arXiv subjects

F. Wyrowski

Publications and source records attributed to F. Wyrowski.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

arXiv2016

Hi-GAL, the Herschel infrared Galactic Plane Survey: photometric maps and compact source catalogues. First data release for Inner Milky Way: +68°> l > -70°

(Abridged) We present the first public release of high-quality data products (DR1) from Hi-GAL, the {\em Herschel} infrared Galactic Plane Survey. Hi-GAL is the keystone of a suite of continuum Galactic Plane surveys from the near-IR to the radio, and covers five wavebands at 70, 160, 250, 350 and 500 micron, encompassing the peak of the spectral energy distribution of cold dust for 8 < T < 50K. This first Hi-GAL data release covers the inner Milky Way in the longitude range 68° > l > -70° in a |b|<1° latitude strip. Photometric maps have been produced with the ROMAGAL pipeline, that optimally capitalizes on the excellent sensitivity and stability of the bolometer arrays of the {\em Herschel} PACS and SPIRE photometric cameras, to deliver images of exquisite quality and dynamical range, absolutely calibrated with {\em Planck} and {\em IRAS}, and recovering extended emission at all wavelengths and all spatial scales. The compact source catalogues have been generated with the CuTEx algorithm, specifically developed to optimize source detection and extraction in the extreme conditions of intense and spatially varying background that are found in the Galactic Plane in the thermal infrared. Hi-GAL DR1 images will be accessible via a dedicated web-based image cutout service. The DR1 Compact Source Catalogues are delivered as single-band photometric lists containing, in addition to source position, peak and integrated flux and source sizes, a variety of parameters useful to assess the quality and reliability of the extracted sources, caveats and hints to help this assessment are provided. Flux completeness limits in all bands are determined from extensive synthetic source experiments and depend on the specific line of sight along the Galactic Plane. Hi-GAL DR1 catalogues contain 123210, 308509, 280685, 160972 and 85460 compact sources in the five bands, respectively.

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arXiv2016

WISH VI. Constraints on UV and X-ray irradiation from a survey of hydrides in low- to high-mass YSOs

Hydrides are simple compounds containing one or a few hydrogen atoms bonded to a heavier atom. They are fundamental precursor molecules in cosmic chemistry and many hydride ions have become observable in high quality for the first time thanks to the Herschel Space Observatory. Ionized hydrides, such as CH+ and OH+, and also HCO+ that affect the chemistry of molecules such as water, provide complementary information on irradiation by far UV (FUV) or X-rays and gas temperature. The targeted lines of CH+, OH+, H2O+, C+ and CH are detected mostly in blue-shifted absorption. H3O+ and SH+ are detected in emission and only toward some high-mass objects. The observed line parameters and correlations suggest two different origins, related to gas entrained by the outflows and to the circumstellar envelope. The column density ratios of CH+/OH+ are estimated from chemical slab models, assuming that the H2 density is given by the specific density model of each object at the beam radius. For the low-mass YSOs the observed ratio can be reproduced for an FUV flux of 2-400 times the ISRF at the location of the molecules. In two high-mass objects, the UV flux is 20-200 times the ISRF derived from absorption lines, and 300-600 ISRF using emission lines. If the FUV flux required for low-mass objects originates at the central protostar, a substantial FUV luminosity, up to 1.5 L_sun, is required. There is no molecular evidence for X-ray induced chemistry in the low-mass objects on the observed scales of a few 1000 AU. For high-mass regions, the FUV flux required to produce the observed molecular ratios is smaller than the unattenuated flux expected from the central object(s) at the Herschel beam radius. This is consistent with an FUV flux reduced by circumstellar extinction or by bloating of the protostar.

