Dense Molecular Cloud Cores Research Articles

New Panoramic View of 12CO and 1.1 mm Continuum Emission in the Orion A Giant Molecular Cloud. I. Survey Overview and Possible External Triggers of Star Formation

Abstract We present new, wide, and deep images in the 1.1 mm continuum and the $^{12}$CO ($J$$=$ 1–0) emission toward the northern part of the Orion A Giant Molecular Cloud (Orion-A GMC). The 1.1 mm data were taken with the AzTEC camera mounted on the Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment (ASTE) 10 m telescope in Chile, and the $^{12}$CO ($J$$=$ 1–0) data were with the 25 beam receiver (BEARS) on the Nobeyama Radio Observatory (NRO) 45 m telescope in the On-The-Fly (OTF) mode. The present AzTEC observations are the widest (1$^\circ\!\!\!.$7 $\times$ 2$^\circ\!\!\!.$3, corresponding to 12 pc $\times$ 17 pc) and the highest-sensitivity ($\sim\ $9 mJy beam$^{-1}$) 1.1 mm dust-continuum imaging of the Orion-A GMC with an effective spatial resolution of $\sim\ $40$”$. The $^{12}$CO ($J$$=$ 1–0) image was taken over the northern 1$^\circ\!\!\!.$2 $\times$ 1$^\circ\!\!\!.$2 (corresponding 9 pc $\times$ 9 pc) area with a sensitivity of 0.93 K in $T_{\rm MB}$, a velocity resolution of 1.0 km s$^{-1}$, and an effective spatial resolution of 21$”$. With these data, together with the MSX 8$\ \mu$m, Spitzer 24$\ \mu$m, and the 2MASS data, we have investigated the detailed structure and kinematics of molecular gas associated with the Orion-A GMC, and have found evidence for interactions between molecular clouds and the external forces that may trigger star formation. Two types of possible triggers were revealed: (1) Collisions of the diffuse gas on the cloud surface, particularly at the eastern side of the OMC-2/3 region, and (2) Irradiation of UV on the pre-existing filaments and dense molecular cloud cores. Our wide-field and high-sensitivity imaging has provided the first comprehensive view of the potential sites of triggered star formation in the Orion-A GMC.

Star Formation in the Orion A Molecular Cloud

We present new, wide, and deep images in the AzTEC/ASTE 1.1 mm continuum and the 12 CO (J = 1–0) emission toward the northern part of the Orion-A GMC. We have found evidence for interactions between molecular clouds and the external forces that may trigger star formation. Two types of possible triggers were revealed: (1) Collisions of the diffuse gas on the cloud surface, particularly at the eastern side of the OMC-2/3 region, and (2) Irradiation of UV on the pre-existing filaments and dense molecular cloud cores. Our wide-field and high-sensitivity imaging has provided the first comprehensive view of the potential sites of triggered star formation in the Orion-A GMC.

Extended emission of D2H+in a prestellar core

Context: In the last years, the H2D+ and D2H+ molecules have gained great attention as probes of cold and depleted dense molecular cloud cores. These ions are at the basis of molecular deuterium fractionation, a common characteristic observed in star forming regions. H2D+ is now routinely observed, but the search for its isotopologue D2H+ is still difficult because of the high frequency of its ground para transition (692 GHz). Aims: We have observed molecular transitions of H2D+ and D2H+ in a cold prestellar core to characterize the roots of deuterium chemistry. Methods: Thanks to the sensitive multi-pixel CHAMP+ receiver on the APEX telescope where the required excellent weather conditions are met, we not only successfully detect D2H+ in the H-MM1 prestellar core located in the L1688 cloud, but also obtain information on the spatial extent of its emission. We also detect H2D+ at 372 GHz in the same source. We analyse these detections using a non-LTE radiative transfer code and a state-of-the-art spin-dependent chemical model. Results: This observation is the first secure detection of D2H+ in space. The emission is moreover extended over several pixels of the CHAMP+ array, i.e. on a scale of at least 40'', corresponding to ~ 4800 AU. We derive column densities on the order of 1e12-1e13 cm-2 for both molecules in the LTE approximation depending on the assumed temperature, and up to two orders of magnitude higher based on a non-LTE analysis. Conclusions: Our modeling suggests that the level of CO depletion must be extremely high (>10, and even >100 if the temperature of the core is around 10 K) at the core center, in contradiction with CO depletion levels directly measured in other cores. Observation of the H2D+ spatial distribution and direct measurement of the CO depletion in H-MM1 will be essential to confirm if present chemical models investigating the basis of deuterium [...].

