High-mass Starless Clumps in the Inner Galactic Plane: The Sample and Dust Properties

Yuan, Jinghua,Wu, Yuefang,Ellingsen, Simon P.,II, Neal J. Evans,Henkel, Christian,Wang, Ke,Liu, Hong-Li,Liu, Tie,Li, Jin-Zeng,Zavagno, Annie American Astronomical Society 2017 The Astrophysical journal Supplement series Vol.231 No.1

<P>We report a sample of 463 high-mass starless clump (HMSC) candidates within -60 degrees < l < 60 degrees and -1 degrees < b < 1 degrees. This sample has been singled out from 10,861 ATLASGAL clumps. None of these sources are associated with any known star-forming activities collected in SIMBAD and young stellar objects identified using color-based criteria. We also make sure that the HMSC candidates have neither point sources at 24 and 70 mu m. nor strong extended emission at 24 mu m. Most of the identified HMSCs are infrared dark, and some are even dark at 70 mu m. Their distribution shows crowding in Galactic spiral arms and toward the Galactic center and some wellknown star-forming complexes. Many HMSCs are associated with large-scale filaments. Some basic parameters were attained from column density and dust temperature maps constructed via fitting far-infrared and submillimeter continuum data to modified blackbodies. The HMSC candidates have sizes, masses, and densities similar to clumps associated with Class II methanol masers and H. II. regions, suggesting that they will evolve into star-forming clumps. More than 90% of the HMSC candidates have densities above some proposed thresholds for forming high-mass stars. With dust temperatures and luminosity-to-mass ratios significantly lower than that for star-forming sources, the HMSC candidates are externally heated and genuinely at very early stages of high-mass star formation. Twenty sources with equivalent radii r(eq) < 0.15 pc and mass surface densities Sigma > 0.08 g cm(-2) could be possible high-mass starless cores. Further investigations toward these HMSCs would undoubtedly shed light on comprehensively understanding the birth of high-mass stars.</P>

Planck Cold Clumps in the <i>λ</i> Orionis Complex. II. Environmental Effects on Core Formation

Yi, Hee-Weon,Lee, Jeong-Eun,Liu, Tie,Kim, Kee-Tae,Choi, Minho,Eden, David,II, Neal J. Evans,Francesco, James Di,Fuller, Gary,Hirano, N.,Juvela, Mika,Kang, Sung-ju,Kim, Gwanjeong,M. Koch, Patrick,Lee, American Astronomical Society 2018 The Astrophysical journal, Supplement series Vol.236 No.2

<P>Based on the 850 mu m dust continuum data from SCUBA-2 at James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT), we compare overall properties of Planck Galactic Cold Clumps (PGCCs) in the lambda Orionis cloud to those of PGCCs in the Orion A and B clouds. The Orion A and B clouds are well-known active star-forming regions, while the A Orionis cloud has a different environment as a consequence of the interaction with a prominent OB association and a giant H-II region. PGCCs in the lambda Orionis cloud have higher dust temperatures (T-d = 16.13 +/- 0.15 K) and lower values of dust emissivity spectral index (beta = 1.65 +/- 0.02) than PGCCs in the Orion A (T-d = 13.79 +/- 0.21 K, beta = 2.07 +/- 0.03) and Orion B (T-d = 13.82 +/- 0.19 K, beta =1.96 +/- 0.02) clouds. We find 119 substructures within the 40 detected PGCCs and identify them as cores. Out of a total of 119 cores, 15 cores are discovered in the lambda Orionis cloud, while 74 and 30 cores are found in the Orion A and B clouds, respectively. The cores in the lambda Orionis cloud show much lower mean values of size R = 0.08 pc, column density N(H-2) (9.5 +/- 1.2) x 10(22)cm(-2) , number density n(H-2) - (2.9 +/- 0.4) x 10 5 CM -3 , and mass M-core = 1.0 +/- 0.3 M(circle dot)compared to the cores in the Orion A [R = 0.11 pc, N(H-2) = (2.3 +/- 0.3) x 10(23) cm(-2), n(H-2) = (3.8 +/- 0.5) x 10(5)cm(-3) , and M-core = 2.4 +/- 0.3 M-circle dot] and Orion B [R = 0.16 pc, N(H-2) (3.8 +/- 0.4) x 10(23) cm(-2), n(H-2) = (15.6 +/- 1.8) x 10(5) cm(-3) , and M-core = 2.7 +/- 0.3 M-circle dot] clouds. These core properties in the A Orionis cloud can be attributed to the photodissociation and external heating by the nearby H rr region, which may prevent the PGCCs from forming gravitationally bound structures and eventually disperse them. These results support the idea of negative stellar feedback on core formation.</P>

