arXiv subjects

Dominique Segura-Cox

Publications and source records attributed to Dominique Segura-Cox.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Dissecting the super-critical filaments embedded in the 0.5 pc subsonic region of Barnard 5

We characterize in detail the two ~0.3 pc long filamentary structures found within the subsonic region of Barnard 5. We use combined GBT and VLA observations of the molecular lines NH$_3$(1,1) and (2,2) at a resolution of 1800 au, as well as JCMT continuum observations at 850 and 450 $μ$m at a resolution of 4400 au and 3000 au, respectively. We find that both filaments are highly super-critical with a mean mass per unit length, $M/L$, of ~80 M$_\odot$ pc$^{-1}$, after background subtraction, with local increases reaching values of ~150 M$_\odot$ pc$^{-1}$. This would require a magnetic field strength of ~500 $μ$G to be stable against radial collapse. We extract equidistant cuts perpendicular to the spine of the filament and fit a modified Plummer profile as well as a Gaussian to each of the cuts. The filament widths (deconvolved FWHM) range between 6500-7000 au (~0.03 pc) along the filaments. This equals ~2.0 times the radius of the flat inner region. We find an anti-correlation between the central density and this flattening radius, suggestive of contraction. Further, we also find a strong correlation between the power-law exponent at large radii and the flattening radius. We note that the measurements of these three parameters fall in a plane and derive their empirical relation. Our high-resolution observations provide direct constraints of the distribution of the dense gas within super-critical filaments showing pre- and protostellar activity.

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arXiv2020

A protostellar system fed by a streamer of 10,500 au length

Binary formation is an important aspect of star formation. One possible route for close-in binary formation is disk fragmentation$^{[1,2,3]}$. Recent observations show small scale asymmetries (<300 au) around young protostars$^{[2,4]}$, although not always resolving the circumbinary disk, are linked to disk phenomena$^{[5,6]}$. In later stages, resolved circumbinary disk observations$^{[7]}$ (<200 au) show similar asymmetries, suggesting the origin of the asymmetries arises from binary-disk interactions$^{[8,9,10]}$. We observed one of the youngest systems to study the connection between disk and dense core. We find for the first time a bright and clear streamer in chemically fresh material (Carbon-chain species) that originates from outside the dense core (>10,500 au). This material connects the outer dense core with the region where asymmetries arise near disk scales. This new structure type, 10x larger than those seen near disk scales, suggests a different interpretation of previous observations: large-scale accretion flows funnel material down to disk scales. These results reveal the under-appreciated importance of the local environment on the formation and evolution of disks in early systems$^{[13,14]}$ and a possible initial condition for the formation of annular features in young disks$^{[15,16]}$.

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arXiv2020

Dust masses of young disks: constraining the initial solid reservoir for planet formation

In recent years evidence has been building that planet formation starts early, in the first $\sim$ 0.5 Myr. Studying the dust masses available in young disks enables understanding the origin of planetary systems since mature disks are lacking the solid material necessary to reproduce the observed exoplanetary systems, especially the massive ones. We aim to determine if disks in the embedded stage of star formation contain enough dust to explain the solid content of the most massive exoplanets. We use Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Band 6 observations of embedded disks in the Perseus star-forming region together with Very Large Array (VLA) Ka-band (9 mm) data to provide a robust estimate of dust disk masses from the flux densities. Using the DIANA opacity model including large grains, with a dust opacity value of $κ_{\rm 9\ mm}$ = 0.28 cm$^{2}$ g$^{-1}$, the median dust masses of the embedded disks in Perseus are 158 M$_\oplus$ for Class 0 and 52 M$_\oplus$ for Class I from the VLA fluxes. The lower limits on the median masses from ALMA fluxes are 47 M$_\oplus$ and 12 M$_\oplus$ for Class 0 and Class I, respectively, obtained using the maximum dust opacity value $κ_{\rm 1.3mm}$ = 2.3 cm$^{2}$ g$^{-1}$. The dust masses of young Class 0 and I disks are larger by at least a factor of 10 and 3, respectively, compared with dust masses inferred for Class II disks in Lupus and other regions. The dust masses of Class 0 and I disks in Perseus derived from the VLA data are high enough to produce the observed exoplanet systems with efficiencies acceptable by planet formation models: the solid content in observed giant exoplanets can be explained if planet formation starts in Class 0 phase with an efficiency of $\sim$ 15%. Higher efficiency of $\sim$ 30% is necessary if the planet formation is set to start in Class I disks.

