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Register a new userSCUBA and Spitzer observations of the Taurus molecular cloud - pulling the bulls tail
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We present continuum data from the Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array (SCUBA) on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT), and the Mid-Infrared Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS) on the Spitzer Space Telescope, at submillimetre and infrared wavelengths respectively. We study the Taurus molecular cloud 1 (TMC1), and in particular the region of the Taurus Molecular Ring (TMR). In the continuum data we see no real evidence for a ring, but rather we see one side of it only, appearing as a filament. We name the filament `the bulls tail. The filament is seen in emission at 850, 450 and 160um, and in absorption at 70um. We compare the data with archive data from the Infra-Red Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) at 12, 25, 60, 100um, in which the filament is also seen in absorption. We find that the emission from the filament consists of two components: a narrow, cold (~8K), central core; and a broader, slightly warmer (~12K), shoulder of emission. We use a radiative transfer code to model the filaments appearance, either in emission or absorption, simultaneously at each of the different wavelengths. Our best fit model uses a Plummer-like density profile and a homogeneous interstellar dust grain population. Unlike previous work on a similar, but different filament in Taurus, we require no grain coagulation to explain our data.
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(abridged:) The Taurus Molecular Cloud (TMC) contains numerous prototypical examples of deeply embedded protostars with massive disks and outflows, classical and weak-lined T Tauri stars, jets and Herbig-Haro objects, and a growing number of confirmed brown dwarfs. Star formation is ongoing, and the cloud covers all stages of pre-main sequence stellar evolution. We have initiated comprehensive surveys of the TMC, in particular including: (i) a deep X-ray survey of about 5 sq. degrees with XMM-Newton; (ii) a near-to-mid-infrared photometric survey of ~30 sq. degrees with the Spitzer Space Telescope, mapping the entire cloud in all available photometric bands; and (iii) a deep optical survey using the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope. Each wavelength regime contributes to the understanding of different aspects of young stellar systems. XMM-Newton and Spitzer mapping of the central TMC is a real breakthrough in disk characterization, offering the most detailed studies of correlations between disk properties and high-energy magnetic processes in any low-mass star-forming region, extending also to brown dwarfs in which disk physics is largely unexplored. The optical data critically complements the other two surveys by allowing clear source identification with 0.8 arcsec resolution, identifying substellar candidates, and, when combined with NIR data, providing the wavelength baseline to probe NIR excess emission. We report results and correlation studies from these surveys. In particular, we address the physical interpretation of our new X-ray data, discuss the entire young stellar population from embedded protostars to weak-lined T Tau stars and their environment, and present new results on the low-mass population of the TMC, including young brown dwarfs.
The 100 square degree FCRAO CO survey of the Taurus molecular cloud provides an excellent opportunity to undertake an unbiased survey of a large, nearby, molecular cloud complex for molecular outflow activity. Our study provides information on the extent, energetics and frequency of outflows in this region, which are then used to assess the impact of outflows on the parent molecular cloud. The search identified 20 outflows in the Taurus region, 8 of which were previously unknown. Both $^{12}$CO and $^{13}$CO data cubes from the Taurus molecular map were used, and dynamical properties of the outflows are derived. Even for previously known outflows, our large-scale maps indicate that many of the outflows are much larger than previously suspected, with eight of the flows (40%) being more than a parsec long. The mass, momentum and kinetic energy from the 20 outflows are compared to the repository of turbulent energy in Taurus. Comparing the energy deposition rate from outflows to the dissipation rate of turbulence, we conclude that outflows by themselves cannot sustain the observed turbulence seen in the entire cloud. However, when the impact of outflows is studied in selected regions of Taurus, it is seen that locally, outflows can provide a significant source of turbulence and feedback. Five of the eight newly discovered outflows have no known associated stellar source, indicating that they may be embedded Class 0 sources. In Taurus, 30% of Class I sources and 12% of Flat spectrum sources from the Spitzer YSO catalogue have outflows, while 75% of known Class 0 objects have outflows. Overall, the paucity of outflows in Taurus compared to the embedded population of Class I and Flat Spectrum YSOs indicate that molecular outflows are a short-lived stage marking the youngest phase of protostellar life.
