arXiv subjects

D. Arzoumanian

Publications and source records attributed to D. Arzoumanian.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Corona Australis 151: an extremely young protostar

Context. Prestellar cores are the birthplace of stars and planetary systems, but they are short-lived objects, since the initial stages of dense core evolution, collapse, and the formation of a protostellar seed are fast. In an effort to build a catalogue of bona-fide prestellar cores in the Solar neighbourhood, we used APEX observations to identify dynamically evolved cores among dense cores observed with Herschel. One of them, Corona Australis 151, stood out because of its centrally peaked structure, with densities above 1e7cm-3 in the central 500-1000 au, and high deuteration levels (N2D+/N2H+~0.5), suggestive of an evolved, prestellar stage. Aims. Corona Australis 151 appears to be an evolved prestellar core, but the presence of broad wings in some of the detected lines and a tentative 70micron detection with Herschel partially challenges its prestellar stage. We intend to assess its evolutionary stage. Methods. We analyse new ALMA data of the continuum emission and of several line tracers (including typical outflow tracers) at a resolution of~150-200au, tracing the envelope. Results. We unveil the presence of a compact and young outflow (projected dynamical age:~500yr), traced by SiO, CO, and H2CO emission. The continuum emission traces an envelope structure of size~1000 au and mass 0.33M_sun(assuming Tdust=20 K). Conclusions. Corona Australis 151 is an extremely young protostar, possibly one of the youngest known in the Solar neighbourhood, and hence a new laboratory to study the chemical and dynamical evolution at the dawn of star formation.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

A differentiable and optimizable 3D model for interpretation of observed spectral data cubes

Molecular spectral cubes of prestellar cores encode the information on the physical and chemical properties of these objects along the line of sight. To retrieve this information, we need an interpretable model that reproduces the observed spectra. We designed a differentiable 3D geometrical model that produces synthetic observations from the parameterized density and velocity fields, and that can be efficiently optimized to reproduce the real data cubes. The model has been applied to p-NH2D and N2D+ spectral cubes in the prestellar core L1544. The optimized model suggests that to reproduce the observed velocity difference between p-NH2D and N2D+ in L1544, an asymmetric structure in density and velocity is necessary.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

FIRESTORM I: Stellar Feedback and Gas Kinematics in the Evolved W40 Hub-Filament System

The FIRESTORM project--Feedback-Induced Regions and Emission from Star-forming Tracers of ObseRvable Molecular Gas--has targeted four star-forming regions to quantify the impact of stellar feedback on star formation. In this paper, we present multiwavelength results for one of the targets, the nearby high-mass star-forming region W40. Using dense-gas tracers C$^{18}$O(1--0) and H$^{13}$CO$^+$(1--0), we identified six velocity-coherent filaments: five at \vlsr $\sim$\,7.5\kms\! and one at \vlsr $\sim$\,5\kms. Four of these converge towards an infrared-bright cluster hosting the most massive star of the region (IRS 1A South, O9.5V), forming a hub-filament system (HFS). Key physical parameters, including filament lengths, widths, masses, velocity dispersions, and line masses, are derived. Five dense clumps traced by N$_2$H$^+$(1--0) exhibit subsonic to transonic turbulence, contrasting with the supersonic motions of their parental filaments, indicating turbulence dissipation. A deficit of emission at \vlsr $\sim$\,7\kms\! in several molecular lines, along with a blueshifted absorption dip in the HCN(1--0) profile, suggests that emission from OB-heated gas is being absorbed by a cold foreground cloud. A bridge-like feature in position-velocity space connects the \vlsr $\sim$\,5 and $\sim$\,7.5\kms\! filaments, and spatially coinciding with dense condensations and radio continuum peaks. These findings suggest that a past interaction--likely a cloud-cloud collision--triggered the formation of HFS and ultimately the central massive cluster.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Hunting pre-stellar cores with APEX: overview