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arXiv2020

Seeds of Life in Space (SOLIS). VI. Chemical evolution of sulfuretted species along the outflows driven by the low-mass protostellar binary NGC1333-IRAS4A

Context. Low-mass protostars drive powerful molecular outflows that can be observed with mm and sub-mm telescopes. Various sulfuretted species are known to be bright in shocks and could be used to infer the physical and chemical conditions throughout the observed outflows. Aims. The evolution of sulfur chemistry is studied along the outflows driven by the NGC1333-IRAS4A protobinary system located in the Perseus cloud to constrain the physical and chemical processes at work in shocks. Methods. We observed various transitions from OCS, CS, SO, and SO$_2$ towards NGC1333-IRAS4A in the 1.3, 2, and 3mm bands using the IRAM NOEMA array and we interpreted the observations through the use of the Paris-Durham shock model. Results. The targeted species clearly show different spatial emission along the two outflows driven by IRAS4A. OCS is brighter on small and large scales along the south outflow driven by IRAS4A1, whereas SO$_2$ is detected rather along the outflow driven by IRAS4A2 that is extended along the north east - south west (NE-SW) direction. Column density ratio maps estimated from a rotational diagram analysis allowed us to confirm a clear gradient of the OCS/SO$_2$ column density ratio between the IRAS4A1 and IRAS4A2 outflows. SO is detected at extremely high radial velocity up to 25 km/s relative to the source velocity, clearly allowing us to distinguish the two outflows on small scales. Conclusions. The observed chemical differentiation between the two outflows of the IRAS4A system could be explained by a different chemical history. The outflow driven by IRAS4A1 is likely younger and more enriched in species initially formed in interstellar ices, such as OCS, and recently sputtered into the shock gas. In contrast, the longer and likely older outflow triggered by IRAS4A2 is more enriched in species that have a gas phase origin, such as SO$_2$.

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arXiv2020

The VLA/ALMA Nascent Disk and Multiplicity (VANDAM) Survey of Orion Protostars. A Statistical Characterization of Class 0 and I Protostellar Disks

We have conducted a survey of 328 protostars in the Orion molecular clouds with ALMA at 0.87 mm at a resolution of $\sim$0.1" (40 au), including observations with the VLA at 9 mm toward 148 protostars at a resolution of $\sim$0.08" (32 au). This is the largest multi-wavelength survey of protostars at this resolution by an order of magnitude. We use the dust continuum emission at 0.87 mm and 9 mm to measure the dust disk radii and masses toward the Class 0, Class I, and Flat Spectrum protostars, characterizing the evolution of these disk properties in the protostellar phase. The mean dust disk radii for the Class 0, Class I, and Flat Spectrum protostars are 44.9$^{+5.8}_{-3.4}$, 37.0$^{+4.9}_{-3.0}$, and 28.5$^{+3.7}_{-2.3}$ au, respectively, and the mean protostellar dust disk masses are 25.9$^{+7.7}_{-4.0}$, 14.9$^{+3.8}_{-2.2}$, 11.6$^{+3.5}_{-1.9}$ Earth masses, respectively. The decrease in dust disk masses is expected from disk evolution and accretion, but the decrease in disk radii may point to the initial conditions of star formation not leading to the systematic growth of disk radii or that radial drift is keeping the dust disk sizes small. At least 146 protostellar disks (35% out of 379 detected 0.87 mm continuum sources plus 42 non-detections) have disk radii greater than 50 au in our sample. These properties are not found to vary significantly between different regions within Orion. The protostellar dust disk mass distributions are systematically larger than that of Class II disks by a factor of $>$4, providing evidence that the cores of giant planets may need to at least begin their formation during the protostellar phase.