The Effects of Protostellar Disk Turbulence on CO Emission Lines: A Comparison Study of Disks with Constant CO Abundance versus Chemically Evolving Disks

Yu, Mo,Evans II, Neal J.,Dodson-Robinson, Sarah E.,Willacy, Karen,Turner, Neal J. American Astronomical Society 2017 The Astrophysical journal Vol.850 No.2

<P>Turbulence is the leading candidate for angular momentum transport in protoplanetary disks and therefore influences disk lifetimes and planet formation timescales. However, the turbulent properties of protoplanetary disks are poorly constrained observationally. Recent studies have found turbulent speeds smaller than what fullydeveloped MRI would produce (Flaherty et al.). However, existing studies assumed a constant CO/H-2 ratio of 10(-4) in locations where CO is not frozen-out or photo-dissociated. Our previous studies of evolving disk chemistry indicate that CO is depleted by incorporation into complex organic molecules well inside the freeze-out radius of CO. We consider the effects of this chemical depletion on measurements of turbulence. Simon et al. suggested that the ratio of the peak line flux to the flux at line center of the CO J = 3-2 transition is a reasonable diagnostic of turbulence, so we focus on that metric, while adding some analysis of the more complex effects on spatial distribution. We simulate the emission lines of CO based on chemical evolution models presented in Yu et al., and find that the peak-to-trough ratio changes as a function of time as CO is destroyed. Specifically, a CO-depleted disk with high turbulent velocity mimics the peak-to-trough ratios of a non-CO-depleted disk with lower turbulent velocity. We suggest that disk observers and modelers take into account the possibility of CO depletion when using line profiles or peak-to-trough ratios to constrain the degree of turbulence in disks. Assuming that CO/H-2 = 10(-4) at all disk radii can lead to underestimates of turbulent speeds in the disk by at least 0.2 km s(-1).</P>

Disk Masses around Solar-mass Stars are Underestimated by CO Observations

Yu, Mo,Evans II, Neal J.,Dodson-Robinson, Sarah E.,Willacy, Karen,Turner, Neal J. American Astronomical Society 2017 The Astrophysical journal Vol.841 No.1

<P>Gas in protostellar disks provides. the raw material for giant planet formation and controls the dynamics of the planetesimal-building dust grains. Accurate gas mass measurements help map the observed properties of planet-forming disks onto the formation environments of known exoplanets. Rare isotopologues of carbon monoxide (CO) have been used as gas mass tracers for disks in the Lupus star-forming region, with an assumed interstellar CO/H-2 abundance ratio. Unfortunately, observations of T-Tauri disks show that CO abundance is not interstellar, a finding reproduced by models that show CO abundance decreasing both with distance from the star and as a function of time. Here, we present radiative transfer simulations that assess the accuracy of CO-based disk mass measurements. We find that the combination of CO chemical depletion in the outer disk and optically thick emission from the inner disk leads observers to underestimate gas mass by more than an order of magnitude if they use the standard assumptions of interstellar CO/H-2 ratio and optically thin emission. Furthermore, CO abundance changes on million-year timescales, introducing an age/mass degeneracy into observations. To reach a. factor of a few accuracy for CO-based disk mass measurements, we suggest that observers and modelers adopt the following strategies: (1) select. low-J transitions; (2) observe multiple CO isotopologues and use either intensity ratios or normalized line profiles to diagnose CO chemical depletion; and (3) use spatially resolved observations to measure the CO-abundance distribution.</P>