[Abridged] $Context.$ Pre-stellar cores are centrally concentrated starless cores on the verge of star formation and they represent the initial conditions for star and planet formation. Pre-stellar cores host an active organic chemistry and isotopic fractionation, kept stored into thick icy mantles, which can be inherited by the future protoplanetary disks and planetesimals. So far, only a few have been studied in detail, with special attention being paid to L1544 in the Taurus Molecular Cloud. $Aims.$ The aim is to identify nearby ($<$200 pc) pre-stellar cores in an unbiased way, to build a sample that can then be studied in detail. $Methods.$ We first used the Herschel Gould Belt Survey archival data, selecting all those starless cores with central H$_2$ number densities higher than or equal to 3$\times$10$^5$ cm$^{-3}$, the density of L1544 within the Herschel beam. The selected 40 (out of 1746) cores have then been observed in N$_2$H$^+$(3-2) and N$_2$D$^+$(4-3) using the APEX antenna. $Results.$ A total of 17 bona-fide (i.e., with a deuterium fraction larger than 10%) pre-stellar cores have been identified. Other 16 objects can also be considered pre-stellar, as they are dynamically evolved starless cores, but their deuterium fraction is relatively low ($<$10%). The remaining 7 objects have been found associated with very young stellar objects. $Conclusions.$ Dust continuum emission, together with spectroscopic observations of N$_2$H$^+$(3-2) and N$_2$D$^+$(4-3), is a powerful tool to identify pre-stellar cores in molecular clouds. Detailed modeling of the physical structure of the objects is now required for reconstructing the chemical composition as a function of radius. This work has provided a statistically significant sample of 33 pre-stellar cores, a crucial step in the understanding of the process of star and planet formation.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Cosmic-ray ionisation rate in low-mass cores: the role of the environment

Context: Cosmic rays drive several key processes for the chemistry and dynamical evolution of star-forming regions. Their effect is quantified mainly by means of the cosmic-ray ionisation rate $ζ_2$. Aims: We aim to obtain a sample of $ζ_2$ measurements in 20 low-mass starless cores embedded in different parental clouds, to assess the average level of ionisation in this kind of sources and to investigate the role of the environment in this context. The warmest clouds in our sample are Ophiuchus and Corona Australis, where star formation activity is higher than in the Taurus cloud and the other isolated cores we targeted. Methods: We compute $ζ_2$ using an analytical method based on the {column density} of ortho-$\rm H_2D^+$, the CO abundance, and the deuteration level of HCO$^+$. To estimate these quantities, we analysed new, high-sensitivity molecular line observations obtained with the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX) single-dish telescope and archival continuum data from Herschel. Results: We report $ζ_2$ estimates in 17 cores in our sample and provide upper limits on the three remaining sources. The values span almost two orders of magnitude, from $1.3 \times 10^{-18}\, \rm s^{-1}$ to $8.5 \times 10^{-17}\, \rm s^{-1}$. Conclusions: We find no significant correlation between $ζ_2$ and the core's column densities $N\rm (H_2)$. On the contrary, we find a positive correlation between $ζ_2$ and the cores' temperature, estimated via Herschel data: cores embedded in warmer environments present higher ionisation levels. The warmest clouds in our sample are Ophiuchus and Corona Australis, where star formation activity is higher than in the other clouds we targeted. The higher ionisation rates in these regions support the scenario that low-mass protostars in the vicinity of our targeted cores contribute to the re-acceleration of local cosmic rays.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Evolution of magnetized hub-filament systems: Comparing the observed properties of W3(OH), W3 Main, and S 106