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arXiv2019

Gas flow and accretion via spiral streamers and circumstellar disks in a young binary protostar

The majority of stars are part of gravitationally bound stellar systems, such as binaries. Observations of protobinary systems constrain the conditions that lead to stellar multiplicity and subsequent orbital evolution. We report high-angular resolution observations of the circumbinary disk around [BHB2007] 11, a young binary protostar system. The two protostars are embedded in circumstellar disks that have radii of 2 to 3 astronomical units and probably contain a few Jupiter masses. These systems are surrounded by a complex structure of filaments connecting to the larger circumbinary disk. We also observe accretion and radio jets associated with the protobinary system. The accretion is preferentially onto the lower-mass protostar, consistent with theoretical predictions.

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arXiv2019

The VLA/ALMA Nascent Disk and Multiplicity (VANDAM) Survey of Orion Protostars I. Identifying and Characterizing the Protostellar Content of the OMC2-FIR4 and OMC2-FIR3 Regions

We present ALMA (0.87~mm) and VLA (9~mm) observations toward OMC2-FIR4 and OMC2-FIR3 within the Orion integral-shaped filament that are thought to be the nearest regions of intermediate mass star formation. We characterize the continuum sources within these regions on $\sim$40~AU (0\farcs1) scales and associated molecular line emission at a factor of $\sim$30 better resolution than previous observations at similar wavelengths. We identify six compact continuum sources within OMC2-FIR4, four in OMC2-FIR3, and one additional source just outside OMC2-FIR4. This continuum emission is tracing the inner envelope and/or disk emission on less than 100~AU scales. HOPS-108 is the only protostar in OMC2-FIR4 that exhibits emission from high-excitation transitions of complex organic molecules (e.g., methanol and other lines) coincident with the continuum emission. HOPS-370 in OMC2-FIR3 with L~$\sim$~360~\lsun, also exhibits emission from high-excitation methanol and other lines. The methanol emission toward these two protostars is indicative of temperatures high enough to thermally evaporate methanol from icy dust grains; overall these protostars have characteristics similar to hot corinos. We do not identify a clear outflow from HOPS-108 in \twco, but find evidence of interaction between the outflow/jet from HOPS-370 and the OMC2-FIR4 region. The multitude of observational constraints indicate that HOPS-108 is likely a low to intermediate-mass protostar in its main mass accretion phase and it is the most luminous protostar in OMC2-FIR4. The high resolution data presented here are essential for disentangling the embedded protostars from their surrounding dusty environments and characterizing them.

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arXiv2019

Dust Polarization Toward Embedded Protostars in Ophiuchus with ALMA. III. Survey Overview

We present 0.25 arcsec resolution (35 au) ALMA 1.3 mm dust polarization observations for 37 young stellar objects (YSOs) in the Ophiuchus cloud. These data encompass all the embedded protostars in the cloud and several Flat and Class II objects to produce the largest, homogeneous study of dust polarization on disk scales to date. The goal of this study is to study dust polarization down to disk scales. We find that 14/37 (38%) of the YSOs are detected in polarization. Nine of these sources have uniform polarization angles and four sources have azimuthal polarization. The sources with uniform polarization tend to have steeper inclinations (> 60 degree) than those with azimuthal polarization (< 60 degree). The majority (9/14) of the detected sources have polarization morphologies and disk properties consistent with dust self-scattering in optically thick disks. The remaining sources may be instead tracing magnetic fields. Their inferred field directions from rotating the polarization vectors by 90 degree are mainly poloidal or hourglass shaped. We find no evidence of a strong toroidal field component toward any of our disks. For the 23 YSOs that are undetected in polarization, roughly half of them have 3-sigma upper limits of < 2%. These sources also tend to have inclinations < 60 degree and they are generally compact. Since lower inclination sources tend to have azimuthal polarization, these YSOs may be undetected in polarization due to unresolved polarization structure within our beam. We propose that disks with inclinations > 60 degree are the best candidates for future polarization studies of dust self-scattering as these systems will generally show uniform polarization vectors that do not require very high resolution to resolve. We release the continuum and polarization images for all the sources with this publication. Data from the entire survey can be obtained from Dataverse.