We present wide-field near-infrared images of the DR21/W75 high-mass star forming region, obtained with the Wide Field Camera, WFCAM, on the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope. Broad-band JHK and narrow-band H2 1-0S(1) images are compared to archival mid-IR images from the Spitzer Space Telescope, and 850 micron dust-continuum maps obtained with the Submillimeter Common User Bolometer Array (SCUBA). Together these data give a complete picture of dynamic star formation across this extensive region, which includes at least four separate star forming sites in various stages of evolution. The H2 data reveal knots and bow shocks associated with more than 50 individual flows. Most are well collimated, and at least five qualify as parsec-scale flows. Most appear to be driven by embedded, low-mass protostars. The orientations of the outflows, particularly from the few higher-mass sources in the region (DR21, DR21(OH), W75N and ERO~1), show some degree of order, being preferentially orientated roughly orthogonal to the chain of dusty cores that runs north-south through DR21. Clustering may inhibit disk accretion and therefore the production of outflows; we certainly do not see enhanced outflow activity from clusters of protostars. Finally, although the low-mass protostellar outflows are abundant and widely distributed, the current generation does not provide sufficient momentum and kinetic energy to account for the observed turbulent motions in the DR21/W75 giant molecular clouds. Rather, multiple epochs of outflow activity are required over the million-year timescale for turbulent decay.
The Optical Monitor (OM) on-board XMM-Newton obtained optical/ultraviolet data for the XMM-Newton Extended Survey of the Taurus Molecular Cloud (XEST), simultaneously with the X-ray detectors. With the XEST OM data, we aim to study the optical and ultraviolet properties of TMC members, and to do correlative studies between the X-ray and OM light curves. In particular, we aim to determine whether accretion plays a significant role in the optical/ultraviolet and X-ray emissions. The Neupert effect in stellar flares is also investigated. Coordinates, average count rates and magnitudes were extracted from OM images, together with light curves with low time resolution (a few kiloseconds). For a few sources, OM FAST mode data were also available, and we extracted OM light curves with high time resolution. The OM data were correlated with Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) data and with the XEST catalogue in the X-rays. The XEST OM catalogue contains 2,148 entries of which 1,893 have 2MASS counterparts. However, only 98 entries have X-ray counterparts, of which 51 of them are known TMC members and 12 additional are TMC candidates. The OM data indicate that accreting stars are statistically brighter in the U band than non-accreting stars after correction for extinction, and have U-band excesses, most likely due to accretion. The OM emission of accreting stars is variable, probably due to accretion spots, but it does not correlate with the X-ray light curve, suggesting that accretion does not contribute significantly to the X-ray emission of most accreting stars. In some cases, flares were detected in both X-ray and OM light curves and followed a Neupert effect pattern, in which the optical/ultraviolet emission precedes the X-ray emission of a flare, whereas the X-ray flux is proportional to the integral of the optical flux.
(abridged:) The XMM-Newton Extended Survey of the Taurus Molecular Cloud (XEST) surveys the most populated ~5 square degrees of the Taurus star formation region, using the XMM-Newton X-ray observatory to study the thermal structure, variability, and long-term evolution of hot plasma, to investigate the magnetic dynamo, and to search for new potential members of the association. Many targets are also studied in the optical, and high-resolution X-ray grating spectroscopy has been obtained for selected bright sources. The X-ray spectra have been coherently analyzed with two different thermal models (2-component thermal model, and a continuous emission measure distribution model). We present overall correlations with fundamental stellar parameters that were derived from the previous literature. A few detections from Chandra observations have been added. The present overview paper introduces the project and provides the basic results from the X-ray analysis of all sources detected in the XEST survey.Comprehensive tables summarize the stellar properties of all targets surveyed. The survey goes deeper than previous X-ray surveys of Taurus by about an order of magnitude and for the first time systematically accesses very faint and strongly absorbed TMC objects. We find a detection rate of 85% and 98% for classical and weak-line T Tau stars (CTTS resp. WTTS), and identify about half of the surveyed protostars and brown dwarfs. Overall, 136 out of 169 surveyed stellar systems are detected. We describe an X-ray luminosity vs. mass correlation, discuss the distribution of X-ray-to-bolometric luminosity ratios, and show evidence for lower X-ray luminosities in CTTS compared to WTTS. Detailed analysis (e.g., variability, rotation-activity relations, influence of accretion on X-rays) will be discussed in a series of accompanying papers.
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