In this study, we examine three cluster-forming hub-filament systems (HFS) - W3(OH), W3 Main, and S 106 - spanning evolutionary stages from early to advanced, with a focus on their magnetic field (B-field) structures and filament line-mass distributions. Our goal is to identify indicators of HFS evolution, particularly within their hubs, as star formation progresses. Our analysis combines observations of dense star-forming gas and young stellar populations. We present new JCMT/POL-2 observations of 850micron dust polarized emission to probe magnetic field morphology and dense gas structures. Archival infrared and radio data are also used to trace star formation activity. We derive radial column density profiles centered on the hubs to define distinct filament and hub regions. We then analyze histograms of line mass, polarization intensity (PI), polarization fraction (PF), and the relative orientation between B-fields and filaments. As HFS evolve, we observe changes in the filament line-mass function (FLMF), PF, and B-field-filament alignment - especially within the hub, which also increases in size. Massive bipolar outflows and radiation bubbles reshape the plane-of-sky B-fields, aligning them with cavity walls and shells, consistent with known rearrangements near HII regions. We also find a notable similarity between hub sizes and young cluster radii. "Double-node" star formation - where two subregions within a hub show different evolutionary stages - emerges as a common HFS feature. We present evidence for its widespread occurrence across several well-studied, nearby star-forming clouds.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

A multi-scale view of the magnetic field morphology in the hot molecular core G31.41+0.31

Multiscale studies of the morphology and strength of the magnetic field are crucial to properly unveil its role and relative importance in high-mass star and cluster formation. G31.41+0.31 (G31) is a hub-filament system that hosts a high-mass protocluster embedded in a hot molecular core (HMC). G31 is one of the few sources showing a clear hourglass morphology of the magnetic field on scales between 1000 au and a few 100 au in previous interferometric observations. This strongly suggests a field-regulated collapse. To complete the study of the magnetic field properties in this high-mass star-forming region, we carried out observations with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope $850 μ$m of the polarized dust emission. These observations had a spatial resolution of $\sim$0.2 pc at 3.75 kpc. The aim was to study the magnetic field in the whole cloud and to compare the magnetic field orientation toward the HMC from $\sim$50,000 au to $\sim$260 au scales. The large-scale ($\sim$5 pc) orientation of the magnetic field toward the position of the HMC is consistent with that observed at the core ($\sim$4,000 au) and circumstellar ($\sim$260 au) scales. The self-similarity of the magnetic field orientation at these different scales might arise from the brightest sources in the protocluster, whose collapse is dragging the magnetic field. These sources dominate the gravitational potential and the collapse in the HMC. The cloud-scale magnetic field strength of the G31 hub-filament system, which we estimated using the Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi method, is in the range 0.04--0.09 mG. The magnetic field orientation in the star-forming region shows a bimodal distribution, and it changes from an NW--SE direction in the north to an E--W direction in the south [abridged abstract].

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2025

Hunting pre-stellar cores with APEX: Corona Australis 151, the densest pre-stellar core or the youngest protostar?

Context. Pre-stellar cores are the birthplaces of Sun-like stars and represent the initial conditions for the assembly of protoplanetary systems. Due to their short lifespans, they are rare. In recent efforts to increase the number of such sources identified in the Solar neighbourhood, we have selected a sample of 40 starless cores from the publicly available core catalogs of the Herschel Gould Belt survey. In this work, we focus on one of the sources that stands out for its high central density: Corona Australis 151. Aims. We use molecular lines that trace dense gas (n>=10^6 cm-3) to confirm the exceptionally high density of this object, to study its physical structure, and to understand its evolutionary stage. Methods. We detected the N2H+ 3-2 and 5-4 transitions, and the N2D+ 3-2, 4-3, and 6-5 lines with the APEX telescope. We use the Herschel continuum data to infer a spherically symmetric model of the core's density and temperature. This is used as input to perform non-local-thermodynamic-equilibrium radiative transfer to fit the observed five lines. Results. Our analysis confirms that this core is characterised by very high densities (a few x 10^7 cm-3 at the centre) and cold temperatures. We infer a high deuteration level of N2D+/N2H+=0.50, indicative of an advanced evolutionary stage. In the large bandwidth covered by the APEX data, we detect several other deuterated species, including CHD2OH, D2CO, and ND3. We also detect multiple sulphurated species that present broader lines with signs of high-velocity wings. Conclusions. The observation of high-velocity wings and the fact that the linewidths of N2H+ and N2D+ become larger with increasing frequency can be interpreted either as an indication of supersonic infall motions developing in the central parts of a very evolved pre-stellar core or as the signature of outflows from a very low luminosity object (VeLLO). *SHORTENED*