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arXiv2016

Resolving the extended atmosphere and the inner wind of Mira ($o$ Ceti) with long ALMA baselines

The prototypical Mira variable, $o$ Cet (Mira), has been observed as a Science Verification target in the 2014 ALMA Long Baseline Campaign with a longest baseline of 15 km. ALMA clearly resolves the images of the continuum and molecular line emission/absorption at an angular resolution of ~30 mas at 220 GHz. We image the data of the $^{28}$SiO v=0, 2 $J$=5-4 and H$_2$O $ν_2$=1 $J(K_a,K_c)$=5(5,0)-6(4,3) transitions and extract spectra from various lines-of-sight towards Mira's extended atmosphere. In the course of imaging, we encountered ambiguities in the resulting images and spectra that appear to be related to the performance of the CLEAN algorithm. We resolve Mira's millimetre continuum emission and our data are consistent with a radio photosphere with a brightness temperature of 2611$\pm$51 K, in agreement with recent results obtained with the VLA. We do not confirm the existence of a compact region (<5 mas) of enhanced brightness. We derive the gas density, kinetic temperature, molecular abundance and outflow/infall velocities in Mira's extended atmosphere by modelling the SiO and H$_2$O lines. We find that SiO-bearing gas starts to deplete beyond 4$R_\star$ and at a kinetic temperature of $\lesssim$600 K. The inner dust shells are probably composed of grain types other than pure silicates. During this observation, Mira's atmosphere generally exhibited infall motion, with a shock front of velocity $\lesssim$12 km/s outside the radio photosphere. The structures predicted by the hydrodynamical model CODEX can reproduce the observed spectra in astonishing detail; while some other models fail when confronted with the new data. Combined with radiative transfer modelling, ALMA successfully demonstrates the ability to reveal the physical conditions of the extended atmospheres and inner winds of AGB stars in unprecedented detail. (Abbreviated abstract)

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arXiv2016

Far-infrared study of tracers of oxygen chemistry in diffuse clouds

Context. The chemistry of the diffuse interstellar medium rests upon three pillars: exothermic ion-neutral reactions (" cold chemistry "), endothermic neutral-neutral reactions with significant activation barriers (" warm chemistry "), and reactions on the surfaces of dust grains. While warm chemistry becomes important in the shocks associated with turbulent dissipation regions, the main path for the formation of interstellar OH and H2O is that of cold chemistry. Aims. The aim of this study is to observationally confirm the association of atomic oxygen with both atomic and molecular gas phases, and to understand the measured abundances of OH and OH + as a function of the available reservoir of H2. Methods. We obtained absorption spectra of the ground states of OH, OH+ and OI with high-velocity resolution, with GREAT on-board SOFIA, and with the THz receiver at the APEX. We analyzed them along with ancillary spectra of HF and CH from HIFI. To deconvolve them from the hyperfine structure and to separate the blend that is due to various velocity components on the sightline, we fit model spectra consisting of an appropriate number of Gaussian profiles using a method combining simulated annealing with downhill simplex minimization. Together with HF and/or CH as a surrogate for H2, and HI $λ$21 cm data, the molecular hydrogen fraction f^N\_H2 = N(H 2)/(N(H) + 2N(H 2)) can be determined. We then investigated abundance ratios as a function of f^N\_H2. Results. The column density of OI is correlated at a high significance with the amount of available molecular and atomic hydrogen, with an atomic oxygen abundance of $3 \times 10 ^{-4}$ relative to H nuclei. While the velocities of the absorption features of OH and OH+ are loosely correlated and reflect the spiral arm crossings on the sightline, upon closer inspection they display an anticorrespondence. The arm-to-interarm density contrast is found to be higher in OH than in OH+. While both species can coexist, with a higher abundance in OH than in OH+, the latter is found less frequently in absence of OH than the other way around, which is a direct consequence of the rapid destruction of OH+ by dissociative recombination when not enough H2 is available. This conjecture has been substantiated by a comparison between the OH/OH+ ratio with f^N\_H2, showing a clear correlation. The hydrogen abstraction reaction chain OH+ (H2,H) H2O+ (H2,H)H3O+ is confirmed as the pathway for the production of OH and H 2 O. Our estimate of the branching ratio of the dissociative recombination of H3O+ to OH and H2O is confined within the interval of 84 to 91%, which matches laboratory measurements (74 to 83%). -- A correlation between the linewidths and column densities of OH+ features is found to be significant with a false-alarm probability below 5%. Such a correlation is predicted by models of interstellar MHD turbulence. For OH the same correlation is found to be insignificant because there are more narrow absorption features. Conclusions. While it is difficult to assess the contributions of warm neutral-neutral chemistry to the observed abundances, it seems fair to conclude that the predictions of cold ion-neutral chemistry match the abundance patterns we observed.

