High-mass Star-forming Regions Research Articles

Fine structure and kinematics of the ionized and molecular gas in the jet and disk around S255IR NIRS3 from high-resolution ALMA observations

We present observations of the high-mass star-forming region S255IR, which harbors the sim 20 M protostar NIRS3, where a disk-mediated accretion burst was recorded several years ago. The angular resolution of these observations, of sim 15 mas, corresponds to sim 25 au, which is almost an order of magnitude better than in the previous studies of this object. The observations were performed with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) at a wavelength of 0.9 mm in continuum and in several molecular lines. In the continuum, we detect the central bright source (brightness temperature of sim 850 K) elongated along the jet direction and two pairs of bright knots in the jet lobes. These pairs of knots imply a double ejection from NIRS3 with a time interval of sim 1.5 years. The orientation of the jet differs by sim 20$^ from that on larger scales, as also mentioned in some other recent works. The 0.9 mm continuum emission of the central source represents a mixture of the dust thermal emission and free-free emission of the ionized gas. Certain properties of the free-free emission are typical of hypercompact regions. In the continuum emission of the knots in the jet, the free-free component apparently dominates. In the molecular lines, a sub-Keplerian disk is observed around NIRS3 of about 400 au in diameter. The absorption features in the molecular lines toward the central bright source may indicate an infall. The molecular line emission appears highly inhomogeneous at small scales, which may indicate a small-scale clumpiness in the disk.

Embedded Young Stellar Objects near H72.97-69.39: A Forming Super Star Cluster in N79

We present 102 embedded young stellar object (YSO) candidates associated with the H72.97-69.39 super star cluster (SSC) in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). With the use of the James Webb Space Telescope Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) imaging mode, we utilize an F770W – F1000W versus F1000W color–magnitude diagram to select 70 YSO candidates. An additional 27 YSO candidates are selected based on model fitting using the four MIRI imaging filters employed for this study (F770W, F1000W, F1500W, and F2100W). The central region of H72.97-69.39 is saturated in MIRI imaging, however it is covered by observations made with the Medium Resolution Spectrometer (MRS), leading to the identification of five additional massive YSOs. The total star formation rate inferred based on the 102 YSO candidates is 0.02 M ⊙ yr−1, similar to other high-mass star-forming regions in the LMC which have undergone several generations of starburst events. Due to its young age, however, H72.97-69.39's stellar production rate is expected to increase. The central five YSOs identified with MRS have masses ranging from 21.1 to 40.3 M ⊙ and total luminosity over 106 L ⊙, making H72.97-69.39 a very compact and luminous star-forming region similar to other known SSCs. We theorize that the central five massive YSOs were formed via filamentary collision, while other YSO candidates of varying masses were triggered by wind, radiation, and expanding H ii shells based on their spatial distribution.

Magnetic Field Alignment Relative to Multiple Tracers in the High-mass Star-forming Region RCW 36

We use polarization data from SOFIA HAWC+ to investigate the interplay between magnetic fields and stellar feedback in altering gas dynamics within the high-mass star-forming region RCW 36, located in Vela C. This region is of particular interest as it has a bipolar H ii region powered by a massive star cluster, which may be impacting the surrounding magnetic field. To determine if this is the case, we apply the histogram of relative orientations (HRO) method to quantify the relative alignment between the inferred magnetic field and elongated structures observed in several data sets such as dust emission, column density, temperature, and spectral line intensity maps. The HRO results indicate a bimodal alignment trend, where structures observed with dense gas tracers show a statistically significant preference for perpendicular alignment relative to the magnetic field, while structures probed by the photodissociation region (PDR) tracers tend to align preferentially parallel relative to the magnetic field. Moreover, the dense gas and PDR associated structures are found to be kinematically distinct such that a bimodal alignment trend is also observed as a function of line-of-sight velocity. This suggests that the magnetic field may have been dynamically important and set a preferred direction of gas flow at the time that RCW 36 formed, resulting in a dense ridge developing perpendicular to the magnetic field. However, on filament scales near the PDR region, feedback may be energetically dominating the magnetic field, warping its geometry and the associated flux-frozen gas structures, causing the observed preference for parallel relative alignment.

