52 research outputs found
Disk masses in the Orion Molecular Cloud-2: distinguishing time and environment
The mass evolution of protoplanetary disks is driven by both internal
processes and external factors, such as photoevaporation. Disentangling these
two effects, however, has remained difficult. We measure the dust masses of a
sample of 132 disks in the Orion Molecular Cloud (OMC)-2 region, and compare
them to (i) externally photoevaporated disks in the Trapezium cluster, and (ii)
disks in nearby low-mass star forming regions (SFRs). This allows us to test if
initial disk properties are the same in high- and low-mass SFRs, and enables a
direct measurement of the effect of external photoevaporation on disks. A ~
mosaic of 3 mm continuum observations from the Atacama Large
Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) was used to measure the fluxes of 132
disks and 35 protostars >0.5 pc away from the Trapezium. We identify and
characterize a sample of 34 point sources not included in the Spitzer catalog
on which the sample is based. Of the disks, 37 (28%) are detected, with masses
ranging from 7-270 M_e. The detection rate for protostars is higher at 69%.
Disks near the Trapezium are found to be less massive by a factor
, implying a mass loss rate of M_sun/yr.
Our observations allow us to distinguish the impact of time and environment on
disk evolution in a single SFR. The disk mass distribution in OMC-2 is
statistically indistinguishable from that in nearby low-mass SFRs, like Lupus
and Taurus. We conclude that age is the main factor determining the evolution
of these disks. This result is robust with respect to assumptions of dust
temperature, sample incompleteness and biases. The difference between the OMC-2
and Trapezium cluster samples is consistent with mass loss driven by
far-ultraviolet radiation near the Trapezium. Together, this implies that in
isolation, disk formation and evolution proceed similarly, regardless of cloud
mass.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A. 16 pages, 6 figure
The HP2 Survey - IV. The Pipe nebula : Effective dust temperatures in dense cores
14 pages, 22 figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics Reproduced with permission from Astronomy & Astrophysics. © 2018 ESOMulti-wavelength observations in the sub-millimeter regime provide information on the distribution of both the dust column density and the effective dust temperature in molecular clouds. In this study, we created high-resolution and high-dynamic-range maps of the Pipe nebula region and explored the value of dust-temperature measurements in particular towards the dense cores embedded in the cloud. The maps are based on data from the Herschel and Planck satellites, and calibrated with a near-infrared extinction map based on 2MASS observations. We have considered a sample of previously defined cores and found that the majority of core regions contain at least one local temperature minimum. Moreover, we observed an anti-correlation between column density and temperature. The slope of this anti-correlation is dependent on the region boundaries and can be used as a metric to distinguish dense from diffuse areas in the cloud if systematic effects are addressed appropriately. Employing dust-temperature data thus allows us to draw conclusions on the thermodynamically dominant processes in this sample of cores: External heating by the interstellar radiation field and shielding by the surrounding medium. In addition, we have taken a first step towards a physically motivated core definition by recognising that the column-densityerature anti-correlation is sensitive to the core boundaries. Dust-temperature maps therefore clearly contain valuable information about the physical state of the observed medium.Peer reviewe
On the evolution of the observed Mass-to-Length relationship for star-forming filaments
Funding: J.F. acknowledges support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant No. 12041305) and the CAS International Cooperation Program (grant No. 114332KYSB20190009), and grants from the STFC and CSC 201904910935, without which, this work would not have been possible. R.J.S. gratefully acknowledges an STFC Ernest Rutherford fellowship (grant ST/N00485X/1). A.H. acknowledges support and funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement No. 851435). S.E.C. acknowledges support from the National Science Foundation under grant No. AST-2106607. D.S. acknowledges support of the Bonn-Cologne Graduate School, which is funded through the German Excellence Initiative as well as funding by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) via the Collaborative Research Center SFB 956 “Conditions and Impact of Star Formation” (subproject C6) and the SFB 1601 “Habitats of massive stars across cosmic time” (subprojects B1 and B4). Furthermore, D.S. received funding from the programme “Profilbildung 2020", an initiative of the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of Northrhine Westphalia.The interstellar medium is threaded by a hierarchy of filaments from large scales (∼100 pc) to small scales (∼0.1 pc). The masses and lengths of these nested structures may reveal important constraints for cloud formation and evolution, but it is difficult to investigate from an evolutionary perspective using single observations. In this work, we extract simulated molecular clouds from the ‘Cloud Factory’ galactic-scale ISM suite in combination with 3D Monte Carlo radiative transfer code POLARIS to investigate how filamentary structure evolves over time. We produce synthetic dust continuum observations in three regions with a series of snapshots and use the FILFINDER algorithm to identify filaments in the dust derived column density maps. When the synthetic filaments mass and length are plotted on an mass–length (M–L) plot, we see a scaling relation of L ∝ M0.45 similar to that seen in observations, and find that the filaments are thermally supercritical. Projection effects systematically affect the masses and lengths measured for the filaments, and are particularly severe in crowded regions. In the filament M–L diagram we identify three main evolutionary mechanisms: accretion, segmentation, and dispersal. In particular we find that the filaments typically evolve from smaller to larger masses in the observational M–L plane, indicating the dominant role of accretion in filament evolution. Moreover, we find a potential correlation between line mass and filament growth rate. Once filaments are actively star forming they then segment into smaller sections, or are dispersed by internal or external forces.Peer reviewe
