, identify new pre-main-sequence eclipsing binaries, search for new substellar Orion members, and help better determine the frequency of circumstellar disks as a function of stellar mass in the ONC. Our primary focus is the unique ability of 3.6 and 4.5 μm variability information to improve our understanding of inner disk processes and structure in the Class I and II young stellar objects (YSOs). In this paper, we provide a brief overview of the YSOVAR Orion data obtained in Fall 2009 and highlight our light curves for AA-Tau analogs—YSOs with narrow dips in flux, most probably due to disk density structures passing through our line of sight. Detailed follow-up observations are needed in order to better quantify the nature of the obscuring bodies and what this implies for the structure of the inner disks of YSOs
Rotation of Late-Type Stars in Praesepe with K2
We have Fourier analyzed 941 K2 light curves of likely members of Praesepe,
measuring periods for 86% and increasing the number of rotation periods (P) by
nearly a factor of four. The distribution of P vs. (V-K), a mass proxy, has
three different regimes: (V-K)<1.3, where the rotation rate rapidly slows as
mass decreases; 1.3<(V-K)<4.5, where the rotation rate slows more gradually as
mass decreases; and (V-K)>4.5, where the rotation rate rapidly increases as
mass decreases. In this last regime, there is a bimodal distribution of
periods, with few between 2 and 10 days. We interpret this to mean
that once M stars start to slow down, they do so rapidly. The K2 period-color
distribution in Praesepe (790 Myr) is much different than in the Pleiades
(125 Myr) for late F, G, K, and early-M stars; the overall distribution
moves to longer periods, and is better described by 2 line segments. For mid-M
stars, the relationship has similarly broad scatter, and is steeper in
Praesepe. The diversity of lightcurves and of periodogram types is similar in
the two clusters; about a quarter of the periodic stars in both clusters have
multiple significant periods. Multi-periodic stars dominate among the higher
masses, starting at a bluer color in Praesepe ((V-K)1.5) than in the
Pleiades ((V-K)2.6). In Praesepe, there are relatively more light curves
that have two widely separated periods, 6 days. Some of these could
be examples of M star binaries where one star has spun down but the other has
not.Comment: Accepted by Ap
CSI 2264: Simultaneous optical and X-ray variability in pre-Main Sequence stars. I: Time resolved X-ray spectral analysis during optical dips and accretion bursts in stars with disks
Pre-main sequence stars are variable sources. In stars with disks, this
variability is related to the morphology of the inner circumstellar region
(<0.1 AU) and that of the photosphere and corona, all impossible to be
spatially resolved with present day techniques. This has been the main
motivation for the Coordinated Synoptic Investigation of NGC 2264. In this
paper, we focus on the stars with disks. We analyze the X-ray spectral
properties extracted during optical bursts and dips in order to unveil the
nature of these phenomena. We analyze simultaneous CoRoT and Chandra/ACIS-I
observations to search for coherent optical and X-ray flux variability in stars
with disks. Then, stars are analyzed in two different samples. In stars with
variable extinction, we look for a simultaneous increase of optical extinction
and X-ray absorption during the optical dips; in stars with accretion bursts,
we search for soft X-ray emission and increasing X-ray absorption during the
bursts. Results. We find evidence for coherent optical and X-ray flux
variability among the stars with variable extinction. In 9/24 stars with
optical dips, we observe a simultaneous increase of X-ray absorption and
optical extinction. In seven dips, it is possible to calculate the NH/AV ratio
in order to infer the composition of the obscuring material. In 5/20 stars with
optical accretion bursts, we observe increasing soft X-ray emission during the
bursts that we associate to the emission of accreting gas. It is not surprising
that these properties are not observed in all the stars with dips and bursts,
since favorable geometric configurations are required. The observed variable
absorption during the dips is mainly due to dust-free material in accretion
streams. In stars with accretion bursts, we observe on average a larger soft
X-ray spectral component not observed in non accreting stars.Comment: Accepted for publication by Astronomy & Astrophysic
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