W3 IRS Research Articles

Structure of the W3A Low-density Foreground Region

We present analysis of [O i] 63 μm and CO J = 5 − 4 and 8 − 7 multiposition data in the W3A region and use it to develop a model for the extended low-density foreground gas that produces absorption features in the [O i] and J = 5 − 4 CO lines. We employ the extinction to the exciting stars of the background H ii region to constrain the total column density of the foreground gas. We have used the Meudon photodissociation region code to model the physical conditions and chemistry in the region employing a two-component model with a high-density layer near the H ii region responsible for the fine-structure line emission and an extended low-density foreground layer. The best-fitting total proton density, constrained largely by the CO lines, is n(H) = 250 cm−3 in the foreground gas and 5 × 105 cm−3 in the material near the H ii region. The absorption is distributed over the region mapped in W3A and is not restricted to the foreground of either the embedded exciting stars of the H ii region or the protostar W3 IRS5. The low-density material associated with regions of massive-star formation, based on an earlier study by Goldsmith et al., is quite common, and we now see that it is extended over a significant portion of W3A. It thus should be included in modeling of fine-structure line emission, including interpreting low-velocity-resolution observations made with incoherent spectrometer systems, in order to use these lines as accurate tracers of massive-star formation.

GTC/CanariCam Mid-infrared Polarimetry of Magnetic Fields in Star-forming Region W51 IRS2

We present 0.″4 resolution imaging polarimetry at 8.7, 10.3, and 12.5 μm, obtained with CanariCam at the Gran Telescopio Canarias, of the central 0.11 pc × 0.28 pc (4.″2 × 10.″8) region of W51 IRS2. The polarization, as high as ∼14%, arises from silicate particles aligned by the interstellar magnetic field (B-field). We separate, or unfold, the polarization of each sightline into emission and absorption components, from which we infer the morphologies of the corresponding projected B-fields that thread the emitting- and foreground-absorbing regions. We conclude that the projected B-field in the foreground material is part of the larger-scale ambient field. The morphology of the projected B-field in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) emitting region spanning the cometary H ii region W51 IRS2W is similar to that in the absorbing region. Elsewhere, the two B-fields differ significantly with no clear relationship between them. The B-field across the W51 IRS2W cometary core appears to be an integral part of a champagne outflow of gas originating in the core and dominating the energetics there. The bipolar outflow, W51north jet, that appears to originate at or near SMA1/N1 coincides almost exactly with a clearly demarcated north–south swath of lower polarization. While speculative, comparison of mid-IR and submillimeter polarimetry on two different scales may support a picture in which SMA1/N1 plays a major role in the B-field structure across W51 IRS2.

Near-infrared Spectroscopy of Ultracompact H ii Regions in W51A with NIFS/ALTAIR* *Based on observations obtained at the Gemini Observatory (processed using the Gemini IRAF package v1.14), which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under a cooperative agreement with the NSF on behalf of the Gemini partnership: the National Science Foundation (United States), National Research

W51A is the most active star formation region of the giant H ii region W51. It harbors the two massive protoclusters W51e and W51 IRS2, which are very rare in the Galaxy. We aim to identify the newborn massive stars and ultracompact H ii regions to derive its distance and age. We performed Integral Field Unit observations with NIFS+ALTAIR of nine targets in the W51A subregion. The distance modulus was obtained using the spectral classification in the K band and a reddening law appropriate to the inner Galactic plane. We derived the distance and the spectral types for five of the targets, ranging from O8 to O9.5, similar to those derived from radio continuum data, except for two sources to which we assigned a somewhat later spectral type. We included another seven objects with precise spectral classification from other works, which allowed us to better constrain the distance estimate. Our spectrophotometric distance d = 4.80 ± 1.27 kpc is in good agreement with those derived from the Galactic rotation model and trigonometric parallaxes, placing the region near the tangent point of the Sagittarius arm. We conclude that the stars studied in this work have an age spread of 1.5–4 Myr, substantially older than thought to date.

