290 research outputs found
Gaia astrometric science performance - post-launch predictions
The standard errors of the end-of-mission Gaia astrometry have been
re-assessed after conclusion of the in-orbit commissioning phase of the
mission. An analytical relation is provided for the parallax standard error as
function of Gaia G magnitude (and V-I colour) which supersedes the pre-launch
relation provided in de Bruijne (2012).Comment: To be published in the proceedings of the GREAT-ITN conference "The
Milky Way Unravelled by Gaia: GREAT Science from the Gaia Data Releases", 1-5
December 2014, University of Barcelona, Spain, EAS Publications Series, eds
Nicholas Walton, Francesca Figueras, and Caroline Soubira
Initial phases of massive star formation in high infrared extinction clouds. II. Infall and onset of star formation
The onset of massive star formation is not well understood because of
observational and theoretical difficulties. To find the dense and cold clumps
where massive star formation can take place, we compiled a sample of high
infrared extinction clouds, which were observed previously by us in the 1.2 mm
continuum emission and ammonia. We try to understand the star-formation stages
of the clumps in these high extinction clouds by studying the infall and
outflow properties, the presence of a young stellar object (YSO), and the level
of the CO depletion through a molecular line survey with the IRAM 30m and APEX
12m telescopes. Moreover, we want to know if the cloud morphology, quantified
through the column density contrast between the clump and the clouds, has an
impact on the star formation occurring inside it. We find that the HCO+(1-0)
line is the most sensitive for detecting infalling motions. SiO, an outflow
tracer, was mostly detected toward sources with infall, indicating that infall
is accompanied by collimated outflows. The presence of YSOs within a clump
depends mostly on its column density; no signs of YSOs were found below 4E22
cm-2. Star formation is on the verge of beginning in clouds that have a low
column density contrast; infall is not yet present in the majority of the
clumps. The first signs of ongoing star formation are broadly observed in
clouds where the column density contrast between the clump and the cloud is
higher than two; most clumps show infall and outflow. Finally, the most evolved
clumps are in clouds that have a column density contrast higher than three;
almost all clumps have a YSO, and in many clumps, the infall has already
halted. Hence, the cloud morphology, based on the column density contrast
between the cloud and the clumps, seems to have a direct connection with the
evolutionary stage of the objects forming inside
Anomalous peculiar motions of high-mass young stars in the Scutum spiral arm
We present trigonometric parallax and proper motion measurements toward 22
GHz water and 6.7 GHz methanol masers in 16 high-mass star-forming regions.
These sources are all located in the Scutum spiral arm of the Milky Way. The
observations were conducted as part of the Bar and Spiral Structure Legacy
(BeSSeL) survey. A combination of 14 sources from a forthcoming study and 14
sources from the literature, we now have a sample of 44 sources in the Scutum
spiral arm, covering a Galactic longitude range from 0 to 33. A
group of 16 sources shows large peculiar motions of which 13 are oriented
toward the inner Galaxy. A likely explanation for these high peculiar motions
is the combined gravitational potential of the spiral arm and the Galactic bar.Comment: 27 pages, 52 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication in A&
Trigonometric Parallaxes of High Mass Star Forming Regions: the Structure and Kinematics of the Milky Way
Over 100 trigonometric parallaxes and proper motions for masers associated
with young, high-mass stars have been measured with the BeSSeL Survey, a VLBA
key science project, the EVN, and the Japanese VERA project. These measurements
provide strong evidence for the existence of spiral arms in the Milky Way,
accurately locating many arm segments and yielding spiral pitch angles ranging
from 7 to 20 degrees. The widths of spiral arms increase with distance from the
Galactic center. Fitting axially symmetric models of the Milky Way with the 3-D
position and velocity information and conservative priors for the solar and
average source peculiar motions, we estimate the distance to the Galactic
center, Ro, to be 8.34 +/- 0.16 kpc, a circular rotation speed at the Sun, To,
to be 240 +/- 8 km/s, and a rotation curve that is nearly flat (a slope of -0.2
+/- 0.4 km/s/kpc) between Galactocentric radii of 5 and 16 kpc. Assuming a
"universal" spiral galaxy form for the rotation curve, we estimate the thin
disk scale length to be 2.44 +/- 0.16 kpc. The parameters Ro and To are not
highly correlated and are relatively insensitive to different forms of the
rotation curve. Adopting a theoretically motivated prior that high-mass star
forming regions are in nearly circular Galactic orbits, we estimate a global
solar motion component in the direction of Galactic rotation, Vsun = 14.6 +/-
5.0 km/s. While To and Vsun are significantly correlated, the sum of these
parameters is well constrained, To + Vsun = 255.2 +/- 5.1 km/s, as is the
angular speed of the Sun in its orbit about the Galactic center, (To + Vsun)/Ro
= 30.57 +/- 0.43 km/s/kpc. These parameters improve the accuracy of estimates
of the accelerations of the Sun and the Hulse-Taylor binary pulsar in their
Galactic orbits, significantly reducing the uncertainty in tests of
gravitational radiation predicted by general relativity.Comment: 38 pages, 6 tables, 6 figures; v2 fixed typos and updated pulsar
section; v3 replaced fig 2 (wrong file
Organic molecules in the protoplanetary disk of DG Tau revealed by ALMA
Planets form in protoplanetary disks and inherit their chemical compositions.