A multiwavelength view of the protostellar binary IRAS 04325+2402: a case for turbulent fragmentation

IRAS 04325+2402 (hereinafter IRAS 04325) is a complex protostellar system hosting two young stellar objects (AB and C) at a separation of 1250 au. Here, we present a new deep Gemini imaging and spectroscopy for the system covering the wavelength regime from 1 to 12 μm as well as Submillimeter Array interferometry at 870 μm, in combination with Spitzer and literature data. Based on this rich data set, we provide a comprehensive picture of IRAS 04325 over scales from a few au to several parsec. Object AB is a low-mass star with a disc/envelope system and an outflow cavity, which is prominently seen in infrared images. Object C, previously suspected to be a brown dwarf, is likely a very low mass star, with an effective temperature of ∼3400 K. It features an edge-on disc and an elongated envelope, and shows strong indications for accretion and ejection activities. Both objects are likely to drive parsec-scale molecular outflows. The two objects are embedded in an isolated, dense molecular cloud core. High extinction, lack of X-ray emission, and relatively high bolometric luminosity argue for a very young age below 1 Myr. The disc/outflow systems of objects AB and C are misaligned by ∼60° against each other and by 80° and 40° against the orbital plane of the binary. The system might be a good case for primordial misalignment, as opposed to misalignment caused by dynamical interactions, because the outflow direction is constant and the realignment time-scale is likely larger than the system age. This favours turbulent fragmentation, rather than rotational fragmentation, as the formation scenario. We show that the spectral energy distributions and images for the two objects can be reproduced with radiative transfer models for disc/envelope systems. Our analysis provides reassurance in the established paradigm for the structure and early evolution of young stellar objects, but stresses the importance of developing three-dimensional models with sophisticated dust chemistry.

WHO PULLED THE TRIGGER: A SUPERNOVA OR AN ASYMPTOTIC GIANT BRANCH STAR?

The short-lived radioisotope $^{60}$Fe requires production in a core collapse supernova or AGB star immediately before its incorporation into the earliest solar system solids. Shock waves from a somewhat distant supernova, or a relatively nearby AGB star, have the right speeds to simultaneously trigger the collapse of a dense molecular cloud core and to inject shock wave material into the resulting protostar. A new set of FLASH2.5 adaptive mesh refinement hydrodynamical models shows that the injection efficiency depends sensitively on the assumed shock thickness and density. Supernova shock waves appear to be thin enough to inject the amount of shock wave material necessary to match the short-lived radioisotope abundances measured for primitive meteorites. Planetary nebula shock waves from AGB stars, however, appear to be too thick to achieve the required injection efficiencies. These models imply that a supernova pulled the trigger that led to the formation of our solar system.

Spectral scan of the star-forming region DR21(OH). Observations and LTE analysis

Seventy-eight molecules have been detected as a result of a spectral survey of the star-forming region DR21(OH) at 84-115 GHz. The abundances of most molecules are typical of those in the dense cores of molecular clouds. The rotational temperatures derived using the lines of most molecules fall in the range 9-56 K, which is also typical for dense cores. However, emission from high-lying levels of methanol and sulfur dioxide was detected; since the rotational temperatures for methanol and sulfur dioxide are 252 and 186 K, this indicates the presence of hot regions. Another fact indicating the existence of hot regions is the detection of CH3OCHO, CH3CH2OH, and CH3OCH3, which have thus far been observed only in hot cores and shock-heated regions. An interesting result is the tentative detection of the J = 2 - 1, v = 1 SiO line, with the upper level energy of 1775 K. This is probably a maser line, similar to but weaker than the well-known SiO masers in the star-forming regions Orion-KL,W51(N), and Sgr B2(N).

