Dome C observations of massive protostars

Abstract

The importance of a Dome C facility for studies of massive star formation is highlighted. Using an example of a statistical study of 380 candidate massive protostars based on the GLIMPSE legacy program data from the Spitzer Space Telescope, the relevance of a Dome C facility for further science progress is argued. The GLIMPSE point source photometry was used to a conduct colour-magnitude analysis, and radiative transfer modelling of the spectral energy distributions of the massive protostars. The results support an accretion scenario for the process of massive star formation up to masses of 50 M ๏ . The available spectral energy distrubutions of the massive protostellar candidates are largely inadequate in the crucial bands from 10–500 μ m. This wavelength range can be effectively filled in with a nominal Dome C observing facility which can be highly cost effective compared to a space facility. Narrow-band emission line imaging of massive star forming regions in the 10–20 micron bands using high temperature emission lines can yield invaluable information on the nature of OB stars in the Milky Way and nearby galaxies. Such observations are crucial for our understanding of the influence of OB stars in controlling the galactic turbulence, feedback effects, influence on other low mass stars in the vicinity, and controlling the star formation rate.