No Arabic abstract
We present a multiwavelength study of the massive star forming region associated with IRAS 06055+2039 which reveals an interesting scenario of this complex where regions are at different stages of evolution of star formation. Narrow band near-infrared (NIR) observations were carried out with UKIRT-UFTI in molecular hydrogen and Br$gamma$ lines to trace the shocked and ionized gases respectively. We have used 2MASS $J H K_{s}$ data to study the nature of the embedded cluster associated with IRAS 06055+2039. We obtain a power-law slope of 0.43$pm$0.09 for the $K_{s}$-band Luminosity Function (KLF) which is in good agreement with other young embedded clusters. We estimate an age of 2 -- 3 Myr for this cluster. The radio emission from the ionized gas has been mapped at 610 and 1280 MHz using the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT), India. Apart from the diffuse emission, the high resolution 1280 MHz map also shows the presence of several discrete sources which possibly represent high density clumps. The morphology of shocked molecular hydrogen forms an arc towards the N-E of the central IRAS point source and envelopes the radio emission. Submillimetre emission using JCMT-SCUBA show the presence of a dense cloud core which is probably at an earlier evolutionary stage compared to the ionized region with shocked molecular gas lying in between the two. Emission from warm dust and the Unidentified Infrared Bands (UIBs) have been estimated using the mid-infrared (8 -- 21 $mu$m) data from the MSX survey. From the submillimetre emission at 450 and 850 $mu$m the total mass of the cloud is estimated to be $sim$ 7000 -- 9000 $rm M_{odot}$.
Context. With the latest infrared surveys, the number of massive protostellar candidates has increased significantly. New studies have posed additional questions on important issues about the formation, evolution, and other phenomena related to them. Complementary to infrared data, radio observations are a good tool to study the nature of these objects, and to diagnose the formation stage. Aims. Here we study the far-infrared source IRAS 16353-4636 with the aim of understanding its nature and origin. In particular, we search for young stellar objects (YSOs), possible outflow structure, and the presence of non-thermal emission. Methods. Using high-resolution, multi-wavelength radio continuum data obtained with the Australia Telescope Compact Array, we image IRAS 16353-4636 and its environment from 1.4 to 19.6 GHz, and derive the distribution of the spectral index at maximum angular resolution. We also present new JHKs photometry and spectroscopy data obtained at ESO NTT. 13 CO and archival HI line data, and infrared databases (MSX, GLIMPSE, MIPSGal) are also inspected. Results. The radio continuum emission associated with IRAS 16353-4636 was found to be extended (~10 arcsec), with a bow-shaped morphology above 4.8 GHz, and a strong peak persistent at all frequencies. The NIR photometry led us to identify ten near-IR sources and classify them according to their color. We used the HI line data to derive the source distance, and analyzed the kinematical information from the CO and NIR lines detected. Conclusions. We have identified the source IRAS 16353-4636 as a new protostellar cluster. In this cluster we recognized three distinct sources: a low-mass YSO, a high-mass YSOs, and a mildly confined region of intense and non-thermal radio emission. We propose the latter corresponds to the terminal part of an outflow.
This article presents a multi-wavelength study towards S87, based on a dataset of submillimeter/far-/mid-infrared (sub-mm/FIR/MIR) images and molecular line maps. The sub-mm continuum emission measured with JCMT/SCUBA reveals three individual clumps, namely, SMM1, SMM2, and SMM3. The MIR/FIR images obtained by the Spitzer Space Telescope indicate that both SMM1 and SMM3 harbor point sources. The J=1-0 transitions of CO, 13CO, C18O, and HCO+, measured with the 13.7m telescope of the Purple Mountain Observatory, exhibit asymmetric line profiles. Our analysis of spectral energy distributions (SEDs) shows that all of the three sub-mm clumps are massive (110--210 $M_{odot}$), with average dust temperatures in the range ~20--40K. A multi-wavelength comparison convinces us that the asymmetric profiles of molecular lines should result from two clouds at slightly different velocities, and it further confirms that the star-forming activity in SMM1 is stimulated by a cloud-cloud collision. The stellar contents and SEDs suggest that SMM1 and SMM3 are high-mass and intermediate-mass star-forming sites respectively. However, SMM2 has no counterpart downwards 70 micron, which is likely to be a cold high-mass starless core. These results, as mentioned above, expose multiple phases of star formation in S87.