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

Hunting pre-stellar cores with APEX: IRAS16293E (Oph464)

Pre-stellar cores are the first steps in the process of star and planet formation. However, the dynamical and chemical evolution of pre-stellar cores is still not well understood. We aim at estimating the central density of the pre-stellar core IRAS16293E and at carrying out an inventory of molecular species towards the density peak of the core. We observed high-$J$ rotational transitions of N$_2$H$^+$ and N$_2$D$^+$, and several other molecular lines towards the dust emission peak using the Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX) telescope, and derived the density and temperature profiles of the core using far-infrared surface brightness maps from $Herschel$. The N$_2$H$^+$ and N$_2$D$^+$ lines were analysed by non-LTE radiative transfer modelling. Our best-fit core model consists in a static inner region, embedded in an infalling envelope with an inner radius of approximately 3000 au (21" at 141 pc). The observed high-J lines of N$_2$H$^+$ and N$_2$D$^+$ (with critical densities greater than 10$^6$ cm$^{-3}$) turn out to be very sensitive to depletion; the present single-dish observations are best explained with no depletion of N$_2$H$^+$ and N$_2$D$^+$ in the inner core. The N$_2$D$^+$/N$_2$H$^+$ ratio that best reproduces our observations is 0.44, one of the largest observed to date in pre-stellar cores. Additionally, half of the molecules that we observed are deuterated isotopologues, confirming the high-level of deuteration towards this source. Non-LTE radiative transfer modelling of N$_2$H$^+$ and N$_2$D$^+$ lines proved to be an excellent diagnostic of the chemical structure and dynamics of a pre-stellar core. Probing the physical conditions immediately before the protostellar collapse is a necessary reference for theoretical studies and simulations with the aim of understanding the earliest stages of star and planet formation and the time scale of this process.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Understanding the Star Formation Efficiency in Dense Gas: Initial Results from the CAFFEINE Survey with ArTéMiS

Despite recent progress, the question of what regulates the star formation efficiency in galaxies remains one of the most debated problems in astrophysics. According to the dominant picture, star formation (SF) is regulated by turbulence and feedback, and the SFE is 1-2% per local free-fall time. In an alternate scenario, the SF rate in galactic disks is linearly proportional to the mass of dense gas above a critical density threshold. We aim to discriminate between these two pictures thanks to high-resolution observations tracing dense gas and young stellar objects (YSOs) for a comprehensive sample of 49 nearby massive SF complexes out to d < 3 kpc in the Galactic disk. We use data from CAFFEINE, a 350/450 $μ$m survey with APEX/ArTéMiS of the densest portions of all southern molecular clouds, in combination with Herschel data to produce column density maps at 8" resolution. Our maps are free of saturation and resolve the structure of dense gas and the typical 0.1 pc width of molecular filaments at 3 kpc, which is impossible with Herschel data alone. Coupled with SFR estimates derived from Spitzer observations of the YSO content of the same clouds, this allows us to study the dependence of the SFE with density in the CAFFEINE clouds. We also combine our findings with existing SFE measurements in nearby clouds to extend our analysis down to lower column densities. Our results suggest that the SFE does not increase with density above the critical threshold and support a scenario in which the SFE in dense gas is approximately constant. However, the SFE measurements traced by Class I YSOs in nearby clouds are more inconclusive, since they are consistent with both the presence of a density threshold and a dependence on density above the threshold. Overall, we suggest that the SFE in dense gas is primarily governed by the physics of filament fragmentation into protostellar cores.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

Line emission from filaments in molecular clouds

Filamentary structures are often identified in column density maps of molecular clouds, and appear to be important for both low- and high-mass star formation. Theoretically, these structures are expected to form in regions where the supersonic cloud-scale turbulent velocity field converges. While this model of filament formation successfully reproduces several of their properties derived from column densities, it is unclear whether it can also reproduce their kinematic features. We use a combination of hydrodynamical, chemical and radiative transfer modelling to predict the emission properties of these dynamically-forming filaments in the $^{13}$CO, HCN and N$_2$H$^+$ $J=1-0$ rotational lines. The results are largely in agreement with observations; in particular, line widths are typically subsonic to transonic, even for filaments which have formed from highly supersonic inflows. If the observed filaments are formed dynamically, as our results suggest, no equilibrium analysis is possible, and simulations which presuppose the existence of a filament are likely to produce unrealistic results.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2023