Three-month Monitoring of the Variability toward W51 IRS2 with Ammonia, Water, and Methanol Transitions

A four-epoch monitoring program spanning ∼three months (from 2020 January 8 to April 7) for ammonia, water, and methanol transitions toward the high-mass star-forming region W51 IRS2 was conducted using the Shanghai 65 m Tianma Radio Telescope with its K-band (18–26.5 GHz) receiver. In total, 33 ammonia transitions and 16 methanol transitions were detected toward the target at least once during this monitoring program. Among them, 14 ammonia and 4 methanol transitions show maser emission characteristics. Rapid variabilities (including both increases and decreases) in the ammonia and methanol transitions were detected from both maser and thermal emissions during the three months of the monitoring. In addition, H2O masers with obvious variability were also detected. The results of the rotation diagram analysis for the ammonia and methanol quasi-thermal transitions show the variations in their rotational temperatures during the monitoring. The derived temperatures from the transitions with larger upper energies (E u /κ) generally decreased over the whole monitoring period, from January 8 to April 7, but those with smaller E u /κ first increased from January 8 to April 1, then rapidly decreased from April 1 to April 7. These findings support the suggestion that an inside-out heatwave propagation in W51 IRS2 was involved with the accretion burst over a short duration (only on the order of months) and caused the drastic variability behaviors of the different line transitions during high-mass star formation.

HyGAL: Characterizing the Galactic Interstellar Medium with Observations of Hydrides and Other Small Molecules. I. Survey Description and a First Look Toward W3(OH), W3 IRS5, and NGC 7538 IRS1

The HyGAL Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy legacy program surveys six hydride molecules—ArH+, OH+, H2O+, SH, OH, and CH—and two atomic constituents—C+ and O—within the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM) by means of absorption-line spectroscopy toward 25 bright Galactic background continuum sources. This detailed spectroscopic study is designed to exploit the unique value of specific hydrides as tracers and probes of different phases of the ISM, as demonstrated by recent studies with the Herschel Space Observatory. The observations performed under the HyGAL program will allow us to address several questions related to the life cycle of molecular material in the ISM and the physical processes that impact the phase transition from atomic to molecular gas, such as: (1) What is the distribution function of the H2 fraction in the ISM? (2) How does the ionization rate due to low-energy cosmic rays vary within the Galaxy? (3) What is the nature of interstellar turbulence (e.g., typical shear or shock velocities), and what mechanisms lead to its dissipation? In this overview, we discuss the observing strategy, the synergies with ancillary and archival observations of other small molecules, and the data reduction and analysis schemes we adopted; and we present the first results obtained toward three of the survey targets, W3(OH), W3 IRS5, and NGC 7538 IRS1. Robust measurements of the column densities of these hydrides—obtained through widespread observations of absorption lines—help address the questions raised, and there is a very timely synergy between these observations and the development of theoretical models, particularly pertaining to the formation of H2 within the turbulent ISM. The provision of enhanced HyGAL data products will therefore serve as a legacy for future ISM studies.

Transition 212-303 may help for detection of methylene in a cool cosmic object

Methylene is an important astrochemical compound. Though its laboratory spectrum was analyzed in 1982, its first unambiguous detection could be feasible after more than one decade in the hot core of Orion-KL nebula and the approximate molecular cloud of the continuum source W51M through its emission line 404-313. Since then waiting of its further detection has now broken as it has been detected in W51 E, W51 M, W51 N, W49 N, W43, W75 N, DR21, and S140 star forming regions, and in W3 IRS5 through the same transition 404-313. To find potential lines of methylene, we have performed Sobolev LVG analysis of each of the ortho and para species of methylene, considering 10 rotational levels having energy up to 324 cm-1. We have found only three lines, 404-313, 505-414 and 212-303 of methylene, which may help for its detection in a cosmic object. The line 212-303 lying at the lowest energy may be more helpful in a cosmic object having low kinetic temperature.

W51 North: A protocluster emerging out of a thermally inhibited fragmenting cloud

