Subscribe to the gold package and get unlimited access to Shamra Academy
Register a new userShocks and UV radiation around low-mass protostars: the Herschel-PACS legacy
85
0
0.0
(
0
)
Ask ChatGPT about the research
No Arabic abstract
Far-infrared spectroscopy reveals gas cooling and its underlying heating due to physical processes taking place in the surroundings of protostars. These processes are reflected in both the chemistry and excitation of abundant molecular species. Here, we present the Herschel-PACS far-IR spectroscopy of 90 embedded low-mass protostars from the WISH (van Dishoeck et al. 2011), DIGIT (Green et al. 2013), and WILL surveys (Mottram et al. 2017). The $5times5$ spectra covering the $sim50times50$ field-of-view include rotational transitions of CO, H$_2$O, and OH lines, as well as fine-structure [O I] and [C II] in the $sim$50-200 $mu$m range. The CO rotational temperatures (for $J_mathrm{u}geq14)$ are typically $sim$300 K, with some sources showing additional components with temperatures as high as $sim$1000 K. The H$_2$O / CO and H$_2$O / OH flux ratios are low compared to stationary shock models, suggesting that UV photons may dissociate some H$_2$O and decrease its abundance. Comparison to C shock models illuminated by UV photons shows good agreement between the line emission and the models for pre-shock densities of $10^5$ cm$^{-3}$ and UV fields 0.1-10 times the interstellar value. The far-infrared molecular and atomic lines are the unique diagnostic of shocks and UV fields in deeply-embedded sources.
rate research
Read More
Recent observations from Herschel allow the identification of important mechanisms responsible for the heating of gas surrounding low-mass protostars and its subsequent cooling in the far-infrared (FIR). Shocks are routinely invoked to reproduce some properties of the far-IR spectra, but standard models fail to reproduce the emission from key molecules, e.g. H$_2$O. Here, we present the Herschel-PACS far-IR spectroscopy of 90 embedded low-mass protostars (Class 0/I). The Herschel-PACS spectral maps covering $sim55-210$ $mu$m with a field-of-view of $sim$50 are used to quantify the gas excitation conditions and spatial extent using rotational transitions of H$_{2}$O, high-$J$ CO, and OH, as well as [O I] and [C II]. We confirm that a warm ($sim$300 K) CO reservoir is ubiquitous and that a hotter component ($760pm170$ K) is frequently detected around protostars. The line emission is extended beyond $sim$1000 AU spatial scales in 40/90 objects, typically in molecular tracers in Class 0 and atomic tracers in Class I objects. High-velocity emission ($gtrsim90$ km s$^{-1}$) is detected in only 10 sources in the [O I] line, suggesting that the bulk of [O I] arises from gas that is moving slower than typical jets. Line flux ratios show an excellent agreement with models of $C$-shocks illuminated by UV photons for pre-shock densities of $sim$$10^5$ cm$^{-3}$ and UV fields 0.1-10 times the interstellar value. The far-IR molecular and atomic lines are a unique diagnostic of feedback from UV emission and shocks in envelopes of deeply embedded protostars.
We present 70 and 160 micron Herschel science demonstration images of a field in the Orion A molecular cloud that contains the prototypical Herbig-Haro objects HH 1 and 2, obtained with the Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS). These observations demonstrate Herschels unprecedented ability to study the rich population of protostars in the Orion molecular clouds at the wavelengths where they emit most of their luminosity. The four protostars previously identified by Spitzer 3.6-40 micron imaging and spectroscopy are detected in the 70 micron band, and three are clearly detected at 160 microns. We measure photometry of the protostars in the PACS bands and assemble their spectral energy distributions (SEDs) from 1 to 870 microns with these data, Spitzer spectra and photometry, 2MASS data, and APEX sub-mm data. The SEDs are fit to models generated with radiative transfer codes. From these fits we can constrain the fundamental properties of the protostars. We find luminosities in the range 12-84 L_sun and envelope densities spanning over two orders of magnitude. This implies that the four protostars have a wide range of envelope infall rates and evolutionary states: two have dense, infalling envelopes, while the other two have only residual envelopes. We also show the highly irregular and filamentary structure of the cold dust and gas surrounding the protostars as traced at 160 microns.