A new analytic approach to infer the cosmic-ray ionization rate in hot molecular cores from HCO+, N2H+, and CO observations

Context. The cosmic-ray ionization rate (ζ2) is one of the key parameters in star formation, since it regulates the chemical and dynamical evolution of molecular clouds by ionizing molecules and determining the coupling between the magnetic field and gas. Aims. However, measurements of ζ2 in dense clouds (e.g., nH ≥ 104 cm−3) are difficult and sensitive to the model assumptions. The aim is to find a convenient analytic approach that can be used in high-mass star-forming regions (HMSFRs), especially for warm gas environments such as hot molecular cores (HMCs). Methods. We propose a new analytic approach to calculate ζ2 through HCO+, N2H+, and CO measurements. By comparing our method with various astrochemical models and with observations found in the literature, we identify the parameter space for which the analytic approach is applicable. Results. Our method gives a good approximation, to within 50%, of ζ2 in dense and warm gas (e.g., nH ≥ 104 cm−3, T = 50, 100 K) for AV ≥ 4 mag and t ≥ 2 × 104 yr at Solar metallicity. The analytic approach gives better results for higher densities. However, it starts to underestimate ζ2 at low metallicity (Z = 0.1 Z⊙) when the value is too high (ζ2 ≥ 3 × 10−15 s−1). By applying our method to the OMC-2 FIR4 envelope and the L1157-B1 shock region, we find ζ2 values of (1.0 ± 0.3) × 10−14 s−1 and (2.2 ± 0.4) × 10−16 s−1, consistent with those previously reported. Conclusions. We calculate ζ2 toward a total of 82 samples in HMSFRs, finding that the average value of ζ2 toward all HMC samples (ζ2 = (7.4±5.0)×10−16 s−1) is more than an order of magnitude higher than the theoretical prediction of cosmic-ray attenuation models, favoring the scenario that locally accelerated cosmic rays in embedded protostars should be responsible for the observed high ζ2.

Digging into the Interior of Hot Cores with ALMA (DIHCA). IV. Fragmentation in High-mass Star-forming Clumps

Fragmentation contributes to the formation and evolution of stars. Observationally, high-mass stars are known to form multiple-star systems, preferentially in cluster environments. Theoretically, Jeans instability has been suggested to determine characteristic fragmentation scales, and thermal or turbulent motion in the parental gas clump mainly contributes to the instability. To search for such a characteristic fragmentation scale, we have analyzed Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) 1.33 mm continuum observations toward 30 high-mass star-forming clumps taken by the Digging into the Interior of Hot Cores with ALMA survey. We have identified 573 cores using the dendrogram algorithm and measured the separation of cores by using the Minimum Spanning Tree technique. The core separation corrected by projection effects has a distribution peaked around 5800 au. In order to remove biases produced by different distances and sensitivities, we further smooth the images to a common physical scale and perform completeness tests. Our careful analysis finds a characteristic fragmentation scale of ∼7000 au, comparable to the thermal Jeans length of the clumps. We conclude that thermal Jeans fragmentation plays a dominant role in determining the clump fragmentation in high-mass star-forming regions, without the need to invoke turbulent Jeans fragmentation.

The Spatial Correlation between CN-line- and Dust-continuum-emitting Regions in High-mass Star-forming Clouds

Measuring the strength of a three-dimensional (3D) magnetic field vector is challenging as it is not easy to recognize whether its line-of-sight (LOS) and plane-of-sky (POS) components are obtained from the same region. CN (N = 1–0) emission has been used to get the LOS component of a magnetic field (B LOS) from its Zeeman splitting lines, while dust continuum emission has been used to get the POS component of a magnetic field (B POS). We use the CN (N = 1–0) data observed with the Taeduk Radio Astronomy Observatory 14 m telescope and the dust continuum data from the Herschel archive toward six high-mass star-forming regions in order to test whether CN line and dust continuum emission can trace a similar region and thus can be used for inferring 3D magnetic field strength. Our comparison between CN and H2 column densities for all targets indicates that CN line emission tends to be strong toward bright continuum regions. The positions of peak CN column densities are particularly well correlated with those of peak H2 column densities, at least over the H2 column density of 8.0 × 1022 cm−2 within one or two telescope beam sizes in all targets, implying that CN-line- and dust-continuum-emitting regions are likely spatially coincident. This enabled us to make the reliable measurement of the 3D magnetic field strengths of five targets by taking a vector sum of their B LOS and B POS, helping to decide the magnetical criticality of the targets as supercritical or transcritical.