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arXiv2016

The rate and latency of star formation in dense, massive clumps in the Milky Way

Newborn stars form within the localized, high density regions of molecular clouds. The sequence and rate at which stars form in dense clumps and the dependence on local and global environments are key factors in developing descriptions of stellar production in galaxies. We seek to observationally constrain the rate and latency of star formation in dense massive clumps that are distributed throughout the Galaxy and to compare these results to proposed prescriptions for stellar production. A sample of 24 micron-based Class~I protostars are linked to dust clumps that are embedded within molecular clouds selected from the APEX Telescope Large Area Survey of the Galaxy. We determine the fraction of star-forming clumps, f*, that imposes a constraint on the latency of star formation in units of a clump's lifetime. Protostellar masses are estimated from models of circumstellar environments of young stellar objects from which star formation rates are derived. Physical properties of the clumps are calculated from 870 micron dust continuum emission and NH_3 line emission. Linear correlations are identified between the star formation rate surface density, Sigma_{SFR}, and the quantities Sigma_{H2}/tau_{ff} and Sigma_{H2}/tau_{cross}, suggesting that star formation is regulated at the local scales of molecular clouds. The measured fraction of star forming clumps is 23%. Accounting for star formation within clumps that are excluded from our sample due to 24 micron saturation, this fraction can be as high as 31%. Dense, massive clumps form primarily low mass (< 1-2 msun) stars with emergent 24 micron fluxes below our sensitivity limit or are incapable of forming any stars for the initial 70% of their lifetimes. The low fraction of star forming clumps in the Galactic center relative to those located in the disk of the Milky Way is verified.

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arXiv2016

The Herschel-HIFI view of mid-IR quiet massive protostellar objects

We present Herschel/HIFI observations (WISH KP) of 14 water lines in a small sample of galactic massive protostellar objects: NGC6334I(N), DR21(OH), IRAS16272-4837, and IRAS05358+3543. We analyze the gas dynamics from the line profiles. Through modeling of the observations using RATRAN, we estimate outflow, infall, turbulent velocities, molecular abundances, and investigate any correlation with the evolutionary status of each source. The molecular line profiles exhibit a broad component coming from the shocks along the cavity walls associated with the protostars, and an infalling (or expansion for IRAS05358+3543) and passively heated envelope component, with highly supersonic turbulence likely increasing with the distance from the center. Accretion rates between 6.3 10^{-5} and 5.6 10^{-4} \msun yr^{-1} are derived from the infall observed in three of our sources. The outer water abundance is estimated to be at the typical value of a few 10^{-8} while the inner abundance varies from 1.7 10^{-6} to 1.4 10^{-4} with respect to H2 depending on the source. We confirm that regions of massive star formation are highly turbulent and that the turbulence likely increases in the envelope with the distance to the star. The inner abundances are lower than the expected 10^{-4} perhaps because our observed lines do not probe deep enough into the inner envelope, or because photodissociation through protostellar UV photons is more efficient than expected. We show that the higher the infall/expansion velocity in the protostellar envelope, the higher is the inner abundance, maybe indicating that larger infall/expansion velocities generate shocks that will sputter water from the ice mantles of dust grains in the inner region. High-velocity water must be formed in the gas-phase from shocked material.

