No Arabic abstract
[Abridged] We present spectroscopic observations in H$_{2}$O, CO and related species with textit{Herschel} HIFI and PACS, as well as ground-based follow-up with the JCMT and APEX in CO, HCO$^{+}$ and isotopologues, of a sample of 49 nearby ($d<$500,pc) candidate protostars. These data are used to study the outflow and envelope properties of these sources. We also compile their continuum SEDs in order to constrain their physical properties. Water emission is dominated by shocks associated with the outflow, rather than the cooler, slower entrained outflowing gas probed by ground-based CO observations. These shocks become less energetic as sources evolve from Class 0 to Class I. The fraction of mass in the outflow relative to the total envelope (i.e. $M_{mathrm{out}}/M_{mathrm{env}}$) remains broadly constant between Class 0 and I. The median value ($sim$1$%$) is consistent with a core to star formation efficiency on the order of 50$%$ and an outflow duty cycle on the order of 5$%$. Entrainment efficiency, as probed by $F_{mathrm{CO}}/dot{M}_{mathrm{acc}}$, is also invariant with source properties and evolutionary stage. The median value (6.3kms{}) suggests an entrainment efficiency of between 30 and 60$%$ if the wind is launched at $sim$1AU. $L$[O,{sc i}] is strongly correlated with $L_{mathrm{bol}}$ but not with $M_{mathrm{env}}$, while low-$J$ CO is more closely correlated with the latter than the former. This suggests that [O,{sc i}] traces the present-day accretion activity while CO traces time-averaged accretion over the dynamical timescale of the outflow. $L$[O,{sc i}] does not vary from Class 0 to Class I, unlike CO and H$_{2}$O. This is likely due to the ratio of atomic to molecular gas in the wind increasing as the source evolves, balancing out the decrease in mass accretion rate. Infall signatures are detected in HCO$^{+}$ and H$_{2}$O in a few sources.
Aims. Young stars interact vigorously with their surroundings, as evident from the highly rotationally excited CO (up to Eup=4000 K) and H2O emission (up to 600 K) detected by the Herschel Space Observatory in embedded low-mass protostars. Our aim is to construct a model that reproduces the observations quantitatively, to investigate the origin of the emission, and to use the lines as probes of the various heating mechanisms. Methods. The model consists of a spherical envelope with a bipolar outflow cavity. Three heating mechanisms are considered: passive heating by the protostellar luminosity, UV irradiation of the outflow cavity walls, and C-type shocks along the cavity walls. Line fluxes are calculated for CO and H2O and compared to Herschel data and complementary ground-based data for the protostars NGC1333 IRAS2A, HH 46 and DK Cha. The three sources are selected to span a range of evolutionary phases and physical characteristics. Results. The passively heated gas in the envelope accounts for 3-10% of the CO luminosity summed over all rotational lines up to J=40-39; it is best probed by low-J CO isotopologue lines such as C18O 2-1 and 3-2. The UV-heated gas and the C-type shocks, probed by 12CO 10-9 and higher-J lines, contribute 20-80% each. The model fits show a tentative evolutionary trend: the CO emission is dominated by shocks in the youngest source and by UV-heated gas in the oldest one. This trend is mainly driven by the lower envelope density in more evolved sources. The total H2O line luminosity in all cases is dominated by shocks (>99%). The exact percentages for both species are uncertain by at least a factor of 2 due to uncertainties in the gas temperature as function of the incident UV flux. However, on a qualitative level, both UV-heated gas and C-type shocks are needed to reproduce the emission in far-infrared rotational lines of CO and H2O.
Complex organic molecules (COMs) have been observed towards several low-mass young stellar objects (LYSOs). Small and heterogeneous samples have so far precluded conclusions on typical COM abundances, as well as the origin(s) of abundance variations between sources. We present observations towards 16 deeply embedded (Class 0/I) low-mass protostars using the IRAM 30m telescope. We detect CH$_2$CO, CH$_3$CHO, CH$_3$OCH$_3$, CH$_3$OCHO, CH$_3$CN, HNCO, and HC$_3$N towards 67%, 37%, 13%, 13%, 44%, 81%, and 75% of sources respectively. Median column densities derived using survival analysis range between 6.0x10$^{10}$ cm$^{-2}$ (CH$_3$CN) and 2.4x10$^{12}$ cm$^{-2}$ (CH$_3$OCH$_3$) and median abundances range between 0.48% (CH$_3$CN) and 16% (HNCO) with respect to CH$_3$OH. Column densities for each molecule vary by about one order of magnitude across the sample. Abundances with respect to CH$_3$OH are more narrowly distributed, especially for oxygen-bearing species. We compare observed median abundances with a chemical model for low-mass protostars and find fair agreement, although some modeling work remains to bring abundances higher with respect to CH$_3$OH. Median abundances with respect to CH$_3$OH in LYSOs are also found to be generally comparable to observed abundances in hot cores, hot corinos, and massive young stellar objects. Compared with comets, our sample is comparable for all molecules except HC$_3$N and CH$_2$CO, which likely become depleted at later evolutionary stages.
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.
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.
(Abridged) Water is a key tracer of dynamics and chemistry in low-mass protostars, but spectrally resolved observations have so far been limited in sensitivity and angular resolution. In this first systematic survey of spectrally resolved water emission in low-mass protostellar objects, H2O was observed in the ground-state transition at 557 GHz with HIFI on Herschel in 29 embedded Class 0 and I protostars. Complementary far-IR and sub-mm continuum data (including PACS data from our program) are used to constrain the spectral energy distribution of each source. H2O intensities are compared to inferred envelope and outflow properties and CO 3-2 emission. H2O emission is detected in all objects except one. The line profiles are complex and consist of several kinematic components. The profiles are typically dominated by a broad Gaussian emission feature, indicating that the bulk of the water emission arises in outflows, not the quiescent envelope. Several sources show multiple shock components in either emission or absorption, thus constraining the internal geometry of the system. Furthermore, the components include inverse P-Cygni profiles in 7 sources (6 Class 0, 1 Class I) indicative of infalling envelopes, and regular P-Cygni profiles in 4 sources (3 Class I, 1 Class 0) indicative of expanding envelopes. Bullets moving at >50 km/s are seen in 4 Class 0 sources; 3 of these are new detections. In the outflow, the H2O/CO abundance ratio as a function of velocity is nearly the same for all sources, increasing from 10^-3 at <5 km/s to >10^-1 at >10 km/s. The H2O abundance in the outer envelope is low, ~10^-10. The different H2O profile components show a clear evolutionary trend: in the Class 0 sources, emission is dominated by outflow components originating inside an infalling envelope. When the infall diminishes during the Class I phase, the outflow weakens and H2O emission disappears.