The nature of a primary jet within a circumbinary disc outflow in a young stellar system

Abstract

ABSTRACT Most stars form in binaries, and both stars may grow by accreting material from a circumbinary disc on to their own discs. We suspect that in many cases a wide molecular wind will envelope a collimated atomic jet emanating from close to an orbiting young star. This so-called circumbinary scenario is explored here in order to find common identifiable properties. The dynamical set-up is studied with three-dimensional simulations with chemistry and cooling included. We extract the properties on scales of order 100 au and compare to the co-orbital scenario in which the wind and jet sources are in orbit. We find that the rapid orbital motion generates a wide ionized sheath around the jet core with a large opening angle at the base. This is independent of the presence of the surrounding molecular outflow. However, the atomic jet is recollimated beyond ∼55 au when the molecular outflow restricts the motion of the ambient medium which, in turn, confines the jet. These physical properties are related to the optical H α imaging, providing a means of distinguishing between models. The high excitation sheath and recollimation region can be explored on these scales through the next generation of instruments. However, in general, the amount and location of the ionized material, whether in the knots or the sheath, will depend on several parameters including the orbital period, axis alignment, and pulse amplitude.