Intense star formation within resolved compact regions in a galaxy at z = 2.3

Massive galaxies in the early Universe have been shown to be forming stars at surprisingly high rates. Prominent examples are dust-obscured galaxies which are luminous when observed at sub-millimetre wavelengths and which may be forming stars at a rate of 1,000 solar masses (M(middle dot in circle)) per year. These intense bursts of star formation are believed to be driven by mergers between gas-rich galaxies. Probing the properties of individual star-forming regions within these galaxies, however, is beyond the spatial resolution and sensitivity of even the largest telescopes at present. Here we report observations of the sub-millimetre galaxy SMMJ2135-0102 at redshift z = 2.3259, which has been gravitationally magnified by a factor of 32 by a massive foreground galaxy cluster lens. This magnification, when combined with high-resolution sub-millimetre imaging, resolves the star-forming regions at a linear scale of only 100 parsecs. We find that the luminosity densities of these star-forming regions are comparable to the dense cores of giant molecular clouds in the local Universe, but they are about a hundred times larger and 10(7) times more luminous. Although vigorously star-forming, the underlying physics of the star-formation processes at z approximately 2 appears to be similar to that seen in local galaxies, although the energetics are unlike anything found in the present-day Universe.

The approach to collapse of molecular clouds

The dense molecular cloud cores that form stars, like other self-gravitating objects, undergo bulk oscillations. Just at the point of gravitational instability, their fundamental oscillation mode has zero frequency. We study, using perturbation theory, the evolution of a spherical cloud that possesses such a frozen mode. We find that the cloud undergoes a prolonged epoch of subsonic, accelerating contraction. This slow contraction occurs whether the cloud is initially inflated or compressed by the oscillation. The subsonic motion described here could underlie the spectral infall signature observed in many starless dense cores.

A search for small-scale clumpiness in dense cores of molecular clouds

We have analyzed HCN(1-0) and CS(2-1) line profiles obtained with high signal-to-noise ratios toward distinct positions in three selected objects in order to search for small-scale structure in molecular cloud cores associated with regions of high-mass star formation. In some cases, ripples were detected in the line profiles, which could be due to the presence of a large number of unresolved small clumps in the telescope beam. The number of clumps for regions with linear scales of ∼0.2–0.5 pc is determined using an analytical model and detailed calculations for a clumpy cloud model; this number varies in the range: ∼2 × 104–3 × 105, depending on the source. The clump densities range from ∼3 × 105–106 cm−3, and the sizes and volume filling factors of the clumps are ∼(1–3) × 10−3 pc and ∼0.03–0.12. The clumps are surrounded by inter-clump gas with densities not lower than ∼(2–7) × 104 cm−3. The internal thermal energy of the gas in the model clumps is much higher than their gravitational energy. Their mean lifetimes can depend on the inter-clump collisional rates, and vary in the range ∼104–105 yr. These structures are probably connected with density fluctuations due to turbulence in high-mass star-forming regions.

Observations of the Goldreich-Kylafis effect in star-forming regions with XPOL at the IRAM 30 m telescope

Context. The Goldreich-Kylafis (GK) effect causes certain molecular line emission to be weakly linearly polarized, e.g., in the presence of a magnetic field. Compared to polarized dust emission, the GK effect potentially yields additional information along the line of sight through its dependence on velocity in the line profile. Aims. Our goal was to detect polarized molecular line emission toward the DR21(OH), W3OH/H2O, G34.3+0.2, and UYSO 1 dense molecular cloud cores in transitions of rare CO isotopologues and CS. The feasibility of such observations had to be established by studying the influence of polarized sidelobes, e.g., in the presence of extended emission in the surroundings of compact sources. Methods. The observations were carried out with the IRAM 30 m telescope employing the correlation polarimeter XPOL and using two orthogonally polarized receivers. We produced beam maps to investigate instrumental polarization. Results. While a polarized signal is found in nearly all transitions toward all sources, its degree of polarization in only one case surpasses the polarization that can be expected from instrumental effects. It is shown that any emission in the polarized sidelobes of the system can produce instrumental polarization, even if the source is unpolarized. Tentative evidence of astronomically polarized line emission with pL 1.5% was found in the CS(2-1) line toward G34.3+0.2.