Emergence of high-mass stars in complex fiber networks (EMERGE)

Context. Despite their variety of scales throughout the interstellar medium, filaments in nearby low-mass clouds appear to have a characteristic width of ∼0.1 pc from the analysis ofHerschelobservations. The validity and origin of this characteristic width, however, has been a matter of intense discussions during the last decade.Aims. We made use of the EMERGE Early ALMA Survey comprising seven targets among low- (OMC-4 South, NGC 2023), intermediate- (OMC-2, OMC-3, LDN 1641N), and high-mass (OMC-1, Flame Nebula) star-forming regions in Orion, which include different physical conditions, star formation histories, mass, and density regimes. All targets were homogeneously surveyed at high- spatial resolution (4.5″or ∼2000 au) in N2H+(1–0) using a dedicated series of ALMA+IRAM-30m observations, and previous works identified a total of 152 fibers throughout this sample. Here, we aim to characterise the variation in the fiber widths under the different conditions explored by this survey.Methods. We characterised the column density and temperature radial profiles of fibers using the automatic fitting routine FilChap, and systematically quantified its main physical properties (i.e. peak column density, width, and temperature gradient).Results. The Orion fibers show a departure from the isothermal condition with significant outward temperature gradients with ∇TK> 30 K pc−1. The presence of such temperature gradients suggests a change in the equation of state for fibers. By fitting their radial profiles, we report a median full width at half maximum (FWHM) of ∼0.05 pc for the Orion fibers, with a corresponding median aspect ratio of ∼2. Along with their median, theFWHMvalues for individual cuts are consistently below the proposed characteristic width of 0.1 pc. More relevantly, we observe a systematic variation in these fiberFWHMbetween different regions in our sample. We also find a direct inverse dependence of the fiberFWHMon their central column density,N0, above ≳1022cm−2, which agrees with the expectedN0−FWHManti-correlation predicted in previous theoretical studies.Conclusions. Our homogeneous analysis returns the first observational evidence of an intrinsic and systematic variation in the fiber widths across different star-forming regions. While sharing comparable mass, length, and kinematic properties in all of our targets, fibers appear to adjust theirFWHMto their density and to the pressure in their host environment.

Confirming the explosive dispersal outflow in DR21 with ALMA

We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) 1.3 mm continuum and CO (2–1) line emission observations toward the high-mass star formation region DR21. Five new continuum sources are found. We identify 18 outflow streamers detected in CO emission that radially arises from a common origin. The velocity spread of the outflow streamers ranges between −100 and +70 km s−1. The radial velocities of each outflow roughly follow linear gradients (Hubble–Lemaître–like expansion motions). Using the CO emission of the whole ensemble of streamers, we estimate a total outflow mass of 120−210 M⊙. Additionally, we derived the dynamical age (8600 yr), momentum (~103 M⊙ km s−1), and kinetic energy (~1048 erg) of the outflow. The morphology and kinematics presented by the CO outflow streamers confirm an explosive dispersal outflow at the heart of DR21. Five dispersal explosive outflows associated with massive star-forming regions have been confirmed in our Galaxy (Orion BN/KL, G5.89-0.39, S106-IR, IRAS 16076-5134, and IRAS 12326-6245). However, their occurrence frequency in the Galaxy and their origin are still uncertain.