EVIDENCES OF EPISODIC MASS ACCRETION IN LOW-LUMINOSITY EMBEDDED PROTOSTARS

Kim, Hyo Jeong,Evans, Neal J. II,Dunham, Michael M.,Lee, Jeong-Eun,Pontoppidan, Klaus M. The Korean Astronomical Society 2012 天文學論叢 Vol.27 No.4

We present Spitzer IRS spectroscopy of $CO_2$ ice toward 19 young stellar objects (YSOs) with luminosity lower than $1L_{\odot}$. Pure $CO_2$ ice forms only at elevated temperatures, T > 20 K, and thus at higher luminosities. Current internal luminosities of YSOs with L < $1L_{\odot}$ do not provide such conditions out to radii of typical envelopes. Significant amounts of pure $CO_2$ ice would signify a higher past luminosity. We analyze $15.2{\mu}m$ $CO_2$ ice bending mode absorption lines in comparison to the laboratory data. We decompose pure $CO_2$ ice from 12 out of 19 young low luminosity sources. The presence of the pure $CO_2$ ice component indicates high dust temperature and hence high luminosity in the past. The sum of all the ice components (total $CO_2$ ice amount) can be explained by a long period of low luminosity stage between episodic accretion bursts as predicted in an episodic accretion scenario. Chemical modeling shows that the episodic accretion scenario explains the observed total $CO_2$ ice amount best.

THE<i>SPITZER</i>C2D SURVEY OF NEARBY DENSE CORES. XI. INFRARED AND SUBMILLIMETER OBSERVATIONS OF CB130

Kim, Hyo Jeong,Evans II, Neal J.,Dunham, Michael M.,Chen, Jo-Hsin,Lee, Jeong-Eun,Bourke, Tyler L.,Huard, Tracy L.,Shirley, Yancy L.,De Vries, Christopher IOP Publishing 2011 The Astrophysical journal Vol.729 No.2

<P>We present new observations of the CB130 region composed of three separate cores. Using the Spitzer Space Telescope, we detected a Class 0 and a Class II object in one of these, CB130-1. The observed photometric data from Spitzer and ground-based telescopes are used to establish the physical parameters of the Class 0 object. Spectral energy distribution fitting with a radiative transfer model shows that the luminosity of the Class 0 object is 0.14-0.16 L-circle dot, which is low for a protostellar object. In order to constrain the chemical characteristics of the core having the low-luminosity object, we compare our molecular line observations to models of lines including abundance variations. We tested both ad hoc step function abundance models and a series of self-consistent chemical evolution models. In the chemical evolution models, we consider a continuous accretion model and an episodic accretion model to explore how variable luminosity affects the chemistry. The step function abundance models can match observed lines reasonably well. The best-fitting chemical evolution model requires episodic accretion and the formation of CO2 ice from CO ice during the low-luminosity periods. This process removes C from the gas phase, providing a much improved fit to the observed gas-phase molecular lines and the CO2 ice absorption feature. Based on the chemical model result, the low luminosity of CB130-1 is explained better as a quiescent stage between episodic accretion bursts rather than being at the first hydrostatic core stage.</P>

EMBEDDED PROTOSTARS IN THE DUST, ICE, AND GAS IN TIME (DIGIT)<i>HERSCHEL</i>KEY PROGRAM: CONTINUUM SEDs, AND AN INVENTORY OF CHARACTERISTIC FAR-INFRARED LINES FROM PACS SPECTROSCOPY

Green, Joel D.,Evans II, Neal J.,Jørgensen, Jes K.,Herczeg, Gregory J.,Kristensen, Lars E.,Lee, Jeong-Eun,Dionatos, Odysseas,Yildiz, Umut A.,Salyk, Colette,Meeus, Gwendolyn,Bouwman, Jeroen,Visser, Ruu IOP Publishing 2013 The Astrophysical journal Vol.770 No.2