Context. The fragmentation process in massive star-forming regions is one of the contemporary problems in astrophysics, and several physical processes have been proposed to control the fragmentation including turbulence, magnetic field, rotation, stellar feedback, and gravity. However, the fragmentation process has been poorly studied at small spatial scales well below 1000 AU. Aims. W51 IRS2 is a well-known massive star-forming region whose fragmentation properties have not been thoroughly investigated yet. We aim to use the Atacama Large Millimeter and Submillimeter Array (ALMA) high angular resolution data to identify the fragments in W51 IRS2 and to study the fragmentation properties on a spatial scale of 0.04′′ (200 AU). Methods. We used ALMA data of W51 IRS2 from three projects, which give an angular resolution of 0.028′′ (144 AU) at millimeter wavelengths. The continuum images reveal a significant substructure in an east-west ridge, where both W51 North and W51d2 are embedded. A spectral index map has been generated from the 3 and 1.3 mm high-resolution continuum images. We identified compact fragments by using uv-range constrained 1.3 mm continuum data. A mean surface density of companions (MSDC) analysis has been performed to study the separations between fragments. Results. A total number of 33 continuum sources are identified and 29 out of them are defined as fragments in the surveyed region.The MSDC analysis reveals two breaks corresponding to spatial scales of 1845 and 7346 AU, indicative of a two-level clustering phenomenon, along with a linear regime below 1845 AU, mostly associated with W51 North, whose slope is consistent with the slope for the clustering regime of other cluster-like regions in the Galaxy. Conclusions. The typical masses and separations of the fragments as well as the relation between the density and number of fragments can be explained through a thermal Jeans process operating at high temperatures of 200–400 K, consistent with previous measurements of the temperature in the region, and produced by the nearby massive stars. Therefore, although W51 IRS2 seems to be undergoing a thermally inhibited fragmentation phase, this does not seem to prevent the formation of a protocluster associated with W51 North.

Hunting for the elusive methylene radical

Context. The NKaKc = 404−313 transitions of ortho-CH2 between 68 and 71 GHz were first detected toward the Orion-KL and W51 Main star-forming regions. Given their high upper level energies (225 K) above the ground state, they were naturally thought to arise in dense, hot molecular cores near newly formed stars. However, this has not been confirmed by further observations of these lines and their origin has remained unclear. Generally, there is a scarcity of observational data for CH2 and, while it is an important compound in the astrochemical context, its actual occurrence in astronomical sources is poorly constrained. Aims. In this work, we aim to investigate the nature of the elusive CH2 emission, address its association with hot cores, and examine alternative possibilities for its origin. Owing to its importance in carbon chemistry, we also extend the search for CH2 lines by observing an assortment of regions, guided by the hypothesis that the observed CH2 emission is likely to arise from the hot gas environment of photodissociation regions (PDRs). Methods. We carried out our observations first using the Kitt Peak 12 m telescope to verify the original detection of CH2 toward different positions in the central region of the Orion Molecular Cloud 1. These were followed-up by deep integrations using the higher angular resolution of the Onsala 20 m telescope. We also searched for the NKaKc = 212−303 transitions of para-CH2 between 440–445 GHz toward the Orion giant molecular cloud complex using the APEX 12 m telescope. We also obtained auxiliary data for carbon recombination lines with the Effelsberg 100 m telescope and employing archival far infrared data. Results. The present study, along with other recent observations of the Orion region reported here, rule out the possibility of an association with gas that is both hot and dense. We find that the distribution of the CH2 emission closely follows that of the [CII] 158 μm emission, while CH2 is undetected toward the hot core itself. The observations suggest, rather, that its extended emission arises from hot but dilute layers of PDRs and not from the denser parts of such regions as in the case of the Orion Bar. This hypothesis was corroborated by comparisons of the observed CH2 line profiles with those of carbon radio recombination lines (CRRLs), which are well-known PDR tracers. In addition, we report the detection of the 70 GHz fine- and hyperfine structure components of ortho-CH2 toward the W51 E, W51 M, W51 N, W49 N, W43, W75 N, DR21, and S140 star-forming regions, and three of the NKaKc = 404−313 fine- and hyperfine structure transitions between 68–71 GHz toward W3 IRS5. While we have no information on the spatial distribution of CH2 in these regions, aside from that in W51, we again see a correspondence between the profiles of CH2 lines and those of CRRLs. We see a stronger CH2 emission toward the extended HII region W51 M rather than toward the much more massive and denser W51 E and N regions, which strongly supports the origin of CH2 in extended dilute gas. We also report the non-detection of the 212−303 transitions of para-CH2 toward Orion. Furthermore, using a non-LTE radiative transfer analysis, we can constrain the gas temperatures and H2 density to (163 ± 26) K and (3.4 ± 0.3) × 103 cm−3, respectively, for the 68–71 GHz ortho-CH2 transitions toward W3 IRS5, for which we have a data set of the highest quality. This analysis confirms our hypothesis that CH2 originates inwarm and dilute PDR layers. Our analysis suggests that for the excitation conditions under the physical conditions that prevail in such an environment, these lines are masering, with weak level inversion. The resulting amplification of the lines’ spontaneousemission greatly aids in their detection.