A representative particle approach to coagulation and fragmentation of dust aggregates and fluid droplets

Context: There is increasing need for good algorithms for modeling the aggregation and fragmentation of solid particles (dust grains, dust aggregates, boulders) in various astrophysical settings, including protoplanetary disks, planetary- and sub-stellar atmospheres and dense molecular cloud cores. Here we describe a new algorithm that combines advantages of various standard methods into one. Aims: The aim is to develop a method that 1) can solve for aggregation and fragmentation, 2) can easily include the effect and evolution of grain properties such as compactness, composition, etc., and 3) can be built as a coagulation/fragmentation module into a hydrodynamics simulations. Methods: We develop a Monte-Carlo method in which we follow the 'life' of a limited number of representative particles. Each of these particles is associated with a certain fraction of the total dust mass and thereby represents a large number of true particles which all are assumed to have the same properties as their representative particle. Under the assumption that the total number of true particles vastly exceeds the number of representative particles, the chance of a representative particle colliding with another representative particle is negligibly small, and we therefore ignore this possibility. This now makes it possible to employ a statistical approach to the evolution of the representative particles. Results: The method reproduces the known analytic solutions of simplified coagulation kernels, and compares well to numerical results for Brownian motion using other methods. For reasonably well-behaved kernels it produces good results even for moderate number of swarms.

Low-Mass Star-Forming Cores in the GF9 Filament

Abstract We carried out an unbiased mapping survey of dense molecular cloud cores traced by the NH$_3$ (1,1) and (2,2) inversion lines in the GF9 filament, which contains an extremely young low-mass protostar, GF9-2 (2006, ApJ, 653, 1369). The survey was conducted using the Nobeyama 45m telescope over a region of $\sim$1.5D$\times$1$^{\circ}$ with an angular resolution of 73". The large-scale map revealed that the filament contains at least 7 dense cores, as well as 3 possible ones, located at regular intervals of $\sim$0.9pc. Our analysis shows that these cores have kinetic temperatures of $\lesssim$10K and LTE-masses of 1.8-8.2M⊙, which makes them typical sites of low-mass star formation. All of the identified cores are likely to be gravitationally unstable, because their LTE-masses are larger than their virial masses. Since the LTE-masses and separations of the cores are consistent with the Jeans masses and lengths, respectively, for the low-density ambient gas, we argue that the identified cores formed via the gravitational fragmentation of the natal filamentary cloud.

OVRO N2H+Observations of Class 0 Protostars: Constraints on the Formation of Binary Stars

We present the results of an interferometric study of the N2H+(1--0) emission from nine nearby, isolated, low-mass protostellar cores, using the OVRO millimeter array. The main goal of this study is the kinematic characterization of the cores in terms of rotation, turbulence, and fragmentation. Eight of the nine objects have compact N2H+ cores with FWHM radii of 1200 -- 3500 AU, spatially coinciding with the thermal dust continuum emission. The only more evolved (Class I) object in the sample (CB 188) shows only faint and extended N2H+ emission. The mean N2H+ line width was found to be 0.37 km/s. Estimated virial masses range from 0.3 to 1.2 M_sun. We find that thermal and turbulent energy support are about equally important in these cores, while rotational support is negligible. The measured velocity gradients across the cores range from 6 to 24 km/s/pc. Assuming these gradients are produced by bulk rotation, we find that the specific angular momenta of the observed Class 0 protostellar cores are intermediate between those of dense (prestellar) molecular cloud cores and the orbital angular momenta of wide PMS binary systems. There appears to be no evolution (decrease) of angular momentum from the smallest prestellar cores via protostellar cores to wide PMS binary systems. In the context that most protostellar cores are assumed to fragment and form binary stars, this means that most of the angular momentum contained in the collapse region is transformed into orbital angular momentum of the resulting stellar binary systems.