Witnessing the fragmentation of a filament into prestellar cores in Orion B/NGC 2024

Recent Herschel observations of nearby clouds have shown that filamentary structures are ubiquitous and that most prestellar cores form in filaments. Probing the density ($n$) and velocity ($V$) structure of filaments is crucial for the understanding of the star formation process. To characterize both the $n$ and the $V$ field of a fragmenting filament, we mapped NGC2024. 13CO, C18O, and H13CO+ trace the filament seen in the $N_{H_2}$ data. The radial profile from the $N_{H_2}$ data shows $D_{HP}$~0.081 pc, which is similar to the Herschel findings. The $D_{HP}$ from 13CO and C18O are broader, while the $D_{HP}$ from H13CO+ is narrower, than $D_{HP}$ from Herschel. These results suggest that 13CO and C18O trace only the outer part of the filament and H13CO+ only the inner part. The H13CO+ $V_{centroid}$ map reveals $V$ gradients along both filament axis, as well as $V$ oscillations with a period $λ$~0.2 pc along the major axis. Comparison between the $V$ and the $n$ distribution shows a tentative $λ$/4 shift in H13CO+ or C18O. This $λ$/4 shift is not simultaneously observed for all cores in any single tracer but is tentatively seen in either H13CO+ or C18O. We produced a toy model taking into account a transverse $V$ gradient, a longitudinal $V$ gradient, and a longitudinal oscillation mode caused by fragmentation. Examination of synthetic data shows that the oscillation component produces an oscillation pattern in the velocity structure function (VSF) of the model. The H13CO+ VSF shows an oscillation pattern, suggesting that our observations are partly tracing core-forming motions and fragmentation. We also found that the mean $M_{core}$ corresponds to the effective $M_{BE}$ in the filament. This is consistent with a scenario in which higher-mass cores form in higher line-mass filaments.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

Supervised machine learning on Galactic filaments Revealing the filamentary structure of the Galactic interstellar medium

Context. Filaments are ubiquitous in the Galaxy, and they host star formation. Detecting them in a reliable way is therefore key towards our understanding of the star formation process. Aims. We explore whether supervised machine learning can identify filamentary structures on the whole Galactic plane. Methods. We used two versions of UNet-based networks for image segmentation.We used H2 column density images of the Galactic plane obtained with Herschel Hi-GAL data as input data. We trained the UNet-based networks with skeletons (spine plus branches) of filaments that were extracted from these images, together with background and missing data masks that we produced. We tested eight training scenarios to determine the best scenario for our astrophysical purpose of classifying pixels as filaments. Results. The training of the UNets allows us to create a new image of the Galactic plane by segmentation in which pixels belonging to filamentary structures are identified. With this new method, we classify more pixels (more by a factor of 2 to 7, depending on the classification threshold used) as belonging to filaments than the spine plus branches structures we used as input. New structures are revealed, which are mainly low-contrast filaments that were not detected before.We use standard metrics to evaluate the performances of the different training scenarios. This allows us to demonstrate the robustness of the method and to determine an optimal threshold value that maximizes the recovery of the input labelled pixel classification. Conclusions. This proof-of-concept study shows that supervised machine learning can reveal filamentary structures that are present throughout the Galactic plane. The detection of these structures, including low-density and low-contrast structures that have never been seen before, offers important perspectives for the study of these filaments.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

