Near-infrared detection of H2 flows in the core of the Mon R1 association

Abstract

ABSTRACT We report the discovery of four new H2 jets in the Mon R1 star-forming region in images obtained with the 2.5-m telescope of the Caucasian Mountain Observatory of Sternberg Astronomical Institute (SAI), Moscow State University (MSU) through a filter centred on the H2 1–0 S(1) emission line. This discovery confirms the nature of these flows, the existence of which was previously suspected from archival Spitzer GLIMPSE360 and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) survey images. Also, two infrared reflection nebulae were revealed. On Herschel Photodetecting Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS) survey images, we found a small group of far-infrared sources, mostly unknown ones; among them are the possible exciting objects of these outflows. Spectral energy distributions of the new sources show their extremely red colour and bolometric luminosities reaching 3 L⊙ and even 10 L⊙. They are thought to be pre-main-sequence (PMS) objects in the very early evolutionary stages.