Improved Rest Frequencies of HCO + at 1 THz

The ground-state rotational spectrum of HCO+, produced in a negative-glow discharge cell, has been recorded up to 892 GHz. The sources of systematic error have been carefully accounted for, thus obtaining accurate rotational and centrifugal distortion constants. The present measurements have allowed us to determine a value of the sextic distortion constant, HJ, which, unlike the recent determination of Lattanzi et al., is consistent with the values determined for DCO+ and for the isoelectronic molecule HCN. The new set of spectroscopic constants allows us to predict the rotational spectrum of the formyl ion with an accuracy of 1 part in 108 near 1 THz. Such an accuracy is important for kinematic studies of dense cores in molecular clouds and for future far-infrared observations.

A deeply embedded young protoplanetary disk around L1489 IRS observed by the Submillimeter Array

Circumstellar disks are expected to form early in the process that leads to the formation of a young star, during the collapse of the dense molecular cloud core. It is currently not well understood at what stage of the collapse the disk is formed or how it subsequently evolves. We aim to identify whether an embedded Keplerian protoplanetary disk resides in the L1489 IRS system. Given the amount of envelope material still present, such a disk would respresent a very young example of a protoplanetary disk. Using the Submillimeter Array (SMA) we have observed the HCO$^+$ $J=$ 3--2 line with a resolution of about 1$''$. At this resolution a protoplanetary disk with a radius of a few hundred AUs should be detectable, if present. Radiative transfer tools are used to model the emission from both continuum and line data. We find that these data are consistent with theoretical models of a collapsing envelope and Keplerian circumstellar disk. Models reproducing both the SED and the interferometric continuum observations reveal that the disk is inclined by 40$^\circ$ which is significantly different to the surrounding envelope (74$^\circ$). This misalignment of the angular momentum axes may be caused by a gradient within the angular momentum in the parental cloud or if L1489 IRS is a binary system rather than just a single star. In the latter case, future observations looking for variability at sub-arcsecond scales may be able to constrain these dynamical variations directly. However, if stars form from turbulent cores, the accreting material will not have a constant angular momentum axis (although the average is well defined and conserved) in which case it is more likely to have a misalignment of the angular momentum axes of the disk and the envelope.

The mass function of dense molecular cores and the origin of the IMF

Context: Stars form in the cold dense cores of interstellar molecular clouds and the detailed knowledge of the spectrum of masses of such cores is clearly a key for the understanding of the origin of the IMF. To date, observations have presented somewhat contradictory evidence relating to this issue. Aims: In this paper we propose to derive the mass function of a complete sample of dense molecular cores in a single cloud employing a robust method that uses uses extinction of background starlight to measure core masses and enables the reliable extension of such measurements to lower masses than previously possible. Methods: We use a map of near-infrared extinction in the nearby Pipe dark cloud to identify the population of dense cores in the cloud and measure their masses. Results: We identify 159 dense cores and construct the mass function for this population. We present the first robust evidence for a departure from a single power-law form in the mass function of a population of cores and find that this mass function is surprisingly similar in shape to the stellar IMF but scaled to a higher mass by a factor of about 3. This suggests that the distribution of stellar birth masses (IMF) is the direct product of the dense core mass function and a uniform star formation efficiency of 30%+/-10%, and that the stellar IMF may already be fixed during or before the earliest stages of core evolution. These results are consistent with previous dust continuum studies which suggested that the IMF directly originates from the core mass function. The typical density of ~10^4/cm^3 measured for the dense cores in this cloud suggests that the mass scale that characterizes the dense core mass function may be the result of a simple process of thermal (Jeans) fragmentation.