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arXiv2016

Observations and modelling of CO and [CI] in disks. First detections of [CI] and constraints on the carbon abundance

The gas-solid budget of carbon in protoplanetary disks is related to the composition of the cores and atmospheres of the planets forming in them. The key gas-phase carbon carriers CO, C$^{0}$ and C$^{+}$ can now be observed in disks. The gas-phase carbon abundance in disks has not yet been well characterized, we aim to obtain new constraints on the [C]/[H] ratio in a sample of disks, and to get an overview of the strength of [CI] and warm CO emission. We carried out a survey of the CO$\,6$--$5$ and [CI]$\,1$--$0$ and $2$--$1$ lines towards $37$ disks with APEX, and supplemented it with [CII] data from the literature. The data are interpreted using a grid of models produced with the DALI code. We also investigate how well the gas-phase carbon abundance can be determined in light of parameter uncertainties. The CO$\,6$--$5$ line is detected in $13$ out of $33$ sources, the [CI]$\,1$--$0$ in $6$ out of $12$, and the [CI]$\,2$--$1$ in $1$ out of $33$. With deep integrations, the first unambiguous detections of [CI]~$1$--$0$ in disks are obtained, in TW~Hya and HD~100546. Gas-phase carbon abundance reductions of a factor $5$--$10$ or more can be identified robustly based on CO and [CI] detections. The atomic carbon detection in TW~Hya confirms a factor $100$ reduction of [C]/[H]$_{\rm gas}$ in that disk, while the data are consistent with an ISM-like carbon abundance for HD~100546. In addition, BP~Tau, T~Cha, HD~139614, HD~141569, and HD~100453 are either carbon-depleted or gas-poor disks. The low [CI]~$2$--$1$ detection rates in the survey mostly reflect insufficient sensitivity to detect T~Tauri disks. The Herbig~Ae/Be disks with CO and [CII] upper limits below the models are debris disk like systems. A roughly order of magnitude increase in sensitivity compared to our survey is required to obtain useful constraints on the gas-phase [C]/[H] ratio in most of the targeted systems.

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arXiv2015

Ortho-to-para ratio of NH2. Herschel-HIFI observations of ortho- and para-NH2 rotational transitions towards W31C, W49N, W51 and G34.3+0.1

We have used the Herschel-HIFI instrument to observe both nuclear spin symmetries of amidogen (NH2) towards the high-mass star-forming regions W31C (G10.6-0.4), W49N (G43.2-0.1), W51 (G49.5-0.4) and G34.3+0.1. The aim is to investigate the ratio of nuclear spin types, the ortho-to-para ratio (OPR), of NH2. The excited NH2 transitions are used to construct radiative transfer models of the hot cores and surrounding envelopes in order to investigate the excitation and possible emission of the ground state rotational transitions of ortho-NH2 N_(K_a,K_c} J=1_(1,1) 3/2 - 0_(0,0) 1/2 and para-NH2 2_(1,2) 5/2 - 1_(0,1) 3/2$ used in the OPR calculations. Our best estimate of the average OPR in the envelopes lie above the high temperature limit of three for W49N, specifically 3.5 with formal errors of \pm0.1, but for W31C, W51, and G34.3+0.1 we find lower values of 2.5\pm0.1, 2.7\pm0.1, and 2.3\pm0.1, respectively. Such low values are strictly forbidden in thermodynamical equilibrium since the OPR is expected to increase above three at low temperatures. In the translucent interstellar gas towards W31C, where the excitation effects are low, we find similar values between 2.2\pm0.2 and 2.9\pm0.2. In contrast, we find an OPR of 3.4\pm0.1 in the dense and cold filament connected to W51, and also two lower limits of >4.2 and >5.0 in two other translucent gas components towards W31C and W49N. At low temperatures (T \lesssim 50 K) the OPR of H2 is <10^-1, far lower than the terrestrial laboratory normal value of three. In such a "para-enriched H2" gas, our astrochemical models can reproduce the variations of the observed OPR, both below and above the thermodynamical equilibrium value, by considering nuclear-spin gas-phase chemistry. The models suggest that values below three arise in regions with temperatures >20-25 K, depending on time, and values above three at lower temperatures.

