Abstract
ABSTRACT Radiative feedback can influence subsequent star formation. We quantify the heating from OB stars in the local star-forming regions in the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) Gould Belt Survey. Dust temperatures are calculated from 450/850 $\mu$m flux ratios from SCUBA-2 observations at the JCMT assuming a fixed dust opacity spectral index β = 1.8. Mean dust temperatures are calculated for each submillimetre clump along with projected distances from the main OB star in the region. Temperature versus distance is fitted with a simple model of dust heating by the OB star radiation plus the interstellar radiation field and dust cooling through optically thin radiation. Classifying the heating sources by spectral type, O-type stars produce the greatest clump average temperature rises and largest heating extent, with temperatures of over 40 K and significant heating out to at least 2.4 pc. Early-type B stars (B4 and above) produce temperatures of over 20 K and significant heating over 0.4 pc. Late-type B stars show a marginal heating effect within 0.2 pc. For a given projected distance, there is a significant scatter in clump temperatures that is due to local heating by other luminous stars in the region, projection effects, or shadowing effects. Even in these local, ‘low-mass’ star-forming regions, radiative feedback is having an effect on parsec scales, with 24 per cent of the clumps heated to at least 3 K above the 15 K base temperature expected from heating by only the interstellar radiation field, and a mean dust temperature for heated clumps of 24 K.
Highlights
Radiative feedback from young, higher mass stars is thought to affect subsequent star formation by heating the gas and reducing fragmentation (Bate 2009; Howard, Pudritz & Harris 2016).We have been exploring the observational evidence for this effect in a series of papers looking at heating in local star-forming regions observed as part of the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) Gould Belt Survey (GBS; Ward-Thompson et al 2007), Perseus NGC 1333 (Hatchell et al 2013), Serpens MWC297 (Rumble et al 2015), and the Aquila W40 complex (Rumble et al 2016)
In regions with OB stars, the distribution is shifted to higher temperatures with a median temperature of 21 K compared to 15 K for regions without OB stars
Regions with OB stars have a factor of 3.3 more pixels above 20 K than regions without OB stars
Summary
Radiative feedback from young, higher mass stars is thought to affect subsequent star formation by heating the gas and reducing fragmentation (Bate 2009; Howard, Pudritz & Harris 2016).We have been exploring the observational evidence for this effect in a series of papers looking at heating in local star-forming regions observed as part of the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) Gould Belt Survey (GBS; Ward-Thompson et al 2007), Perseus NGC 1333 (Hatchell et al 2013), Serpens MWC297 (Rumble et al 2015), and the Aquila W40 complex (Rumble et al 2016). Using dust colour temperatures derived from submillimetre ratios, we have found evidence that OB stars heat the dust in nearby filaments and cores and potentially increase their stability against gravitational collapse through raising the Jeans mass. These nearby regions are thought of as low-mass starforming regions (with the exception of Orion A), there are O or B stars associated with several of them. Because only one or two OB stars are associated with each region, it is simpler to consider the influence of those stars on the surrounding cloud material than in high-mass star-forming regions, where the heating effect of several stars is combined.
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