From clump to disc scales in W3 IRS4

Context. High-mass star formation typically takes place in a crowded environment, with a higher likelihood of young forming stars affecting and being affected by their surroundings and neighbours, as well as links between different physical scales affecting the outcome. However, observational studies are often focused on either clump or disc scales exclusively. Aims. We explore the physical and chemical links between clump and disc scales in the high-mass star formation region W3 IRS4, a region that contains a number of different evolutionary phases in the high-mass star formation process, as a case-study for what can be achieved as part of the IRAM NOrthern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA) large programme named CORE: “Fragmentation and disc formation in high-mass star formation”. Methods. We present 1.4 mm continuum and molecular line observations with the IRAM NOEMA interferometer and 30 m telescope, which together probe spatial scales from ~0.3−20′′ (600−40 000 AU or 0.003−0.2 pc at 2 kpc, the distance to W3). As part of our analysis, we used XCLASS to constrain the temperature, column density, velocity, and line-width of the molecular emission lines. Results. The W3 IRS4 region includes a cold filament and cold cores, a massive young stellar object (MYSO) embedded in a hot core, and a more evolved ultra-compact (UC)H II region, with some degree of interaction between all components of the region that affects their evolution. A large velocity gradient is seen in the filament, suggesting infall of material towards the hot core at a rate of 10−3−10−4 M⊙ yr−1, while the swept up gas ring in the photodissociation region around the UCH II region may be squeezing the hot core from the other side. There are no clear indications of a disc around the MYSO down to the resolution of the observations (600 AU). A total of 21 molecules are detected, with the abundances and abundance ratios indicating that many molecules were formed in the ice mantles of dust grains at cooler temperatures, below the freeze-out temperature of CO (≲35 K). This contrasts with the current bulk temperature of ~50 K, which was obtained from H2CO. Conclusions. CORE observations allow us to comprehensively link the different structures in the W3 IRS4 region for the first time. Our results argue that the dynamics and environment around the MYSO W3 IRS4 have a significant impact on its evolution. This context would be missing if only high resolution or continuum observations were available.

Unveiling the chemistry of interstellar CH

Context. The methylidyne radical CH is commonly used as a proxy for molecular hydrogen in the cold, neutral phase of the interstellar medium. The optical spectroscopy of CH is limited by interstellar extinction, whereas far-infrared observations provide an integral view through the Galaxy. While the HF ground state absorption, another H2 proxy in diffuse gas, frequently suffers from saturation, CH remains transparent both in spiral-arm crossings and high-mass star forming regions, turning this light hydride into a universal surrogate for H2. However, in slow shocks and in regions dissipating turbulence its abundance is expected to be enhanced by an endothermic production path, and the idea of a “canonical” CH abundance needs to be addressed. Aim. The N = 2 ← 1 ground state transition of CH at λ149 μm has become accessible to high-resolution spectroscopy thanks to the German Receiver for Astronomy at Terahertz Frequencies (GREAT) aboard the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). Its unsaturated absorption and the absence of emission from the star forming regions makes it an ideal candidate for the determination of column densities with a minimum of assumptions. Here we present an analysis of four sightlines towards distant Galactic star forming regions, whose hot cores emit a strong far-infrared dust continuum serving as background signal. Moreover, if combined with the sub-millimeter line of CH at λ560 μm , environments forming massive stars can be analyzed. For this we present a case study on the “proto-Trapezium” cluster W3 IRS5. Methods. While we confirm the global correlation between the column densities of HF and those of CH, both in arm and interarm regions, clear signposts of an over-abundance of CH are observed towards lower densities. However, a significant correlation between the column densities of CH and HF remains. A characterization of the hot cores in the W3 IRS5 proto-cluster and its envelope demonstrates that the sub-millimeter/far-infrared lines of CH reliably trace not only diffuse but also dense, molecular gas. Results. In diffuse gas, at lower densities a quiescent ion-neutral chemistry alone cannot account for the observed abundance of CH. Unlike the production of HF, for CH+ and CH, vortices forming in turbulent, diffuse gas may be the setting for an enhanced production path. However, CH remains a valuable tracer for molecular gas in environments reaching from diffuse clouds to sites of high-mass star formation.