On the typical width of Herschel filaments

Herschel studies suggest that nearby (d < 500 pc) molecular filaments have a typical half-power width ~0.1pc, but this finding has been questioned on the ground that the measured widths tend to increase with distance. Here we revisit the dependence of measured filament widths on distance or equivalently spatial resolution, in an effort to determine whether nearby molecular filaments have a characteristic half-power width or whether this is an artifact of the finite resolution of the Herschel data. We perform a convergence test on the B211/213 filament in Taurus, by degrading the resolution of the Herschel data several times and re-estimating the filament width from the resulting column density profiles. We also compare the widths measured for the Taurus filament and other filaments from the Herschel Gould Belt survey to those found for synthetic filaments with various types of simple, idealized column density profiles. We find that the measured filament widths do increase slightly as the spatial resolution worsens and/or the distance to the filaments increases. However, this trend is entirely consistent with what is expected from simple beam convolution for filaments with density profiles that are Plummer-like and have intrinsic half-power diameters ~0.08-0.1 pc and logarithmic slopes 1.5 < p < 2.5 at large radii, as observed in many cases including the Taurus filament. Due to the presence of background noise fluctuations, deconvolution of the measured widths from the telescope beam quickly becomes inaccurate. We conclude that the typical half-power filament width ~0.1 pc measured with Herschel in nearby clouds most likely reflects the presence of a true common scale in the filamentary structure of the cold interstellar medium, at least in the solar neighborhood. We suggest that this common scale may correspond to the magnetized turbulent correlation length in molecular clouds.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

The JCMT BISTRO Survey: Multi-wavelength polarimetry of bright regions in NGC 2071 in the far-infrared/submillimetre range, with POL-2 and HAWC+

Polarized dust emission is a key tracer in the study of interstellar medium and of star formation. The observed polarization, however, is a product of magnetic field structure, dust grain properties and grain alignment efficiency, as well as their variations in the line of sight, making it difficult to interpret polarization unambiguously. The comparison of polarimetry at multiple wavelengths is a possible way of mitigating this problem. We use data from HAWC+/SOFIA and from SCUBA-2/POL-2 (from the BISTRO survey) to analyse the NGC 2071 molecular cloud at 154, 214 and 850 $μ$m. The polarization angle changes significantly with wavelength over part of NGC 2071, suggesting a change in magnetic field morphology on the line of sight as each wavelength best traces different dust populations. Other possible explanations are the existence of more than one polarization mechanism in the cloud or scattering from very large grains. The observed change of polarization fraction with wavelength, and the 214-to-154 $μ$m polarization ratio in particular, are difficult to reproduce with current dust models under the assumption of uniform alignment efficiency. We also show that the standard procedure of using monochromatic intensity as a proxy for column density may produce spurious results at HAWC+ wavelengths. Using both long-wavelength (POL-2, 850 $μ$m) and short-wavelength (HAWC+, $\lesssim 200\, μ$m) polarimetry is key in obtaining these results. This study clearly shows the importance of multi-wavelength polarimetry at submillimeter bands to understand the dust properties of molecular clouds and the relationship between magnetic field and star formation.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

Understanding star formation in molecular clouds IV. Column density PDFs from quiescent to massive molecular clouds

We present N-PDFs of 29 Galactic regions obtained from Herschel imaging at high angular resolution, covering diffuse and quiescent clouds, and those showing low-, intermediate-, and high-mass star formation (SF), and characterize the cloud structure using the Delta-variance tool. The N-PDFs are double-log-normal at low column densities, and display one or two power law tails (PLTs) at higher column densities. For diffuse, quiescent, and low-mass SF clouds, we propose that the two log-normals arise from the atomic and molecular phase, respectively. For massive clouds, we suggest that the first log-normal is built up by turbulently mixed H2 and the second one by compressed (via stellar feedback) molecular gas. Nearly all clouds have two PLTs with slopes consistent with self-gravity, where the second one can be flatter or steeper than the first one. A flatter PLT could be caused by stellar feedback or other physical processes that slow down collapse and reduce the flow of mass toward higher densities. The steeper slope could arise if the magnetic field is oriented perpendicular to the LOS column density distribution. The first deviation point (DP), where the N-PDF turns from log-normal into a PLT, shows a clustering around values of a visual extinction of AV (DP1) around 2-5. The second DP, which defines the break between the two PLTs, varies strongly. Using the Delta-variance, we observe that the AV value, where the slope changes between the first and second PLT, increases with the characteristic size scale in the variance spectrum. We conclude that at low column densities, atomic and molecular gas is turbulently mixed, while at high column densities, the gas is fully molecular and dominated by self-gravity. The best fitting model N-PDFs of molecular clouds is thus one with log-normal low column density distributions, followed by one or two PLTs.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2022