Variability of the NGC 1333 IRAS 4A Outflow: Silicon Monoxide Observations

The NGC 1333 IRAS 4A region was observed in the SiO v = 0 J = 1 → 0 line with an angular resolution of about 2''. The SiO map revealed highly collimated outflows consisting of compact emission peaks. The map shows at least two outflows: the main bipolar outflow in the northeast-southwest direction and a shorter one toward the south. The main outflow displays a sharp bend in the middle of the northeastern lobe. The existence of a dense molecular cloud core just north of the bend suggests that the outflow may have been deflected as a result of jet-core collision. This explanation is also supported by the asymmetric morphology of the bipolar outflow, the good collimation and complicated kinematics of the deflected flow, the low-velocity emission from the molecular gas near the bend, and the enhancement of SiO emission in the deflected flow. The projected deflection angle is about 34°, and a significant fraction of the kinetic energy of the outflow may have been transferred to the ambient cloud through the collision process. Since the main outflow is highly collimated, it was possible to identify the driving source. The longer main outflow is probably driven by IRAS 4A2, the secondary member of the protobinary system, and the shorter southern outflow by A1, the primary. Possible explanations for this anticorrelation between outflow and accretion include a delay of the onset of outflow activity in A1 and a reversal of accretion rates between binary components.

Near‐Infrared Imaging of the Star Formation Region AFGL 5142

Near-infrared JHK' and H2 v = 1-0 S(1) imaging observations of the star-forming region AFGL 5142 are presented. A cluster of young stars is confirmed to be embedded in the dense molecular cloud core. Many point sources are newly detected. The cluster's K'-magnitude distribution and [H - K'] color peak have brighter and redder magnitudes than those outside the cluster. Many of the cluster sources exhibit infrared excesses typical of T Tauri stars, Herbig Ae/Be stars, and protostars. The observations also reveal new H2 line emission around the cluster, exhibiting several jets, filaments, and a faint elliptical structure. The jets are associated with the CO outflows in the region. The powering sources of the jets, the CO outflows, and the small faint elliptical structure are identified and analyzed individually. The strong H2 jets and faint diffuse emission further confirm that the cluster is in an early stage of evolution.

Laboratory and space spectroscopy of DCO+

The rotational spectra of and its two isotopomers and , produced in a negative glow discharge cell, have been recorded in the 137–792 GHz region, which includes lines from up to . The determined rotational and centrifugal distortion constants allow to predict the rotational spectrum up to 1000 GHz with an accuracy of 1 part in 108 or better. This is important for kinematic studies of dense molecular cloud cores and for future far–infrared observations. We also report on the first detection of the hyperfine structure of the (1–0) line made at the IRAM 30 m antenna, toward the quiescent starless cloud core L1512, in the Taurus Molecular Cloud. We point out that this is the first observation of the hyperfine splitting due to the deuteron. This allowed us to quantify the effects of the hyperfine splitting on the line width determination; if the hyperfine structure is not taken into account in the line fit, the (1–0) line width is overestimated by a significant factor (2).

The effect of the ionization rate on the chemical composition of dense cores of dark molecular clouds

The effect of variations in the rate of ionization of neutral chemical species by cosmic rays, ζ, on the abundances of some observed molecules in the dense cores of dark molecular clouds is studied. Changes in molecular abundances accompanying an increased (decreased) ionization rate have a single origin: the acceleration (deceleration) of processes that are affected directly or indirectlybychemical reactions with charged species. In addition to affecting the gas-phase chemistry, an increased cosmic-ray flux leads to the more efficient destruction of dust-grain mantles and also accelerates the freezing of some components onto dust. In particular, in a model with an increased ζ, the destruction of the volatile N2 molecule by ionized helium leads to the rapid accumulation of nitrogen atoms in dust-phase ammonia, which has a higher desorption energythan N2. As a result, the gas-phase abundance of NH3 and N2H+ decreases significantly. This mechanism can explain the unusual chemical structures of some dense globules, such as B68, where surprisingly low abundances of nitrogen-bearing molecules are observed together with a central drop in the NH3 and N2H+ column densities. Observations of clouds in HCN and HNC lines can discriminate between the two possible origins of the reduced NH3 and N2H+ abundances: an increased cosmic-ray flux or N2 freezing due to the higher desorption energy of this molecule.