OH is a key species in the water chemistry of star-forming regions, because its presence is tightly related to the formation and destruction of water. This paper presents OH observations from 23 low- and intermediate-mass young stellar objects obtained with the PACS integral field spectrometer on-board Herschel in the context of the Water In Star-forming Regions with Herschel (WISH) key program. Most low-mass sources have compact OH emission (< 5000 AU scale), whereas the OH lines in most intermediate-mass sources are extended over the whole PACS detector field-of-view (> 20000 AU). The strength of the OH emission is correlated with various source properties such as the bolometric luminosity and the envelope mass, but also with the OI and H2O emission. Rotational diagrams for sources with many OH lines show that the level populations of OH can be approximated by a Boltzmann distribution with an excitation temperature at around 70 K. Radiative transfer models of spherically symmetric envelopes cannot reproduce the OH emission fluxes nor their broad line widths, strongly suggesting an outflow origin. Slab excitation models indicate that the observed excitation temperature can either be reached if the OH molecules are exposed to a strong far-infrared continuum radiation field or if the gas temperature and density are sufficiently high. Using realistic source parameters and radiation fields, it is shown for the case of Ser SMM1 that radiative pumping plays an important role in transitions arising from upper level energies higher than 300 K. The compact emission in the low-mass sources and the required presence of a strong radiation field and/or a high density to excite the OH molecules points towards an origin in shocks in the inner envelope close to the protostar.
We report our current SMA and ALMA studies of disk and planet formation around protostars. We have revealed that $r gtrsim$100 AU scale disks in Keplerian rotation are ubiquitous around Class I sources. These Class I Keplerian disks are often embedded in rotating and infalling protostellar envelopes. The infalling speeds of the protostellar envelopes are typically $sim$ 3-times smaller than the free-fall velocities, and the rotational profiles follow the $r^{-1}$ profile, that is, rotation with the conserved specific angular momentum. Our latest high-resolution ($sim$0$farcs$5) ALMA studies, as well as the other studies in the literature, have unveiled that $r sim$100-AU scale Keplerian disks are also present in several Class 0 protostars, while in the other Class 0 sources the inferred upper limits of the Keplerian disks are very small ($r lessim$20 AU). Our recent data analyses of the ALMA long baseline data of the Class I-II source HL Tau have revealed gaps in molecular gas as well as in dust in the surrounding disk, suggesting the presence of sub-Jovian planets in the disk. These results imply that disk and planet formation should be completed in the protostellar stage.
Protostars interact with their surroundings through jets and winds impacting on the envelope and creating shocks, but the nature of these shocks is still poorly understood. Our aim is to survey far-infrared molecular line emission from a uniform and significant sample of deeply-embedded low-mass young stellar objects in order to characterize shocks and the possible role of ultraviolet radiation in the immediate protostellar environment. Herschel/PACS spectral maps of 22 objects in the Perseus molecular cloud were obtained as part of the `William Herschel Line Legacy survey. Line emission from H$_mathrm{2}$O, CO, and OH is tested against shock models from the literature. Observed line ratios are remarkably similar and do not show variations with source physical parameters. Observations show good agreement with the shock models when line ratios of the same species are compared. Ratios of various H$_mathrm{2}$O lines provide a particularly good diagnostic of pre-shock gas densities, $n_mathrm{H}sim10^{5}$ cm$^{-3}$, in agreement with typical densities obtained from observations of the post-shock gas. The corresponding shock velocities, obtained from comparison with CO line ratios, are above 20 km,s$^{-1}$. However, the observations consistently show one-to-two orders of magnitude lower H$_mathrm{2}$O-to-CO and H$_mathrm{2}$O-to-OH line ratios than predicted by the existing shock models. The overestimated model H$_mathrm{2}$O fluxes are most likely caused by an overabundance of H$_mathrm{2}$O in the models since the excitation is well-reproduced. Illumination of the shocked material by ultraviolet photons produced either in the star-disk system or, more locally, in the shock, would decrease the H$_mathrm{2}$O abundances and reconcile the models with observations. Detections of hot H$_mathrm{2}$O and strong OH lines support this scenario.
Log in to be able to interact and post comments
comments
Fetching comments
Sign in to be able to follow your search criteria