The Formation of Milky Way “Bones”: Ubiquitous HI Narrow Self-absorption Associated with CO Emission

Long and skinny molecular filaments running along Galactic spiral arms are known as “bones,” since they make up the skeleton of the Milky Way. However, their origin is still an open question. Here, we compare spectral images of HI taken by the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) with archival CO and Herschel dust emission to investigate the conversion from HI to H2 in two typical Galactic bones, CFG028.68-0.28 and CFG047.06+0.26. Sensitive FAST HI images and an improved methodology enabled us to extract HI narrow self-absorption (HINSA) features associated with CO line emission on and off the filaments, revealing the ubiquity of HINSA toward distant clouds for the first time. The derived cold HI abundances, [HI]/[H2], of the two bones range from ∼(0.5 to 44.7) × 10−3, which reveal different degrees of HI–H2 conversion, and are similar to those of nearby, low-mass star-forming clouds, Planck Galactic cold clumps, and a nearby active high-mass star-forming region G176.51+00.20. The HI–H2 conversion has been ongoing for 2.2–13.2 Myr in the bones, a timescale comparable to that of massive star formation therein. Therefore, we are witnessing young giant molecular clouds (GMCs) with rapid massive star formation. Our study paves the way of using HINSA to study cloud formation in Galactic bones and, more generally, in distant GMCs in the FAST era.

MagMaR III—Resisting the Pressure, Is the Magnetic Field Overwhelmed in NGC6334I?

We report on Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observations of polarized dust emission at 1.2 mm from NGC6334I, a source known for its significant flux outbursts. Between five months, our data show no substantial change in total intensity and a modest 8% variation in linear polarization, suggesting a phase of stability or the conclusion of the outburst. The magnetic field, inferred from this polarized emission, displays a predominantly radial pattern from northwest to southeast with intricate disturbances across major cores, hinting at spiral structures. Energy analysis of CS (J = 5 → 4) emission yields an outflow energy of approximately 3.5 × 1045 erg, aligning with previous interferometric studies. Utilizing the Davis–Chandrasekhar–Fermi method, we determined magnetic field strengths ranging from 1 to 11 mG, averaging at 1.9 mG. This average increases to 4 ± 1 mG when incorporating Zeeman measurements. Comparative analyses using gravitational, thermal, and kinetic energy maps reveal that magnetic energy is significantly weaker, possibly explaining the observed field morphology. We also find that the energy in the outflows and the expanding cometary HII region is also larger than the magnetic energy, suggesting that protostellar feedback may be the dominant driver behind the injection of turbulence in NGC6334I at the scales sampled by our data. The gas in NGC6334I predominantly exhibits supersonic and trans-Alfvenic conditions, transitioning towards a super-Alfvenic regime, underscoring a diminished influence of the magnetic field with increasing gas density. These observations are in agreement with prior polarization studies at 220 GHz, enriching our understanding of the dynamic processes in high-mass star-forming regions.

Magnetic Fields in Massive Star-forming Regions (MagMaR): Unveiling an Hourglass Magnetic Field in G333.46–0.16 Using ALMA

The contribution of the magnetic field to the formation of high-mass stars is poorly understood. We report the high angular resolution (∼0.″3, 870 au) map of the magnetic field projected on the plane of the sky (B POS) toward the high-mass star-forming region G333.46−0.16 (G333), obtained with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array at 1.2 mm as part of the Magnetic fields in Massive star-forming Regions survey. The B POS morphology found in this region is consistent with a canonical “hourglass” with an embedded flattened envelope in a perpendicular direction, which suggests a dynamically important field. This region is fragmented into two protostars that appear to be gravitationally bound in a stable binary system with a separation of ∼1740 au. Interestingly, by analyzing H13CO+ (J = 3–2) line emission, we find no velocity gradient over the extent of the continuum, which is consistent with a strong field. We model the B POS, obtaining a marginally supercritical mass-to-flux ratio of 1.43, suggesting an initially strongly magnetized environment. Based on the Davis–Chandrasekhar–Fermi method, the magnetic field strength toward G333 is estimated to be 5.7 mG. The absence of strong rotation and outflows toward the central region of G333 suggests strong magnetic braking, consistent with a highly magnetized environment. Our study shows that despite being a strong regulator, the magnetic energy fails to prevent the process of fragmentation, as revealed by the formation of the two protostars in the central region.