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arXiv2019

The Mass Evolution of Protostellar Disks and Envelopes in the Perseus Molecular Cloud

In the standard picture for low-mass star formation, a dense molecular cloud undergoes gravitational collapse to form a protostellar system consisting of a new central star, a circumstellar disk, and a surrounding envelope of remaining material. The mass distribution of the system evolves as matter accretes from the large-scale envelope through the disk and onto the protostar. While this general picture is supported by simulations and indirect observational measurements, the specific timescales related to disk growth and envelope dissipation remain poorly constrained. In this paper we conduct a rigorous test of a method introduced by Jørgensen et al. (2009) to obtain mass measurements of disks and envelopes around embedded protostars with observations that do not resolve the disk (resolution of $\sim$1000\,AU). Using unresolved data from the recent Mass Assembly of Stellar Systems and their Evolution with the SMA (MASSES) survey, we derive disk and envelope mass estimates for $59$ protostellar systems in the Perseus molecular cloud. We compare our results to independent disk mass measurements from the VLA Nascent Disk and Multiplicity (VANDAM) survey and find a strong linear correlation, suggesting that accurate disk masses can be measured from unresolved observations. Then, leveraging the size of the MASSES sample, we find no significant trend in protostellar mass distribution as a function of age, as approximated from bolometric temperatures. These results may indicate that the disk mass of a protostar is set near the onset of the Class 0 protostellar stage and remains roughly constant throughout the Class I protostellar stage.

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arXiv2018

Dust Polarization Toward Embedded Protostars in Ophiuchus with ALMA. II. IRAS 16293-2422

We present high-resolution (~ 35 au) ALMA Band 6 1.3 mm dust polarization observations of IRAS 16293. These observations spatially resolve the dust polarization across the two protostellar sources and toward the filamentary structures between them. The dust polarization and inferred magnetic field have complicated structures throughout the region. In particular, we find that the magnetic field is aligned parallel to three filamentary structures. We characterize the physical properties of the filamentary structure that bridges IRAS 16293A and IRAS 16293B and estimate a magnetic field strength of 23-78 mG using the Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi method. We construct a toy model for the bridge material assuming that the young stars dominate the mass and gravitational potential of the system. We find that the expected gas flow to each star is of comparable order to the Alfven speed, which suggests that the field may be regulating the gas flow. We also find that the bridging material should be depleted in ~ 1000 yr. If the bridge is part of the natal filament that formed the stars, then it must have accreted new material. Alternatively, the bridge could be a transient structure. Finally, we show that the 1.3 mm polarization morphology of the optically thick IRAS 16293B system is qualitatively similar to dust self-scattering. Based on similar polarization measurements at 6.9 mm, we propose that IRAS 16293B has produced a substantial population of large dust grains with sizes between 200 and 2000 um.