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arXiv2015

The first Galaxy scale hunt for the youngest high-mass protostars

The origin of massive stars is a fundamental open issue in modern astrophysics. Pre-ALMA interferometric studies reveal precursors to early B to late O type stars with collapsing envelopes of 15-20 M$_\odot$ on 1000-3000 AU size-scales. To search for more massive envelopes we selected the most massive nearby young clumps from the ATLASGAL survey to study their protostellar content with ALMA. Our first results using the intermediate scales revealed by the ALMA ACA array providing 3-5" angular resolution, corresponding to $\sim$0.05-0.1 pc size-scales, reveals a sample of compact objects. These massive dense cores are on average two-times more massive than previous studies of similar types of objects. We expect that once the full survey is completed, it will provide a comprehensive view on the origin of the most massive stars.

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arXiv2015

The ATLASGAL survey: distribution of cold dust in the Galactic plane. Combination with Planck data

Sensitive ground-based submillimeter surveys, such as ATLASGAL, provide a global view on the distribution of cold dense gas in the Galactic plane. Here we use the 353 GHz maps from the Planck/HFI instrument to complement the ground-based APEX/LABOCA observations with information on larger angular scales. The resulting maps reveal the distribution of cold dust in the inner Galaxy with a larger spatial dynamic range. We find examples of elongated structures extending over angular scales of 0.5 degree. Corresponding to >30 pc structures in projection at a distance of 3 kpc, these dust lanes are very extended and show large aspect ratios. Furthermore, we assess the fraction of dense gas ($f_{\rm DG}$), and estimate 2-5% (above A$_{\rm{v}}>$7 mag) on average in the Galactic plane. PDFs of the column density reveal the typically observed log-normal distribution for low- and exhibit an excess at high column densities. As a reference for extragalactic studies, we show the line-of-sight integrated N-PDF of the inner Galaxy, and derive a contribution of this excess to the total column density of $\sim2.2$%, above $N_{\rm H_2} = 2.92\times10^{22}$ cm$^{-2}$. Taking the total flux density, we provide an independent estimate of the mass of molecular gas in the inner Galaxy of $\sim1\times10^9\,M_{\odot}$, which is consistent with previous estimates using CO emission. From the mass and $f_{\rm DG}$ we estimate a Galactic SFR of $\dot M = 1.3\,M_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$. While the distribution of diffuse gas is homogenous in the inner Galaxy, the CMZ stands out with a higher dense gas fraction. The low star formation efficiency of the Milky Way is well explained by the low $f_{\rm DG}$ in the Galactic ISM, while the high $f_{\rm DG}$ towards the CMZ, despite its low star formation activity, suggests that, in that particular region of our Galaxy, high-density gas is not the bottleneck for star formation.

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arXiv2015

ATLASGAL-selected massive clumps in the inner Galaxy, II: Characterisation of different evolutionary stages and their SiO emission

The processes leading to the birth of high-mass stars are poorly understood. We characterise here a sample of 430 massive clumps from the ATLASGAL survey, which are representative of different evolutionary stages. To establish a census of molecular tracers of their evolution we performed an unbiased spectral line survey covering the 3-mm atmospheric window between 84-117 GHz with the IRAM 30m. A smaller sample of 128 clumps has been observed in the SiO (5-4) transition with the APEX telescope to complement the SiO (2-1) line and probe the excitation conditions of the emitting gas, which is the main focus of the current study. We report a high detection rate of >75% of the SiO (2-1) line and a >90% detection rate from the dedicated follow-ups in the (5-4) transition. The SiO (2-1) line with broad line profiles and high detection rates, is a powerful probe of star formation activity, while the ubiquitous detection of SiO in all evolutionary stages suggests a continuous star formation process in massive clumps. We find a large fraction of infrared-quiet clumps to exhibit SiO emission, the majority of them only showing a low-velocity component (FWHM~5-6 km/s) centred at the rest velocity of the clump. In the current picture, where this is attributed to low-velocity shocks from cloud-cloud collisions, this can be used to pinpoint the youngest, thus, likely prestellar massive structures. Based on the line ratio of the (5-4) to the (2-1) line, our study reveals a trend of changing excitation conditions that lead to brighter emission in the (5-4) line towards more evolved sources. Our analysis delivers a more robust estimate of SiO column density and abundance than previous studies and questions the decrease of jet activity in massive clumps as a function of age.