ATOMS: ALMA three-millimetre observations of massive star-forming regions – XVI. Neutral versus ion line widths

ABSTRACT It has been suggested that the line width of ions in molecular clouds is narrower than that of the co-existing neutral particles, which has been interpreted as an indication of the decoupling of neutral turbulence from magnetic fields within a partially ionized environment. We calculate the principal component analysis (PCA) correlation coefficients of CCH versus H$^{13}$CO$^{+}$ and H$^{13}$CN versus H$^{13}$CO$^{+}$. We find aside from H$^{13}$CN, CCH could also be strongly spatial correlated with H$^{13}$CO$^{+}$ in high-mass star-forming regions. CCH and H$^{13}$CO$^{+}$ line emissions are strongly spatial correlated with each other in 48 per cent sources with a PCA correlation coefficient over 0.7. So, we investigate the ambipolar diffusion (AD) effect using CCH and H$^{13}$CO$^{+}$ lines as a neutral/ion pair in a sample of 129 high-mass star-forming clumps. We conduct a careful analysis of line widths of the CCH–H$^{13}$CO$^{+}$ pair pixel-by-pixel in 12 sources, which show a strong correlation in CCH–H$^{13}$CO$^+$ emission and no obvious outflows or multiple velocity components. The mean velocity dispersion of CCH is about the same as H$^{13}$CO$^{+}$ in 12 sources. In low-density regions of most sources, CCH shows a broader velocity dispersion than H$^{13}$CO$^{+}$. However, the AD effect is not significant from a statistical point of view.

Correlations of Methyl Formate (CH3OCHO), Dimethyl Ether (CH3OCH3) and Ketene (H2CCO) in High-mass Star-forming Regions

Correlations of Methyl Formate (CH3OCHO), Dimethyl Ether (CH3OCH3) and Ketene (H2CCO) in High-mass Star-forming Regions

A kinematic analysis of the giant molecular complex W3: Possible evidence for cloud–cloud collisions that triggered OB star clusters in W3 Main and W3(OH)

Abstract W3 is one of the most outstanding regions of high-mass star formation in the outer solar circle, and includes two active star-forming clouds: W3 Main and W3(OH). Based on a new analysis of the ${^{12}\text{CO}(J = 2-1)}$ data obtained at $38^{\prime \prime }$ resolution, we have found three clouds that have molecular masses from 2000 to $8000\, {M_\odot }$ at velocities $-50\:\rm{km\: s^{-1}}$, $-43\:\rm{km\:s^{-1}}$, and $-39\:\rm{km\:s^{-1}}$. The $-43\:\rm{km\:s^{-1}}$ cloud is the most massive one, overlapping with the $-39\:\rm{km\:s^{-1}}$ cloud and the $-50\:\rm{km\:s^{-1}}$ cloud toward W3 Main and W3(OH), respectively. In W3 Main and W3(OH), we have found typical signatures of a cloud–cloud collision, i.e., the complementary distribution with/without a displacement between the two clouds and/or a V-shape in the position–velocity diagram. We frame a hypothesis that a cloud–cloud collision triggered the high-mass star formation in each region. The collision in W3 Main involves the $-39\:\rm{km\:s^{-1}}$ cloud and the $-43\:\rm{km\:s^{-1}}$ cloud. The collision likely produced a cavity in the $-43\:\rm{km\:s^{-1}}$ cloud that has a size similar to the $-39\:\rm{km\:s^{-1}}$ cloud and triggered the formation of young high-mass stars in IC 1795 $2\:$Myr ago. We suggest that the $-39\:\rm{km\:s^{-1}}$ cloud is still triggering the high-mass objects younger than $1\:$Myr currently embedded in W3 Main. On the other hand, another collision between the $-50\:\rm{km\:s^{-1}}$ cloud and the $-43\:\rm{km\:s^{-1}}$ cloud likely formed the heavily embedded objects in W3(OH) within $\sim\! 0.5\:$Myr ago. The present results favour an idea that cloud–cloud collisions are common phenomena not only in the inner solar circle but also in the outer solar circle, where the number of reported cloud–cloud collisions is yet limited (Fukui et al. 2021, PASJ, 73, S1).

