L1157-mm powers a molecular outflow that is well-known for its shock-induced chemical activity in several hot-spots. We have studied the molecular emission toward L1157-mm searching for a jet component responsible for these spots. We used the IRAM 30
m telescope to observe the vicinity of L1157-mm in several lines of SiO. The SiO(5-4) and SiO(6-5) spectra toward L1157-mm present blue and red detached components about 45 km/s away from the ambient cloud. These extremely high-velocity (EHV) components are similar to those found in the L1448 and IRAS 04166+2706 outflows, and probably arise from a molecular jet driven by L1157-mm. Observations of off-center positions indicate that the jet is unresolved in SiO(5-4) (<11). The EHV jet seen in SiO probably excites L1157-B1 and the other chemically active spots of the L1157 outflow.
(Abridged) We study the kinematics of the dense gas in the Taurus L1495/B213 filamentary region to investigate the mechanism of core formation. We use observations of N2H+(1-0) and C18O(2-1) carried out with the IRAM 30m telescope. We find that the d
ense cores in L1495/B213 are significantly clustered in linear chain-like groups about 0.5pc long. The internal motions in these chains are mostly subsonic and the velocity is continuous, indicating that turbulence dissipation in the cloud has occurred at the scale of the chains and not at the smaller scale of the individual cores. The chains also present an approximately constant abundance of N2H+ and radial intensity profiles that can be modeled with a density law that follows a softened power law. A simple analysis of the spacing between the cores using an isothermal cylinder model indicates that the cores have likely formed by gravitational fragmentation of velocity-coherent filaments. Combining our analysis of the cores with our previous study of the large-scale C18O emission from the cloud, we propose a two-step scenario of core formation in L1495/B213. In this scenario, named fray and fragment, L1495/B213 originated from the supersonic collision of two flows. The collision produced a network of intertwined subsonic filaments or fibers (fray step). Some of these fibers accumulated enough mass to become gravitationally unstable and fragment into chains of closely-spaced cores. This scenario may also apply to other regions of star formation.
Context. A small group of bipolar protostellar outflows display strong emission from shock-tracer molecules such as SiO and CH3OH, and are generally referred to as chemically active. The best-studied outflow from this group is the one in L 1157. Aims
. We study the molecular emission from the bipolar outflow powered by the very young stellar object HH 114 MMS and compare its chemical composition with that of the L1157 outflow. Methods. We have used the IRAM 30m radio telescope to observe a number of transitions from CO, SiO, CH3OH, SO, CS, HCN, and HCO+ toward the HH 114 MMS outflow. The observations consist of maps and a two-position molecular survey. Results. The HH 114 MMS outflow presents strong emission from a number of shock-tracer molecules that dominate the appearance of the maps around the central source. The abundance of these molecules is comparable to the abundance in L 1157. Conclusions. The outflow from HH 114 MMS is a spectacular new case of a chemically active outflow.
(Abridged) Context. Core condensation is a critical step in the star-formation process, but is still poorly characterized observationally. Aims. We have studied the 10 pc-long L1495/B213 complex in Taurus to investigate how dense cores have condensed
out of the lower-density cloud material. Results. From the N$_2$H$^+$ emission, we identify 19 dense cores, some starless and some protostellar. They are not distributed uniformly, but tend to cluster with relative separations on the order of 0.25 pc. From the C$^{18}$O emission, we identify multiple velocity components in the gas. We have characterized them by fitting gaussians to the spectra, and by studying the distribution of the fits in position-position-velocity space. In this space, the C$^{18}$O components appear as velocity-coherent structures, and we have identified them automatically using a dedicated algorithm (FIVe: Friends In Velocity). Using this algorithm, we have identified 35 filamentary components with typical lengths of 0.5 pc, sonic internal velocity dispersions, and mass-per-unit-length close to the stability threshold of isothermal cylinders at 10 K. Core formation seems to have occurred inside the filamentary components via fragmentation, with a small number of fertile components with larger mass-per-unit-length being responsible for most cores in the cloud. At large scales, the filamentary components appear grouped into families, which we refer to as bundles. Conclusions. Core formation in L1495/B213 has proceeded by hierarchical fragmentation. The cloud fragmented first into several pc-scale regions. Each of these regions later fragmented into velocity-coherent filaments of about 0.5 pc in length. Finally, a small number of these filaments fragmented quasi-statically and produced the individual dense cores we see today.