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arXiv2015

Linking low- to high-mass YSOs with Herschel-HIFI observations of water

Water probes the dynamics in young stellar objects (YSOs) effectively, especially shocks in molecular outflows. It is a key molecule for exploring whether the physical properties of low-mass protostars can be extrapolated to massive YSOs. As part of the WISH key programme, we investigate the dynamics and the excitation conditions of shocks along the outflow cavity wall as function of source luminosity. Velocity-resolved Herschel-HIFI spectra of the H2O 988, 752, 1097 GHz and 12CO J=10-9, 16-15 lines were analysed for 52 YSOs with bolometric luminosities (L_bol) ranging from <1 to >10^5 L_sun. The profiles of the H2O lines are similar, indicating that they probe the same gas. We see two main Gaussian emission components in all YSOs: a broad component associated with non-dissociative shocks in the outflow cavity wall (cavity shocks) and a narrow component associated with quiescent envelope material. More than 60% of the total integrated intensity of the H2O lines (L_H2O) comes from the cavity shock component. The H2O line widths are similar for all YSOs, whereas those of 12CO 10-9 increase slightly with L_bol. The excitation analysis of the cavity shock component, performed with the non-LTE radiative transfer code RADEX, shows stronger 752 GHz emission for high-mass YSOs, likely due to pumping by an infrared radiation field. As previously found for CO, a strong correlation with slope unity is measured between log(L_H2O) and log(L_bol), which can be extrapolated to extragalactic sources. We conclude that the broad component of H2O and high-J CO lines originate in shocks in the outflow cavity walls for all YSOs, whereas lower-J CO transitions mostly trace entrained outflow gas. The higher UV field and turbulent motions in high-mass objects compared to their low-mass counterparts may explain the slightly different kinematical properties of 12CO 10-9 and H2O lines from low- to high-mass YSOs.

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arXiv2015

Infall through the evolution of high-mass star-forming clumps

With the GREAT receiver at the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), nine massive molecular clumps have been observed in the ammonia $3_{2+}- 2_{2-}$ line at 1.8~THz in a search for signatures of infall. The sources were selected from the ATLASGAL submillimeter dust continuum survey of our Galaxy. Clumps with high masses covering a range of evolutionary stages based on their infrared properties were chosen. The ammonia line was detected in all sources, leading to five new detections and one confirmation of a previous detection of redshifted absorption in front of their strong THz continuum as a probe of infall in the clumps. These detections include two clumps embedded in infrared dark clouds. The measured velocity shifts of the absorptions compared to optically thin \CSEO\ (3--2) emission are 0.3--2.8~km/s, corresponding to fractions of 3\%\ to 30\% of the free-fall velocities of the clumps. The ammonia infall signature is compared with complementary data of different transitions of HCN, HNC, CS, and HCO$^+$, which are often used to probe infall via their blue-skewed line profiles. The best agreement with the ammonia results is found for the HCO$^+$ (4--3) transitions, but the latter is still strongly blended with emission from associated outflows. This outflow signature is far less prominent in the THz ammonia lines, which confirms it as a powerful probe of infall in molecular clumps. Infall rates in the range from 0.3 to 16~$10^{-3}\,M_\odot/$yr were derived with a tentative correlation with the virial parameters of the clumps. The new observations show that infall on clump scales is ubiquitous through a wide range of evolutionary stages, from $L/M$ covering about ten to several hundreds.