Investigation of the rotational spectrum of CH$_3$17OH and its tentative detection toward Sagittarius B2(N)

Methanol is an abundant and widespread molecule in the interstellar medium. The column density of its 18O isotopolog, CH$_3$18OH, is in some star-forming regions so high that the search for CH$_3$17OH is promising. But only very few transition frequencies of CH$_3$17OH with a microwave accuracy have been published prior to our investigation. We want to extend the very limited rotational line list of CH$_3$17OH to be able to search for this isotopolog in the interstellar medium. We recorded the rotational spectrum of CH$_3$17OH between 38 and 1095 GHz employing a methanol sample enriched in 17O to 20<!PCT!>. A torsion-rotation Hamiltonian model based on the rho-axis method was employed to fit the data, as in our previous studies. We searched for rotational transitions of CH$_3$17OH in the imaging spectral line survey ReMoCA obtained with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) toward the high-mass star-forming region Sgr B2(N). The observed spectra were modeled under the assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE). The assignments cover $0 J 45$, $K_a 16$, and mainly the $ t = 0$ and 1 torsional states. The Hamiltonian model describes our data well. The model was applied to derive a line list for radio-astronomical observations. We report a tentative detection of CH$_3$17OH along with secure detections of the more abundant isotopologs of methanol toward Sgr B2(N2b). The derived column densities yield isotopic ratios 12C/13C = 25, 16O/18O = 240, and 18O/17O = 3.3, which are consistent with values found earlier for other molecules in Sgr B2. The agreement between the 18O/17O isotopic ratio that we obtained for methanol and the 18O/17O ratios reported in the past for other molecules in Sgr B2(N) strongly supports our tentative interstellar identification of CH$_3$17OH. The accuracy of the derived line list is sufficient for further radio astronomical searches for this methanol isotopolog toward other star-forming regions.

Emergence of high-mass stars in complex fiber networks (EMERGE)

Context. Recent molecular surveys have revealed the rich gas organization of sonic-like filaments at small scales (so-called fibers) in all types of environments prior to the formation of low- and high-mass stars. These fibers form at the end of the turbulent cascade and are identified as the fine substructure within the hierarchical nature of the gas in the interstellar medium (ISM). Aims. Isolated fibers provide the subsonic conditions for the formation of low-mass stars. This paper introduces the Emergence of high-mass stars in complex fiber networks (EMERGE) project, which investigates whether complex fiber arrangements (networks) can also explain the origin of high-mass stars and clusters. Methods. We analyzed the EMERGE Early ALMA Survey including seven star-forming regions in Orion (OMC-1,2,3, and 4 South, LDN 1641N, NGC 2023, and the Flame Nebula) that were homogeneously surveyed in three molecular lines (N2H+ J = 1–0, HNC J = 1–0, and HC3N J = 10–9) and in the 3 mm continuum using a combination of interferometric ALMA mosaics and IRAM-30 m single-dish (SD) maps, together with a series of Herschel, Spitzer, and WISE archival data. We also developed a systematic data reduction framework allowing the massive data processing of ALMA observations. Results. We obtained independent continuum maps and spectral cubes for all our targets and molecular lines at different (SD and interferometric) resolutions, and we explored multiple data combination techniques. Based on our low-resolution (SD) observations (30″ or ~12 000 au), we describe the global properties of our sample, which covers a wide range of physical conditions, including low-(OMC-4 South and NGC 2023), intermediate (OMC-2, OMC-3, and LDN 1641N), and high-mass (OMC-1 and Flame Nebula) star-forming regions in different evolutionary stages. The comparison between our single-dish maps and ancillary YSO catalogs denotes N2H+ (1–0) as the best proxy for the dense, star-forming gas in our targets, which show a constant star formation efficiency and a fast time evolution of ≲1 Myr. While apparently clumpy and filamentary in our SD data, all targets show a much more complex fibrous substructure at the enhanced resolution of our combined ALMA+IRAM-30 m maps (4″.5 or ~2000 au). A large number of filamentary features at subparsec scales are clearly recognized in the high-density gas (≳ 105 cm−3) that is traced by N2H+ (1–0) directly connected to the formation of individual protostars. Surprisingly, this complex gas organization appears to extend farther into the more diffuse gas (~103−104 cm−3) traced by HNC (1–0). Conclusions. This paper presents the EMERGE Early ALMA Survey, which includes a first data release of continuum maps and spectral products for this project that are to be analysed in future papers of this series. A first look at these results illustrates the need of advanced data combination techniques between high-resolution interferometric (ALMA) and high-sensitivity, low-resolution single-dish (IRAM-30 m) datasets to investigate the intrinsic multiscale, gas structure of the ISM.