Toward gas exhaustion in the W51 high-mass protoclusters

We present new JVLA observations of the high-mass cluster-forming region W51A from 2 to 16 GHz with resolution ${\theta}_{fwhm} \approx$ 0.3 - 0.5". The data reveal a wealth of observational results: (1) Currently-forming, very massive (proto-O) stars are traced by o-H2CO $2_{1,1}-2_{1,2}$ emission, suggesting that this line can be used efficiently as a massive protostar tracer. (2) There is a spatially distributed population of $\sim$mJy continuum sources, including hypercompact H ii regions and candidate colliding wind binaries, in and around the W51 proto-clusters. (3) There are two clearly detected protoclusters, W51e and W51 IRS2, that are gas-rich but may have most of their mass in stars within their inner $\sim$ 0.05 pc. The majority of the bolometric luminosity in W51 most likely comes from a third population of OB stars between these clusters. The presence of a substantial population of exposed O-stars coincident with a population of still-forming massive stars, along with a direct measurement of the low mass loss rate via ionized gas outflow from W51 IRS2, together imply that feedback is ineffective at halting star formation in massive protoclusters. Instead, feedback may shut off the large-scale accretion of diffuse gas onto the W51 protoclusters, implying that they are evolving towards a state of gas exhaustion rather than gas expulsion. Recent theoretical models predict gas exhaustion to be a necessary step in the formation of gravitationally bound stellar clusters, and our results provide an observational validation of this process.

An H2O Maser survey towards BGPS sources in the Outer Galaxy

We performed an H2O maser survey towards 274 Bolocam Galactic Plane Survey (BGPS) sources with 85° < l < 193° using the Nanshan 25 m radio telescope. We detected 25 H2O masers, and five of them are new detections. The detection rate of H2O masers in our sample is 9% which is very low. The detection rate of H2O masers increases as the 1.1 mm flux density of BGPS sources increases, and both the peak flux density and luminosity of H2O masers increase as the sources evolve. The detection rate of H2O masers toward BGPS sources without HCO+ emission is low. The BGPS sources associated with both H2O and CH3OH masers seem to be more compact than those only associated with H2O masers. This indicates that the sources with both masers may be in a relatively later evolutionary stage. The strongest H2O maser source G133.715+01.217, also well known as W3 IRS 5 which has a flux density of 2.9×103 Jy, was detected at eight different nearby positions. By measuring the correlation between the flux densities of these H2O masers and their angular distance from the true source location, we get the influence radius . For our observations, strong sources can be detected anywhere within this radius. It is helpful to determine whether or not a weak maser nearby the strong maser is a true detection.

Properties of bow-shock sources at the Galactic center

There are an enigmatic population of massive stars around the Galactic Center (GC) that were formed some Ma ago. A fraction of these stars has been found to orbit the supermassive black hole, SgrA*, in a projected clockwise disk, which suggests that they were formed in a formerly existing dense disk around SgrA*. We focus on the extended, near-infrared (NIR) sources IRS1W, IRS5, IRS10W, and IRS21 that have been suggested to be young, massive stars that form bow-shocks through their interaction with the ISM. Their nature has impeded accurate determination of their orbital parameters. We aim at establishing their nature and kinematics to test whether they form part of the clockwise disk. We performed NIR multi-wavelength imaging using adaptive optics (AO) and sparse aperture masking (SAM). We introduce a new method for self-calibration of the SAM PSF in dense stellar fields. The emission mechanism, morphology and kinematics of the targets were examined via 3D bow-shock models. We confirm previous findings that IRS21, IRS1W, and IRS5 are bow-shocks created by the interaction between mass-losing stars and the interstellar gas. The nature of IRS10W remains unclear. Our modeling shows that the bow-shock-emission is caused by thermal emission while the scattering of stellar light does not play any significant role. IRS 1W appears to be a bow-shock produced by an anisotropic stellar wind or by locally inhomogeneous ISM density. Our best-fit models provide an estimate of the local proper motion of the ISM in the NA in agreement with the published models. Assuming that all of the sources are tied to SgrA*, their orbital planes were obtained via a Monte-Carlo simulation. Our orbital analysis suggests that they are not part of any of the clockwise disk. We thus add more evidence to recent findings that a large part of the massive stars show apparently random orbital orientations.