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arXiv2018

The VLA/ALMA Nascent Disk and Multiplicity (VANDAM) Survey of Perseus Protostars. VI. Characterizing the Formation Mechanism for Close Multiple Systems

We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of multiple protostar systems in the Perseus molecular cloud previously detected by the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA). We observed 17 close ($<$600~AU separation) multiple systems at 1.3~mm in continuum and five molecular lines (i.e., \twco, \cateo, \thco, H$_2$CO, SO) to characterize the circum-multiple environments in which these systems are forming. We detect at least one component in the continuum for the 17 multiple systems. In three systems, one companion is not detected, and for two systems the companions are unresolved at our observed resolution. We also detect circum-multiple dust emission toward 8 out of 9 Class 0 multiples. Circum-multiple dust emission is not detected toward any of the 8 Class I multiples. Twelve systems are detected in the dense gas tracers toward their disks/inner envelopes. For these 12 systems, we use the dense gas observations to characterize their formation mechanism. The velocity gradients in the circum-multiple gas are clearly orthogonal to the outflow directions in 8 out of the 12 systems, consistent with disk fragmentation. Moreover, only two systems with separations $<$200~AU are \textit{inconsistent} with disk fragmentation, in addition to the two widest systems ($>$500~AU). Our results suggest that disk fragmentation via gravitational instability is an important formation mechanism for close multiple systems, but further statistics are needed to better determine the relative fraction formed via this method.

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arXiv2018

The VLA Nascent Disk And Multiplicity Survey of Perseus Protostars (VANDAM). IV. Free-Free Emission from Protostars: Links to Infrared Properties, Outflow Tracers, and Protostellar Disk Masses

Emission from protostars at centimeter radio wavelengths has been shown to trace the free-free emission arising from ionizing shocks as a result of jets and outflows driven by protostars. Therefore, measuring properties of protostars at radio frequencies can provide valuable insights into the nature of their outflows and jets. We present a C-band (4.1 cm and 6.4 cm) survey of all known protostars (Class 0 and Class I) in Perseus as part of the VLA Nascent Disk and Multiplicity (VANDAM) Survey. We examine the known correlations between radio flux density and protostellar parameters such as bolometric luminosity and outflow force, for our sample. We also investigate the relationship between radio flux density and far-infrared line luminosities from Herschel. We show that free-free emission originates most likely from J-type shocks; however, the large scatter indicates that those two types of emission probe different time and spatial scales. Using C-band fluxes, we removed an estimation of free-free contamination from the corresponding Ka-band (9 mm) flux densities that primarily probe dust emission from embedded disks. We find that the compact ($<$~1") dust emission is lower for Class I sources (median dust mass 96 M$_{\oplus}$) relative to Class 0 (248 M$_{\oplus}$), but several times higher than in Class II (5-15 M$_{\oplus}$). If this compact dust emission is tracing primarily the embedded disk, as is likely for many sources, this result provides evidence for decreasing disk masses with protostellar evolution, with sufficient mass for forming giant planet cores primarily at early times.

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arXiv2018

Dust Polarization Toward Embedded Protostars in Ophiuchus with ALMA. I. VLA 1623

We present high resolution (~ 30 au) ALMA Band 6 dust polarization observations of VLA 1623. The VLA 1623 data resolve compact ~ 40 au inner disks around the two protobinary sources, VLA 1623-A and VLA 1623-B, and also an extended ~ 180 au ring of dust around VLA 1623-A. This dust ring was previously identified as a large disk in lower-resolution observations. We detect highly structured dust polarization toward the inner disks and the extended ring with typical polarization fractions ~ 1.7% and ~ 2.4%, respectively. The two components also show distinct polarization morphologies. The inner disks have uniform polarization angles aligned with their minor axes. This morphology is consistent with expectations from dust scattering. By contrast, the extended dust ring has an azimuthal polarization morphology not previously seen in lower-resolution observations. We find that our observations are well fit by a static, oblate spheroid model with a flux-frozen, poloidal magnetic field. We propose that the polarization traces magnetic grain alignment likely from flux freezing on large scales and magnetic diffusion on small scales. Alternatively, the azimuthal polarization may be attributed to grain alignment by the anisotropic radiation field. If the grains are radiatively aligned, then our observations indicate that large (~ 100 um) dust grains grow quickly at large angular extents. Finally, we identify significant proper motion of VLA 1623 using our observations and those in the literature. This result indicates that the proper motion of nearby systems must be corrected for when combining ALMA data from different epochs.