Filament coalescence and hub structure in MonR2: Implications to massive star and cluster formation

Here we study the MonR2 star forming region, which has a rich network of filaments joining in a star cluster forming hub, aiming at understanding the hub structure and to examine the mass fraction residing in the hub and in the filaments, which is a key factor that influences massive star formation. We conducted a multi-scale, multi-component analysis of the Herschel column density maps (resolution of 18.2" or $\sim$0.07 pc at 830 pc) of the region using a newly developed algorithm "getsf" to identify the structural components, namely, extended cloud, filaments, and sources. We find that cascades of lower column density filaments coalesce to form higher density filaments eventually merging inside the hub (0.8 pc radius). As opposed to the previous view of the hub as a massive clump with $\sim$1 pc radius, we find it to be a network of short high-density filaments. The total mass reservoir in the MonR2 HFS (5 pc $\times$ 5 pc) is split between filaments (54%), extended cloud (37%) and sources (9%). The M/L of filaments increase from $\sim$ 10 Msun/pc at 1.5pc from the hub to $\sim$ 100 Msun/pc at its centre, while the number of filaments per annulus of 0.2pc width decreases from 20 to 2 in the same range. The observed radial column density structure of the HFS (filament component only) displays a power-law dependence of $N_{\mathrm{H}_2} \propto r^{-2.17}$ up to a radius of $\sim$2.5 pc from the central hub, resembling a global collapse of the HFS. We present a scenario where the HFS can be supported by magnetic fields which interact, merge and reorganize themselves as the filaments coalesce. In the new view of the hub as a network of high-density filaments, we suggest that only the stars located in the network can benefit from the longitudinal flows of gas to become massive, which may explain the reason for the formation of many low-mass stars in cluster centres.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2021

Probing the structure of a massive filament: ArTeMiS 350 and 450 micron mapping of the integral-shaped filament in Orion A

(abridged) Within the Orion A molecular cloud, the integral-shaped filament (ISF) is a prominent, degree-long structure of dense gas and dust, with clear signs of recent and on-going high-mass star formation. We used the ArTeMiS bolometer camera at APEX to map a 0.6x0.2 deg^2 region covering OMC-1, OMC-2, OMC-3 at 350 and 450 micron. We combined these data with Herschel-SPIRE maps to recover extended emission. The combined Herschel-ArTeMiS maps provide details on the distribution of dense, cold material, with a high spatial dynamic range, from our 8'' resolution (0.016 pc) up to the size of the map ~10-15 deg. By combining Herschel and ArTeMiS data at 160, 250, 350 and 450 micron, we constructed high-resolution temperature and H2 column density maps. We extracted radial profiles from the column density map in several, representative portions of the ISF, that we fitted with Gaussian and Plummer models to derive their intrinsic widths. We also compared the distribution of material traced by ArTeMiS with that seen in the higher density tracer N2H+(1-0) recently observed with the ALMA interferometer. All the radial profiles that we extracted show clear deviation from a Gaussian, with evidence for an inner plateau, previously not seen using Herschel-only data. We measure intrinsic half-power widths in the range 0.06 to 0.11 pc. This is significantly larger than the Gaussian widths measured for fibers seen in N2H+, which probably traces only the dense innermost regions of the large-scale filament. These half-power widths are within a factor of two of the value of 0.1 pc found for a large sample of nearby filaments in various low-mass star-forming regions, which tends to indicate that the physical conditions governing the fragmentation of prestellar cores within transcritical or supercritical filaments are the same over a large range of masses per unit length.

astro-ph.GA↗