Dense molecular cocoons in the massive protocluster W3 IRS5: a test case for models of massive star formation

[Context] Two competing models describe the formation of massive stars in objects like the Orion Trapezium. In the turbulent core accretion model, the resulting stellar masses are directly related to the mass distribution of the cloud condensations. In the competitive accretion model, the gravitational potential of the protocluster captures gas from the surrounding cloud for which the individual cluster members compete. [Aims] With high resolution submillimeter observations of the structure, kinematics, and chemistry of the proto-Trapezium cluster W3 IRS5, we aim to determine which mode of star formation dominates. [Methods] We present 354 GHz Submillimeter Array observations at resolutions of 1"-3" (1800-5400 AU) of W3 IRS5. ...... [Results] The observations show five emission peaks (SMM1-5). SMM1 and SMM2 contain massive embedded stars (~20 Msun); SMM3-5 are starless or contain low-mass stars (<8 Msun). The inferred densities are high, >= 10^7 cm^-3, but the core masses are small, 0.2-0.6 Msun. The detected molecular emission reveals four different chemical zones. ...... [Conclusions] The proto-Trapezium cluster W3 IRS5 is an ideal test case to discriminate between models of massive star formation. Either the massive stars accrete locally from their local cores; in this case the small core masses imply that W3 IRS5 is at the very end stages (1000 yr) of infall and accretion, or the stars are accreting from the global collapse of a massive, cluster forming core. We find that the observed masses, densities and line widths observed toward W3 IRS 5 and the surrounding cluster forming core are consistent with the competitive accretion of gas at rates of Macc~10^-4 Msun yr^-1 by the massive young forming stars. ......

Neutral and Ionized Hydrides in Star-Forming Regions. Observations with Herschel/HIFI

The cosmic abundance of hydrides depends critically on high-energy UV, X-ray, and particle irradiation. Here we study hydrides in star-forming regions where irradiation by the young stellar object can be substantial, and density and temperature can be much enhanced over interstellar values. Lines of OH, CH, NH, and SH and their ions OH(+), CH(+), NH(+), SH(+), H2O(+), and H3O(+) were observed in star-forming regions by the HIFI spectrometer onboard the Herschel Space Observatory. Molecular column densities are derived from observed ground-state lines, models, or rotational diagrams. We report here on two prototypical high-mass regions, AFGL 2591 and W3 IRS5, and compare them to chemical calculations by making assumptions on the high-energy irradiation. A model assuming no ionizing protostellar emission is compared with (i) a model assuming strong protostellar X-ray emission and (ii) a two-dimensional (2D) model including emission in the far UV (FUV, 6-13.6 eV), irradiating the outflow walls that separate the outflowing gas and infalling envelope material. We confirm that the effect of FUV in two-dimensional models with enlarged irradiated surfaces is clearly noticeable. A molecule that is very sensitive to FUV irradiation is CH(+), enhanced in abundance by more than 5 orders of magnitude. The HIFI observations of CH(+) lines agree with the two-dimensional FUV model by Bruderer et al., which computes abundances, non-LTE excitation, and line radiative transfer.20 It is concluded that CH(+) is a good FUV tracer in star-forming regions. The effect of potential X-ray irradiation is not excluded but cannot be demonstrated by the present data.

CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF A DIFFUSE CLOUD ALONG A LINE OF SIGHT TOWARD W51: MOLECULAR FRACTION AND COSMIC-RAY IONIZATION RATE

Absorption lines from the molecules OH+, H2O+, and H3+ have been observed in a diffuse molecular cloud along a line of sight near W51 IRS2. We present the first chemical analysis that combines the information provided by all three of these species. Together, OH+ and H2O+ are used to determine the molecular hydrogen fraction in the outskirts of the observed cloud, as well as the cosmic-ray ionization rate of atomic hydrogen. H3+ is used to infer the cosmic-ray ionization rate of H2 in the molecular interior of the cloud, which we find to be zeta_2=(4.8+-3.4)x10^-16 per second. Combining the results from all three species we find an efficiency factor---defined as the ratio of the formation rate of OH+ to the cosmic-ray ionization rate of H---of epsilon=0.07+-0.04, much lower than predicted by chemical models. This is an important step in the future use of OH+ and H2O+ on their own as tracers of the cosmic-ray ionization rate.