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arXiv2018

ALMA Observations of Polarized 872 $μ$m Dust Emission from the Protostellar Systems VLA 1623 and L1527

We present high-sensitivity ($σ_I\sim0.2-0.5$ mJy, $σ_{QU}\sim0.05$ mJy), high-resolution (0.12-0.2 arcsec) observations of polarized 872 $μ$m dust emission from the young multiple system VLA 1623 in $ρ$ Ophiuchus and the protostar L1527 in Taurus. We detect the circumstellar material of VLA 1623A, the extended Keplerian disk surrounding VLA 1623A which we call VLA 1623CBdisk, VLA 1623B, VLA 1623W, and L1527 strongly in the polarized emission, at the $\sim1-3\%$ level. We spatially resolve VLA 1623A into two sources, VLA 1623Aa and VLA 1623Ab, separated by $\sim30$ au and located within a cavity of radius $\sim50$ au within the circumbinary Keplerian disk, as well as the edge-on disk of VLA 1623W. The polarization angle of the emission is uniform across each protostellar source and nearly coincides with each disk's minor axis. The offsets between the minor axis and the polarization angle are not uniformly distributed at the $P\lesssim2\times10^{-4}$ level. The circumbinary disk surrounding VLA 1623Aab is azimuthally symmetrically polarized. Each compact source's emission is partially optically thick ($τ\gtrsim1$) at 872 $μ$m, complicating interpretations of polarization involving aligned grains. We find evidence against alignment by radiative flux in each source, particularly in the edge-on VLA 1623W and L1527. We detect astrometric offsets between the polarized emission and the total intensity in VLA 1623Aa, VLA 1623Ab, and VLA 1623B, as predicted if self-scattering in the optically thick limit operates. We conclude that self-scattering is likely responsible for disk-scale polarization at 872 $μ$m in these systems.

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arXiv2017

ALMA Reveals Transition of Polarization Pattern with Wavelength in HL Tau's Disk

The mechanism for producing polarized emission from protostellar disks at (sub)millimeter wavelengths is currently uncertain. Classically, polarization is expected from non-spherical grains aligned with the magnetic field. Recently, two alternatives have been suggested. One polarization mechanism is caused by self-scattering from dust grains of sizes comparable to the wavelength while the other mechanism is due to grains aligned with their short axes along the direction of radiation anisotropy. The latter has recently been shown as a likely mechanism for causing the dust polarization detected in HL Tau at 3.1 mm. In this paper, we present ALMA polarization observations of HL Tau for two more wavelengths: 870 $μ$m and 1.3 mm. The morphology at 870 $μ$m matches the expectation for self-scattering, while that at 1.3 mm shows a mix between self-scattering and grains aligned with the radiation anisotropy. The observations cast doubt on the ability of (sub)millimeter continuum polarization to probe disk magnetic fields for at least HL Tau. By showing two distinct polarization morphologies at 870 $μ$m and 3.1 mm and a transition between the two at 1.3 mm, this paper provides definitive evidence that the dominant (sub)millimeter polarization mechanism transitions with wavelength. In addition, if the polarization at 870 $μ$m is due to scattering, the lack of polarization asymmetry along the minor axis of the inclined disk implies that the large grains responsible for the scattering have already settled into a geometrically thin layer, and the presence of asymmetry along the major axis indicates that the HL Tau disk is not completely axisymmetric.