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arXiv2015

On the accretion process in a high-mass star forming region - A multitransitional THz Herschel-HIFI study of ammonia toward G34.26+0.15

[Abridged] Our aim is to explore the gas dynamics and the accretion process in the early phase of high-mass star formation. The inward motion of molecular gas in the massive star forming region G34.26+0.15 is investigated by using high-resolution profiles of seven transitions of ammonia at THz frequencies observed with Herschel-HIFI. The shapes and intensities of these lines are interpreted in terms of radiative transfer models of a spherical, collapsing molecular envelope. An accelerated Lambda Iteration (ALI) method is used to compute the models. The seven ammonia lines show mixed absorption and emission with inverse P-Cygni-type profiles that suggest infall onto the central source. A trend toward absorption at increasingly higher velocities for higher excitation transitions is clearly seen in the line profiles. The $J = 3\leftarrow2$ lines show only very weak emission, so these absorption profiles can be used directly to analyze the inward motion of the gas. This is the first time a multitransitional study of spectrally resolved rotational ammonia lines has been used for this purpose. Broad emission is, in addition, mixed with the absorption in the $1_0-0_0$ ortho-NH$_3$ line, possibly tracing a molecular outflow from the star forming region. The best-fitting ALI model reproduces the continuum fluxes and line profiles, but slightly underpredicts the emission and absorption depth in the ground-state ortho line $1_0-0_0$. The derived ortho-to-para ratio is approximately 0.5 throughout the infalling cloud core similar to recent findings for translucent clouds in sight lines toward W31C and W49N. We find evidence of two gas components moving inwards toward the central region with constant velocities: 2.7 and 5.3 km$\,$s$^{-1}$, relative to the source systemic velocity. The inferred mass accretion rates derived are sufficient to overcome the expected radiation pressure from G34.26+0.15.

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arXiv2015

Spectroscopically resolved far-IR observations of the massive star-forming region G5.89--0.39

The fine-structure line of [OI] at 63micron is an important diagnostic tool in different fields of astrophysics. However, our knowledge of this line relies on observations with low spectral resolution, and the real contribution of each component (PDR, jet) in complex environment of star-forming regions (SFRs) is poorly understood. We investigate the contribution of jet and PDR emission, and of absorption to the [OI]63micron line towards the ultra-compact H{\sc ii} region G5.89--0.39 and study its far-IR line luminosity in different velocity regimes through [OI], [CII], CO, OH, and H2O. We mapped G5.89--0.39 in [OI] and in CO(16--15) with the GREAT receiver onboard SOFIA. We observed the central position of the source in the OH^2Π_{3/2}, J=5/2\toJ=3/2 and ^2Π_{1/2}, J=3/2\toJ=1/2 lines. These data were complemented with APEX CO(6-5) and CO(7-6) and HIFI maps and single-pointing observations in [CII], H2O, and HF. The [OI] spectra in G5.89--0.39 are severely contaminated by absorptions from the envelope and from different clouds along the line of sight. Emission is detected only at HV, clearly associated with the compact north-south outflows traced by extremely HV low-J CO. The mass-loss rate and energetics of derived from [OI] agree well with estimates from CO, suggesting that the molecular outflows in G5.89--0.39 are driven by the jet system seen in [OI]. The far-IR line luminosity of G5.89--0.39 is dominated by [OI] at HV; the second coolant in this velocity regime is CO, while [CII], OH and H2O are minor contributors to the cooling in the outflow. Our study shows the importance of spectroscopically resolved data of [OI]63micron for using this line as diagnostic of SFRs. While this was not possible until now, the GREAT receiver onboard SOFIA has recently opened the possibility of detailed studies of this line to investigate its potential for probing different environments.