Proper motion study of the 6.7 GHz methanol maser rings

Context. Methanol masers at 6.7 GHz are well-known signposts of high-mass star-forming regions. Due to their high brightness, they enable us to derive the three-dimensional gas kinematics near protostars and young stars. Aims. We aim to understand the origin of the ring-like structures outlined by methanol maser emission in a number of sources. This emission could be, a priori, spatially associated with an outflow and/or disc around a high-mass protostar. In cases of expansion or rotation, maser proper motions should be, for instance, diverging from the ring centre or perpendicular to the ring radius. Methods. Using sensitive, three-epoch observations spanning over 8 yr with the European VLBI Network, we have started the most direct investigations of maser rings using very accurate proper motion measurements with uncertainties below ~1 km s−1. Results. We present full results for the five targets of our sample, G23.207−00.377, G23.389+00.185, G28.817+00.365, G31.047+00.356, and G31.581+00.077, where proper motions show similar characteristics; maser cloudlets do not move inwards towards the centre of the rings but rather outwards. We also include the most circular source, G23.657−00.127, in the discussion as a reference. The magnitude of maser proper motions ranges from a maximum of about 13 km s−1 to 0.5 km s−1. In two of the five sources with a high number of maser spots (>100), namely G23.207−00.377 and G23.389+00.185, we show that the size of the best elliptical model, fitted to the distribution of persistent masers, increases in time in a manner similar to the case of G23.657−00.127. Moreover, we checked the separations between the pairs of spots from distinct regions, and we were able to assess that G28.817+00.365 and G31.047+00.356 can be interpreted as showing expanding motions. We analysed the profiles of single maser cloudlets and studied their variability. Contrary to single-dish studies, the interferometric data indicate variability of the emission of single-masing cloudlets. Conclusions. In five of the six targets, namely, G23.207−00.377, G23.389+00.185, G23.657-00.127, G28.817+00.365, and G31.047+00.356, expansion motions prevail. Only in the case of G31.581+00.077 can a scenario of disc-like rotation not be excluded. Complementary observations of thermal tracers as well as searching for ultra-compact H II regions in the same sources are needed. Although the overall morphology of the maser emission has remained stable, the intensities of individual maser cloudlets varied from epoch to epoch, suggesting internal instabilities.

Disk Evolution Study Through Imaging of Nearby Young Stars (DESTINYS): The SPHERE view of the Orion star-forming region