It is thus crucial to map the distribution and investigate the formation of
simple organics, such as formaldehyde and methanol, in protoplanetary disks. We
analyze ALMA observations of the nearby disk-jet system around the T Tauri star
DG Tau in the o-HCO and CHOH E,
A transitions at an unprecedented resolution of ,
i.e., au at a distance of 121 pc. The HCO emission originates from
a rotating ring extending from au with a peak at au, i.e., at
the edge of the 1.3mm dust continuum. CHOH emission is not detected down to
an r.m.s. of 3 mJy/beam in the 0.162 km/s channel. Assuming an ortho-to-para
ratio of 1.8-2.8 the ring- and disk-height-averaged HCO column density is
cm, while that of CHOH is
cm. In the inner au no o-HCO emission
is detected with an upper limit on its beam-averaged column density of
cm. The HCO ring in the disk of DG Tau is
located beyond the CO iceline (R au). This suggests that the
HCO abundance is enhanced in the outer disk due to formation on grain
surfaces by the hydrogenation of CO ice. The emission peak at the edge of the
mm dust continuum may be due to enhanced desorption of HCO in the gas phase
caused by increased UV penetration and/or temperature inversion. The
CHOH/HCO abundance ratio is , in agreement with disk chemistry
models. The inner edge of the HCO ring coincides with the radius where the
polarization of the dust continuum changes orientation, hinting at a tight link
between the HCO chemistry and the dust properties in the outer disk and at
the possible presence of substructures in the dust distribution.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication on A&A Letter
Techniques for Accurate Parallax Measurements for 6.7-GHz Methanol Masers
The BeSSeL Survey is mapping the spiral structure of the Milky Way by
measuring trigonometric parallaxes of hundreds of maser sources associated with
high-mass star formation. While parallax techniques for water masers at high
frequency (22 GHz) have been well documented, recent observations of methanol
masers at lower frequency (6.7 GHz) have revealed astrometric issues associated
with signal propagation through the ionosphere that could significantly limit
parallax accuracy. These problems displayed as a "parallax gradient" on the sky
when measured against different background quasars. We present an analysis
method in which we generate position data relative to an "artificial quasar" at
the target maser position at each epoch. Fitting parallax to these data can
significantly mitigate the problems and improve parallax accuracy
Italian Science Case for ALMA Band 2+3
The Premiale Project "Science and Technology in Italy for the upgraded ALMA
Observatory - iALMA" has the goal of strengthening the scientific,
technological and industrial Italian contribution to the Atacama Large
Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), the largest ground based international
infrastructure for the study of the Universe in the microwave. One of the main
objectives of the Science Working Group (SWG) inside iALMA, the Work Package 1,
is to develop the Italian contribution to the Science Case for the ALMA Band 2
or Band 2+3 receiver. ALMA Band 2 receiver spans from ~67 GHz (bounded by an
opaque line complex of ozone lines) up to 90 GHz which overlaps with the lower
frequency end of ALMA Band 3. Receiver technology has advanced since the
original definition of the ALMA frequency bands. It is now feasible to produce
a single receiver which could cover the whole frequency range from 67 GHz to
116 GHz, encompassing Band 2 and Band 3 in a single receiver cartridge, a so
called Band 2+3 system. In addition, upgrades of the ALMA system are now
foreseen that should double the bandwidth to 16 GHz. The science drivers
discussed below therefore also discuss the advantages of these two enhancements
over the originally foreseen Band 2 system.Comment: 43 pages, 21 figure
Clustered star formation and outflows in AFGL 2591
We report on a detailed study of the water maser kinematics and radio
continuum emission toward the most massive and young object in the star-forming
region AFGL 2591. Our analysis shows at least two spatial scales of multiple
star formation, one projected across 0.1 pc on the sky and another one at about
2000 AU from a ZAMS star of about 38 Solar masses. This young stellar object
drives a powerful jet- and wind-driven outflow system with the water masers
associated to the outflow walls, previously detected as a limb-brightened
cavity in the NIR band. At about 1300 AU to the north of this object a younger
protostar drives two bow shocks, outlined by arc-like water maser emission, at
200 AU either side of the source. We have traced the velocity profile of the
gas that expands along these arc-like maser structures and compared it with the
jet-driven outflow model. This analysis suggests that the ambient medium around
the northern protostar is swept up by a jet-driven shock (>66 km/s) and perhaps
a lower-velocity (~10 km/s) wind with an opening angle of about 20 degrees from
the jet axis.Comment: 21 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables, accepted by The Astrophysical Journa
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