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arXiv2017

The VLA Nascent Disk And Multiplicity Survey of Perseus Protostars (VANDAM). III. Extended Radio Emission from Protostars in Perseus

Centimeter continuum emission from protostars offers insight into the innermost part of the outflows, as shock-ionized gas produces free-free emission. We observed a complete population of Class 0 and I protostars in the Perseus molecular cloud at 4.1 cm and 6.4 cm with resolution and sensitivity superior to previous surveys. From a total of 71 detections, 8 sources exhibit resolved emission at 4.1 cm and/or 6.4 cm. In this paper we focus on this sub-sample, analyzing their spectral indices along the jet, and their alignment with respect to the large-scale molecular outflow. Spectral indices for fluxes integrated toward the position of the protostar are consistent with free-free thermal emission. The value of the spectral index along a radio jet decreases with distance from the protostar. For six sources, emission is well aligned with the outflow central axis, showing that we observe the ionized base of the jet. This is not the case for two sources, where we note misalignment of the emission with respect to the large-scale outflow. This might indicate that the emission does not originate in the radio jet, but rather in an ionized outflow cavity wall or disk surface. For five of the sources, the spectral indices along the jet decrease well below the thermal free-free limit of -0.1 with $>2σ$ significance. This is indicative of synchrotron emission, meaning that high energy electrons are being produced in the outflows close to the disk. This result can have far-reaching implications for the chemical composition of the embedded disks.

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arXiv2016

A Triple Protostar System Formed via Fragmentation of a Gravitationally Unstable Disk

Binary and multiple star systems are a frequent outcome of the star formation process, and as a result, almost half of all sun-like stars have at least one companion star. Theoretical studies indicate that there are two main pathways that can operate concurrently to form binary/multiple star systems: large scale fragmentation of turbulent gas cores and filaments or smaller scale fragmentation of a massive protostellar disk due to gravitational instability. Observational evidence for turbulent fragmentation on scales of $>$1000~AU has recently emerged. Previous evidence for disk fragmentation was limited to inferences based on the separations of more-evolved pre-main sequence and protostellar multiple systems. The triple protostar system L1448 IRS3B is an ideal candidate to search for evidence of disk fragmentation. L1448 IRS3B is in an early phase of the star formation process, likely less than 150,000 years in age, and all protostars in the system are separated by $<$200~AU. Here we report observations of dust and molecular gas emission that reveal a disk with spiral structure surrounding the three protostars. Two protostars near the center of the disk are separated by 61 AU, and a tertiary protostar is coincident with a spiral arm in the outer disk at a 183 AU separation. The inferred mass of the central pair of protostellar objects is $\sim$1 M$_{sun}$, while the disk surrounding the three protostars has a total mass of $\sim$0.30 M$_{\sun}$. The tertiary protostar itself has a minimum mass of $\sim$0.085 M$_{sun}$. We demonstrate that the disk around L1448 IRS3B appears susceptible to disk fragmentation at radii between 150~AU and 320~AU, overlapping with the location of the tertiary protostar. This is consistent with models for a protostellar disk that has recently undergone gravitational instability, spawning one or two companion stars.

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arXiv2016

Revolutionizing our View of Protostellar Multiplicity and Disks: The VLA Nascent Disk and Multiplicity (VANDAM) Survey of the Perseus Molecular Cloud

There is substantial evidence for disk formation taking place during the early stages of star formation and for most stars being born in multiple systems; however, protostellar multiplicity and disk searches have been hampered by low resolution, sample bias, and variable sensitivity. We have conducted an unbiased, high-sensitivity Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) survey toward all known protostars (n = 94) in the Perseus molecular cloud (d~230 pc), with a resolution of ~15 AU (0.06") at 8 mm. We have detected candidate protostellar disks toward 17 sources (with 12 of those in the Class 0 stage) and we have found substructure on < 50AU scales for three Class 0 disk candidates, possibly evidence for disk fragmentation. We have discovered 16 new multiple systems (or new components) in this survey; the new systems have separations < 500 AU and 3 by < 30 AU. We also found a bi-modal distribution of separations, with peaks at ~75 AU and ~3000 AU, suggestive of formation through two distinct mechanisms: disk and turbulent fragmentation. The results from this survey demonstrate the necessity and utility of uniform, unbiased surveys of protostellar systems at millimeter and centimeter wavelengths.

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