On the density regime probed by HCN emission
HCN J10 emission is commonly used as a dense gas tracer,
thought to mainly arise from gas with densities $\mathrm{\sim 10^4\ -\ 10^5\
cm^{-3}}\mathrm{\sim 3 \times 10^3\ cm^{-3}}\mathrm{\sim 5\ mag}\mathrm{n \sim 3 \times 10^4\ cm^{-3}}A_{\rm V} > 8n > 2.85
\times 10^{3} \: {\rm cm^{-3}}n > 3 \times 10^{4} \: {\rm cm^{-3}}\alpha_{\rm HCN} = 6.79, 8.6227.98 \: {\rm M_{\odot}}
({\rm K \, km \, s^{-1} \, pc^{2}})$, respectively. In some cases, the
luminosity to mass conversion factor predicted mass in regions where in
actuality there contains no mass
The JCMT Transient Survey: An Extraordinary Submillimetre Flare in the T Tauri Binary System JW 566
The binary T Tauri system JW 566 in the Orion Molecular Cloud underwent an
energetic, short-lived flare observed at submillimetre wavelengths by the
SCUBA-2 instrument on 26 November 2016 (UT). The emission faded by nearly 50%
during the 31 minute integration. The simultaneous source fluxes averaged over
the observation are 500 +/- 107 mJy/beam at 450 microns and 466 +/- 47 mJy/beam
at 850 microns. The 850 micron flux corresponds to a radio luminosity of
erg/s/Hz, approximately one order of magnitude
brighter (in terms of ) than that of a flare of the young star
GMR-A, detected in Orion in 2003 at 3mm. The event may be the most luminous
known flare associated with a young stellar object and is also the first
coronal flare discovered at sub-mm wavelengths. The spectral index between 450
microns and 850 microns of is broadly consistent with
non-thermal emission. The brightness temperature was in excess of
K. We interpret this event to be a magnetic reconnection that
energised charged particles to emit gyrosynchrotron/synchrotron radiation.Comment: Accepted in ApJ. 16 pages (single column), 6 figure
The JCMT Transient Survey: An Extraordinary Submillimeter Flare in the T Tauri Binary System JW 566
© 2019 The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.The binary T Tauri system JW 566 in the Orion Molecular Cloud underwent an energetic, short-lived flare observed at submillimetre wavelengths by the SCUBA-2 instrument on 26 November 2016 (UT). The emission faded by nearly 50% during the 31 minute integration. The simultaneous source fluxes averaged over the observation are 500 +/- 107 mJy/beam at 450 microns and 466 +/- 47 mJy/beam at 850 microns. The 850 micron flux corresponds to a radio luminosity of erg/s/Hz, approximately one order of magnitude brighter (in terms of ) than that of a flare of the young star GMR-A, detected in Orion in 2003 at 3mm. The event may be the most luminous known flare associated with a young stellar object and is also the first coronal flare discovered at sub-mm wavelengths. The spectral index between 450 microns and 850 microns of is broadly consistent with non-thermal emission. The brightness temperature was in excess of K. We interpret this event to be a magnetic reconnection that energised charged particles to emit gyrosynchrotron/synchrotron radiation.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio
Using molecular gas observations to guide initial conditions for star cluster simulations
The earliest evolution of star clusters involves a phase of co-existence of both newly formed stars, and the gas from which they are forming. Observations of the gas in such regions provide a wealth of data that can inform the simulations which are needed to follow the evolution of such objects forward in time. We present a method for transforming the observed gas properties into initial conditions for simulations that include gas, stars, and ongoing star formation. We demonstrate our technique using the Orion Nebula Cluster. Since the observations cannot provide all the necessary information for our simulations, we make choices for the missing data and assess the impact of those choices. We find that the results are insensitive to the adopted choices of the gas velocity in the plane of the sky. The properties of the surrounding gas cloud (e.g. overall density and size), however, have an effect on the star formation rate and pace of assembly of the resultant star cluster. We also analyse the stellar properties of the cluster and find that the stars become more tightly clustered and in a stronger radial distribution even as new stars form in the filament
Using Molecular Gas Observations to Guide Initial Conditions for Star Cluster Simulations
The earliest evolution of star clusters involves a phase of co-existence of
both newly-formed stars, and the gas from which they are forming. Observations
of the gas in such regions provide a wealth of data that can inform the
simulations which are needed to follow the evolution of such objects forward in
time. We present a method for transforming the observed gas properties into
initial conditions for simulations that include gas, stars, and ongoing star
formation. We demonstrate our technique using the Orion Nebula Cluster. Since
the observations cannot provide all the necessary information for our
simulations, we make choices for the missing data and assess the impact of
those choices. We find that the results are insensitive to the adopted choices
of the gas velocity in the plane of the sky. The properties of the surrounding
gas cloud (e.g. overall density and size), however, have an effect on the star
formation rate and pace of assembly of the resultant star cluster. We also
analyze the stellar properties of the cluster and find that the stars become
more tightly clustered and in a stronger radial distribution even as new stars
form in the filament.Comment: 11 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
- …