Context. Resolved observations at near-infrared (near-IR) and millimeter wavelengths have revealed a diverse population of planet-forming disks. In particular, near-IR scattered light observations usually target close-by, low-mass star-forming regions. However, disk evolution in high-mass star-forming regions is likely affected by the different environment. Orion is the closest high-mass star-forming region, enabling resolved observations to be undertaken in the near-IR.Aims. We seek to examine planet-forming disks, in scattered light, within the high-mass star-forming region of Orion in order to study the impact of the environment in a higher-mass star-forming region on disk evolution.Methods. We present SPHERE/IRDISH-band data for a sample of 23 stars in the Orion star-forming region observed within the DESTINYS (Disk Evolution Study Through Imaging of Nearby Young Stars) program. We used polarization differential imaging in order to detect scattered light from circumstellar dust. From the scattered light observations we characterized the disk orientation, radius, and contrast. We analysed the disks in the context of the stellar parameters and the environment of the Orion star-forming region. We used ancillary X-shooter spectroscopic observations to characterize the central stars in the systems. We furthermore used a combination of new and archival ALMA mm-continuum photometry to characterize the dust masses present in the circumstellar disks.Results. Within our sample, we detect extended circumstellar disks in ten of 23 systems. Of these, three are exceptionally extended (V351 Ori, V599 Ori, and V1012 Ori) and show scattered light asymmetries that may indicate perturbations by embedded planets or (in the case of V599 Ori) by an outer stellar companion. Our high-resolution imaging observations are also sensitive to close (sub)stellar companions and we detect nine such objects in our sample, of which six were previously unknown. We find in particular a possible substellar companion (either a very low-mass star or a high-mass brown dwarf) 137 au from the star RY Ori. We find a strong anticorrelation between disk detection and multiplicity, with only two of our ten disk detections located in stellar multiple systems. We also find a correlation between scattered light contrast and the millimeter flux. This trend is not captured by previous studies of a more diversified sample and is due to the absence of extended, self-shadowed disks in our Orion sample. Conversely, we do not find significant correlations between the scattered light contrast of the disks and the stellar mass or age. We investigate the radial extent of the disks and compare this to the estimated far-ultraviolet (FUV) field strength at the system location. While we do not find a direct correlation, we notice that no extended disks are detected above an FUV field strength of ~300G0.

Parsec-scale cosmic-ray ionisation rate in Orion

Cosmic rays are a key component of the interstellar medium because they regulate the dynamics and chemical processes in the densest and coldest regions of molecular clouds. Still, the cosmic-ray ionisation rate of H$_2$ (crir ) is one of the most debated parameters characterising molecular clouds because of the uncertainties in the adopted chemical networks and analysis techniques. This work aims to homogeneously estimate the crir at parsec scales towards the Orion Molecular Clouds OMC-2 and OMC-3. We explore the change in crir across a whole star-forming region by probing a range of column densities taht has never been explored before. The significant increase in statistics obtained by studying an entire region allows us to place stronger constraints on the range of crir values and exploit its connection with the physical properties of the interstellar medium. The most recent crir estimates are based on o$-$H$_2$D$^+$, which is a direct product of the interaction between cosmic rays and H$_2$ in cold clouds. Since observations of o$-$H$_2$D$^+$ are challenging, we proxy its abundance through CO depletion by employing C18O (2$-$1) observations towards OMC-2 and OMC-3, taking advantage of the existing correlation between the two parameters. Using additional observations of HCO$^+$ (1$-$0) and DCO$^+$ (3$-$2), we determine the deuteration fraction, and we finally derive the map of crir in these two regions. The C18O depletion correlates with both the total column density of H$_2$ and the N$_2$H$^+$ emission across OMC-2 and OMC-3. The obtained depletion factors and deuteration fractions are consistent with previous values obtained in low- and high-mass star-forming regions. These two parameters additionally show a positive correlation in the coldest fields of our maps. We derive cosmic-ray ionisation rates of $ $ s$^ $. These values agree well with previous estimates based on o$-$H$_2$D$^+$ observations. The crir also shows a functional dependence on the column density of H$_2$ across a full order of magnitude ($ $ cm$^ $). The estimated values of crir decrease overall for increasing $N( H_2 $), as predicted by theoretical models. The results delivered by our approach are comparable with theoretical predictions and previous independent studies. This confirms the robustness of the analytical framework and promotes CO depletion as a viable proxy of o$-$H$_2$D$^+$. We also explore the main limitations of the method by varying the physical size of the gas crossed by the cosmic rays (i.e. the path length). By employing a path length obtained from low-resolution observations, we recover values of the crir that are well below any existing theoretical and observational prediction. This discrepancy highlights the need for interferometric observations in order to reliably constrain the crir at parsec scales as well.

Correction to: Variations of the HCO+, HCN, HNC, N2H+ and NH3 deuterium fractionation in high-mass star-forming regions

Correction to: Variations of the HCO+, HCN, HNC, N2H+ and NH3 deuterium fractionation in high-mass star-forming regions