Different Evolutionary Stages in the Massive Star-forming Complex W3 Main

AbstractWe observed with the Submillimeter Array and IRAM 30 m telescope three high-mass star-forming regions in different evolutionary stages in the W3 high-mass star formation complex. These regions, i.e. W3 SMS1 (W3 IRS5), SMS2 (W3 IRS4) and SMS3, are located within the same large-scale environment, which allows us to study rotation and outflows as well as chemical properties in an evolutionary sense. While we find multiple mm continuum sources toward all regions, these three subregions exhibit different dynamical and chemical properties, which indicates that they are in different evolutionary stages. Even within each sub-region, massive cores of different ages are found, e.g. in SMS2, sub-sources from the most evolved UCHii region to potential starless cores exist within 30 000 AU (left panel, Fig. 1). Outflows and rotational structures are found in SMS1 and SMS2. Evidence for interactions between the molecular cloud and the HII regions is found in the 13CO channel maps (right panel, Fig. 1), which may indicate triggered star formation.

DIFFERENT EVOLUTIONARY STAGES IN THE MASSIVE STAR-FORMING REGION W3 MAIN COMPLEX

We observed three high-mass star-forming regions in the W3 high-mass star formation complex with the Submillimeter Array and IRAM 30 m telescope. These regions, i.e. W3 SMS1 (W3 IRS5), SMS2 (W3 IRS4) and SMS3, are in different evolutionary stages and are located within the same large-scale environment, which allows us to study rotation and outflows as well as chemical properties in an evolutionary sense. While we find multiple mm continuum sources toward all regions, these three sub-regions exhibit different dynamical and chemical properties, which indicates that they are in different evolutionary stages. Even within each subregion, massive cores of different ages are found, e.g. in SMS2, sub-sources from the most evolved UCHII region to potential starless cores exist within 30 000 AU of each other. Outflows and rotational structures are found in SMS1 and SMS2. Evidence for interactions between the molecular cloud and the HII regions is found in the 13CO channel maps, which may indicate triggered star formation.

Tracing FUV Radiation in the Embedded Phase of Star Formation

Molecules containing one or a few hydrogen atoms and a heavier atom (hydrides) have been predicted to trace FUV radiation. In some chemical models, FUV emission by the central object or protostar of a star forming region greatly enhances some of the hydride abundances. Two massive regions, W3 IRS5 and AFGL 2591, have been observed in hydride lines by HIFI onboard the Herschel Space Observatory . We use published results as well as new observations of CH+ towards W3 IRS5. Molecular column densities are derived from ground state absorption lines, radiative transfer modeling or rotational diagrams. Models assuming no internal FUV are compared with two-dimensional models including FUV irradiation of outflow walls. We confirm that the effect of FUV is clearly noticeable and greatly improves the fit. The most sensitive molecules to FUV irradiation are CH+ and OH+ , enhanced in abundance by many orders of magnitude. Modeling in addition also full line radiative transfer, Bruderer et al. (b) achieve good agreement of a two-dimensional FUV model with observations of CH+ in AFGL 2591. It is concluded that CH+ and OH+ are good FUV tracers in star-forming regions.

Hydrides in young stellar objects: Radiation tracers in a protostar-disk-outflow system

Context: Hydrides of the most abundant heavier elements are fundamental molecules in cosmic chemistry. Some of them trace gas irradiated by UV or X-rays. Aims: We explore the abundances of major hydrides in W3 IRS5, a prototypical region of high-mass star formation. Methods: W3 IRS5 was observed by HIFI on the Herschel Space Observatory with deep integration (about 2500 s) in 8 spectral regions. Results: The target lines including CH, NH, H3O+, and the new molecules SH+, H2O+, and OH+ are detected. The H2O+ and OH+ J=1-0 lines are found mostly in absorption, but also appear to exhibit weak emission (P-Cyg-like). Emission requires high density, thus originates most likely near the protostar. This is corroborated by the absence of line shifts relative to the young stellar object (YSO). In addition, H2O+ and OH+ also contain strong absorption components at a velocity shifted relative to W3 IRS5, which are attributed to foreground clouds. Conclusions: The molecular column densities derived from observations correlate well with the predictions of a model that assumes the main emission region is in outflow walls, heated and irradiated by protostellar UV radiation.