We present observations of 1.2-mm dust continuum emission, made with the Swedish ESO Submillimeter Telescope, towards eighteen luminous IRAS point sources, all with colors typical of compact HII regions and associated with CS(2-1) emission, thought to be representative of young massive star forming regions. Emission was detected toward all the IRAS objects. We find that the 1.2-mm sources associated with them have distinct physical parameters, namely sizes of 0.4 pc, dust temperatures of 30 K, masses of 2x10^3 Msun, column densities of 3x10^23 cm^-2, and densities of 4x10^5 cm^-3. We refer to these dust structures as massive and dense cores. Most of the 1.2-mm sources show single-peaked structures, several of which exhibit a bright compact peak surrounded by a weaker extended envelope. The observed radial intensity profiles of sources with this type of morphology are well fitted with power-law intensity profiles with power-law indices in the range 1.0-1.7. This result indicates that massive and dense cores are centrally condensed, having radial density profiles with power-law indices in the range 1.5-2.2. We also find that the UC HII regions detected with ATCA towards the IRAS sources investigated here (Paper I) are usually projected at the peak position of the 1.2-mm dust continuum emission, suggesting that massive stars are formed at the center of the centrally condensed massive and dense cores.
A multi-wavelength investigation of the star forming complex IRAS 20286+4105, located in the Cygnus-X region, is presented here. Near-infrared K-band data is used to revisit the cluster / stellar group identified in previous studies. The radio continuum observations, at 610 and 1280 MHz show the presence of a HII region possibly powered by a star of spectral type B0 - B0.5. The cometary morphology of the ionized region is explained by invoking the bow-shock model where the likely association with a nearby supernova remnant is also explored. A compact radio knot with non-thermal spectral index is detected towards the centre of the cloud. Mid-infrared data from the Spitzer Legacy Survey of the Cygnus-X region show the presence of six Class I YSOs inside the cloud. Thermal dust emission in this complex is modelled using Herschel far-infrared data to generate dust temperature and column density maps. Herschel images also show the presence of two clumps in this region, the masses of which are estimated to be {sim} 175 M{sun} and 30 M{sun}. The mass-radius relation and the surface density of the clumps do not qualify them as massive star forming sites. An overall picture of a runaway star ionizing the cloud and a triggered population of intermediate-mass, Class I sources located toward the cloud centre emerges from this multiwavelength study. Variation in the dust emissivity spectral index is shown to exist in this region and is seen to have an inverse relation with the dust temperature.
We present mid-infrared (MIR) observations, made with the TIMMI2 camera on the ESO 3.6 m telescope, toward 14 young massive star-forming regions. All regions were imaged in the N band, and nine in the Q band, with an angular resolution of ~ 1 arcsec. Typically, the regions exhibit a single or two compact sources (with sizes in the range 0.008-0.18 pc) plus extended diffuse emission. The Spitzer-Galactic Legacy Infrared Mid-Plane Survey Extraordinaire images of these regions show much more extended emission than that seen by TIMMI2, and this is attributed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) bands. For the MIR sources associated with radio continuum radiation (Paper I) there is a close morphological correspondence between the two emissions, suggesting that the ionized gas (radio source) and hot dust (MIR source) coexist inside the H II region. We found five MIR compact sources which are not associated with radio continuum emission, and are thus prime candidates for hosting young massive protostars. In particular, objects IRAS 14593-5852 II (only detected at 17.7 microns) and 17008-4040 I are likely to be genuine O-type protostellar objects. We also present TIMMI2 N-band spectra of eight sources, all of which are dominated by a prominent silicate absorption feature (~ 9.7 microns). From these data we estimate column densities in the range (7-17)x10^22 cm^-2, in good agreement with those derived from the 1.2 mm data (Paper II). Seven sources show bright [Ne II] line emission, as expected from ionized gas regions. Only IRAS 123830-6128 shows detectable PAH emission at 8.6 and 11.3 microns.