(Abridged) We present a survey of the water emission in a sample of more than 20 outflows from low mass young stellar objects with the goal of characterizing the physical and chemical conditions of the emitting gas. We have used the HIFI and PACS ins
truments on board the Herschel Space Observatory to observe the two fundamental lines of ortho-water at 557 and 1670 GHz. These observations were part of the Water In Star-forming regions with Herschel (WISH) key program, and have been complemented with CO and H2 data. We find that the emission from water has a different spatial and velocity distribution from that of the J=1-0 and 2-1 transitions of CO, but it has a similar spatial distribution to H2, and its intensity follows the H2 intensity derived from IRAC images. This suggests that water traces the outflow gas at hundreds of kelvins responsible for the H2 emission, and not the component at tens of kelvins typical of low-J CO emission. A warm origin of the water emission is confirmed by a remarkable correlation between the intensities of the 557 and 1670 GHz lines, which also indicates the emitting gas has a narrow range of excitations. A non-LTE radiative transfer analysis shows that while there is some ambiguity on the exact combination of density and temperature values, the gas thermal pressure nT is constrained within less than a factor of 2. The typical nT over the sample is 4 10^{9} cm^{-3}K, which represents an increase of 10^4 with respect to the ambient value. The data also constrain within a factor of 2 the water column density. When this quantity is combined with H2 column densities, the typical water abundance is only 3 10^{-7}, with an uncertainty of a factor of 3. Our data challenge current C-shock models of water production due to a combination of wing-line profiles, high gas compressions, and low abundances.
Herschel-HIFI observations of water in the low-mass star-forming object L1448-MM, known for its prominent outflow, are presented, as obtained within the `Water in star-forming regions with Herschel (WISH) key programme. Six H2-16O lines are targeted
and detected (E_up/k_B ~ 50-250 K), as is CO J= 10-9 (E_up/k_B ~ 305 K), and tentatively H2-18O 110-101 at 548 GHz. All lines show strong emission in the bullets at |v| > 50 km/s from the source velocity, in addition to a broad, central component and narrow absorption. The bullets are seen much more prominently in H$_2$O than in CO with respect to the central component, and show little variation with excitation in H2O profile shape. Excitation conditions in the bullets derived from CO lines imply a temperature >150 K and density >10^5 cm^-3, similar to that of the broad component. The H2O/CO abundance ratio is similar in the bullets and the broad component, ~ 0.05-1.0, in spite of their different origins in the molecular jet and the interaction between the outflow and the envelope. The high H2O abundance indicates that the bullets are H2 rich. The H2O cooling in the bullets and the broad component is similar and higher than the CO cooling in the same components. These data illustrate the power of Herschel-HIFI to disentangle different dynamical components in low-mass star-forming objects and determine their excitation and chemical conditions.
(Abridged) We present a molecular survey of the outflows powered by L1448-mm and IRAS 04166+2706, two sources with prominent wing and extremely high velocity (EHV) components in their CO spectra. The molecular composition of the two outflows presents
systematic changes with velocity that we analyze by dividing the outflow in three chemical regimes, two of them associated with the wing component and the other the EHV gas. The analysis of the two wing regimes shows that species like H2CO and CH3OH favor the low-velocity gas, while SiO and HCN are more abundant in the fastest gas. We also find that the EHV regime is relatively rich in O-bearing species, as is not only detected in CO and SiO (already reported elsewhere), but also in SO, CH3OH, and H2CO (newly reported here), with a tentative detection in HCO+. At the same time, the EHV regime is relatively poor in C-bearing molecules like CS and HCN. We suggest that this difference in composition arises from a lower C/O ratio in the EHV gas. The different chemical compositions of the wing and EHV regimes suggest that these two outflow components have different physical origins. The wing component is better explained by shocked ambient gas, although none of the existing shock models explains all observed features. The peculiar composition of the EHV gas may reflect its origin as a dense wind from the protostar or its surrounding disk.
Context: IRAS 04166+2706 in Taurus is one of the most nearby young stellar objects whose molecular outflow contains a highly collimated fast component. Methods: We have observed the IRAS 04166+2706 outflow with the IRAM Plateau de Bure interferomet
er in CO(J=2-1) and SiO(J=2-1) achieving angular resolutions between 2 and 4. To improve the quality of the CO(2-1) images, we have added single dish data to the interferometer visibilities. Results: The outflow consists of two distinct components. At velocities <10 km/s, the gas forms two opposed, approximately conical shells that have the YSO at their vertex. These shells coincide with the walls of evacuated cavities and seem to result from the acceleration of the ambient gas by a wide-angle wind. At velocities >30 km/s, the gas forms two opposed jets that travel along the center of the cavities and whose emission is dominated by a symmetric collection of at least 7 pairs of peaks. The velocity field of this component presents a sawtooth pattern with the gas in the tail of each peak moving faster than the gas in the head. This pattern, together with a systematic widening of the peaks with distance to the central source, is consistent with the emission arising from internal working surfaces traveling along the jet and resulting from variations in the velocity field of ejection. We interpret this component as the true protostellar wind, and we find its composition consistent with a chemical model of such type of wind. Conclusions: Our results support outflow wind models that have simultaneously wide-angle and narrow components, and suggest that the EHV peaks seen in a number of outflows consist of internally-shocked wind material.