<P>We present 50-210 mu m spectral scans of 30 Class 0/I protostellar sources, obtained with Herschel-PACS, and 0.5-1000 mu m spectral energy distributions, as part of the Dust, Ice, and Gas in Time Key Program. Some sources exhibit up to 75 H2O lines ranging in excitation energy from 100 to 2000 K, 12 transitions of OH, and CO rotational lines ranging from J = 14 -> 13 up to J = 40 -> 39. [O I] is detected in all but one source in the entire sample; among the sources with detectable [O I] are two very low luminosity objects. The mean 63/145 mu m [O I] flux ratio is 17.2 +/- 9.2. The [O I] 63 mu m line correlates with L-bol, but not with the time-averaged outflow rate derived from low-J CO maps. [C II] emission is in general not local to the source. The sample L-bol increased by 1.25 (1.06) and T-bol decreased to 0.96 (0.96) of mean (median) values with the inclusion of the Herschel data. Most CO rotational diagrams are characterized by two optically thin components (< N > = ( 0.70 +/- 1.12) x 10(49) total particles). N-CO correlates strongly with L-bol, but neither T-rot nor N-CO(warm)/N-CO(hot) correlates with L-bol, suggesting that the total excited gas is related to the current source luminosity, but that the excitation is primarily determined by the physics of the interaction (e.g., UV-heating/shocks). Rotational temperatures for H2O (< T-rot > = 194 +/- 85 K) and OH (< T-rot > = 183 +/- 117 K) are generally lower than for CO, and much of the scatter in the observations about the best fit is attributed to differences in excitation conditions and optical depths among the detected lines.</P>

Ionization-driven Depletion and Redistribution of CO in Protoplanetary Disks

Dodson-Robinson, Sarah E.,Evans II, Neal J.,Ramos, Alyssa,Yu, Mo,Willacy, Karen American Astronomical Society 2018 ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL LETTERS - Vol.868 No.2

CO₂ICE TOWARD LOW-LUMINOSITY EMBEDDED PROTOSTARS: EVIDENCE FOR EPISODIC MASS ACCRETION VIA CHEMICAL HISTORY

Kim, Hyo Jeong,Evans II, Neal J.,Dunham, Michael M.,Lee, Jeong-Eun,Pontoppidan, Klaus M. IOP Publishing 2012 The Astrophysical journal Vol.758 No.1

<P>We present Spitzer IRS spectroscopy of CO2 ice bending mode spectra at 15.2 mu m toward 19 young stellar objects (YSOs) with luminosity lower than 1L(circle dot) (3 with luminosity lower than 0.1 L-circle dot). Ice on dust grain surfaces can encode the history of heating because pure CO2 ice forms only at elevated temperature, T > 20 K, and thus around protostars of higher luminosity. Current internal luminosities of YSOs with L < 1L(circle dot) do not provide the conditions needed to produce pure CO2 ice at radii where typical envelopes begin. The presence of detectable amounts of pure CO2 ice would signify a higher past luminosity. Many of the spectra require a contribution from a pure, crystalline CO2 component, traced by the presence of a characteristic band splitting in the 15.2 mu m bending mode. About half of the sources (9 out of 19) in the low-luminosity sample have evidence for pure CO2 ice, and 6 of these have significant double-peaked features, which are very strong evidence of pure CO2 ice. The presence of the pure CO2 ice component indicates that the dust temperature, and hence luminosity of the central star/accretion disk system, must have been higher in the past. An episodic accretion scenario, in which mixed CO-CO2 ice is converted to pure CO2 ice during each high-luminosity phase, explains the presence of pure CO2 ice, the total amount of CO2 ice, and the observed residual (CO)-O-18 gas.</P>

Dust, Ice, and Gas In Time (DIGIT)<i>Herschel</i>program first results : A full PACS-SED scan of the gas line emission in protostar DK Chamaeleontis

van Kempen, T. A.,Green, J. D.,Evans II, N. J.,van Dishoeck, E. F.,Kristensen, L. E.,Herczeg, G. J.,Merí,n, B.,Lee, J.-E.,Jørgensen, J. K.,Bouwman, J.,Acke, B.,Adamkovics, M.,Augereau, J. C.,Ber EDP Sciences 2010 Astronomy and astrophysics Vol.518 No.-