Near-infrared integral field spectroscopy of massive young stellar objects

Abstract

We present medium-resolution (R ≈ 5300) K-band integral field spectroscopy of six massive young stellar objects (MYSOs). The targets are selected from the Red MSX Source (RMS) survey, and we used the ALTAIR adaptive optics assisted Near-Infrared Integral Field Spectrometer (NIFS) mounted on the Gemini North telescope. The data show various spectral line features including Brγ, CO, H2 and He i. The Brγ line is detected in emission in all objects with vFWHM ∼ 100–200 km s−1. V645 Cyg shows a high-velocity P-Cygni profile between −800 and −300 km s−1. We performed three-dimensional spectroastrometry to diagnose the circumstellar environment in the vicinity of the central stars using the Brγ line. We measured the centroids of the velocity components with sub-mas precision. The centroids allow us to discriminate the blueshifted and redshifted components in a roughly east–west direction in both IRAS 18151−1208 and S106 in Brγ. This lies almost perpendicular to observed larger scale outflows. We conclude, given the widths of the lines and the orientation of the spectroastrometric signature, that our results trace a disc wind in both IRAS 18151−1208 and S106. The CO ν = 2–0 absorption lines at low J transitions are detected in IRAS 18151−1208 and AFGL 2136. We analysed the velocity structure of the neutral gas discs, which we find to have nearly Keplerian motions. In IRAS 18151−1208, the absorption centroids of the blueshifted and redshifted components are separated in a direction of north-east to south-west, nearly perpendicular to that of the larger scale H2 jet. The position–velocity relations of these objects can be reproduced with central masses of 30 M⊙ for IRAS 18151−1208 and 20 M⊙ for AFGL 2136. We also detect CO ν = 2–0 bandhead emission in IRAS 18151−1208, S106 and V645 Cyg. The results can be fitted reasonably with a Keplerian rotation model, with masses of 15, 20 and 20 M⊙, respectively. These results for a sample of MYSOs can be explained with disc and outflow models and support the hypothesis of massive star formation via mass accretion through discs as is the case for lower mass counterparts.