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arXiv2015

Challenging shock models with SOFIA OH observations in the high-mass star-forming region Cepheus A

OH is a key molecule in H2O chemistry, a valuable tool for probing physical conditions, and an important contributor to the cooling of shock regions. OH participates in the re-distribution of energy from the protostar towards the surrounding ISM. Our aim is to assess the origin of the OH emission from the Cepheus A massive star-forming region and to constrain the physical conditions prevailing in the emitting gas. We thus want to probe the processes at work during the formation of massive stars. We present spectrally resolved observations of OH towards the outflows of Cepheus A with the GREAT spectrometer onboard the SOFIA telescope. Three triplets were observed at 1834.7 GHz, 1837.8 GHz, and 2514.3 GHz (163.4, 163.1, and 119.2 microns), at angular resolutions of 16.3", 16.3", and 11.9", respectively. We present the CO (16-15) spectrum at the same position. We compared the integrated intensities in the redshifted wings to shock models. The two triplets near 163 microns are detected in emission with blending hyperfine structure unresolved. Their profiles and that of CO can be fitted by a combination of 2 or 3 Gaussians. The observed 119.2 microns triplet is seen in absorption, since its blending hyperfine structure is unresolved, but with three line-of-sight components and a blueshifted emission wing consistent with that of the other lines. The OH line wings are similar to those of CO, suggesting that they emanate from the same shocked structure. Under this common origin assumption, the observations fall within the model predictions and within the range of use of our model only if we consider that four shock structures are caught in our beam. Our comparisons suggest that the observations might be consistently fitted by a J-type model with nH > 1e5 cm-3, v > 20 km/s, and with a filling factor of ~1. Such a high density is generally found in shocks associated to high-mass protostars.

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arXiv2015

Infrared dark clouds on the far side of the Galaxy

Context: Infrared dark clouds are the coldest and densest portions of giant molecular clouds. The most massive ones represent some of the most likely birthplaces for the next generation of massive stars in the Milky Way. Because a strong mid-IR background is needed to make them appear in absorption, they are usually assumed to be nearby. Aims: We use THz absorption spectroscopy to solve the distance ambiguity associated with kinematic distances for the IR-dark clouds in the TOP100 ATLASGAL sample, a flux-limited selection of massive clumps in different evolutionary phases of star formation. Methods: The para-H2O ground state transition at 1113.343 GHz, observed with Herschel/HIFI, was used to investigate the occurrence of foreground absorption along the line of sight directly towards infrared-dark clouds. Additional consistency checks were performed using MALT90 and HiGAL archival data and targeted Mopra and APEX spectroscopic observations. Results: We report the first discovery of five IRDCs in the TOP100 lying conclusively at the far kinematic distance, showing that the mere presence of low-contrast mid-IR absorption is not sufficient to unequivocally resolve the near/far ambiguity in favour of the former. All IRDCs are massive and actively forming high-mass stars; four of them also show infall signatures. Conclusions: We give a first estimate of the fraction of dark sources at the far distance (~11% in the TOP100) and describe their appearance and properties. The assumption that all dark clouds lie at the near distance may lead, in some cases, to underestimating masses, sizes, and luminosities, possibly causing clouds to be missed that will form very massive stars and clusters.

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arXiv2015

Outflow forces in intermediate mass star formation

Intermediate mass protostarsprovide a bridge between theories of low- and high-mass star formation. Emerging molecular outflows can be used to determine the influence of fragmentation and multiplicity on protostellar evolution through the correlation of outflow forces of intermediate mass protostars with the luminosity. The aim of this paper is to derive outflow forces from outflows of six intermediate mass protostellar regions and validate the apparent correlation between total luminosity and outflow force seen in earlier work, as well as remove uncertainties caused by different methodology. By comparing CO 6--5 observations obtained with APEX with non-LTE radiative transfer model predictions, optical depths, temperatures, densities of the gas of the molecular outflows are derived. Outflow forces, dynamical timescales and kinetic luminosities are subsequently calculated. Outflow parameters, including the forces, were derived for all sources. Temperatures in excess of 50 K were found for all flows, in line with recent low-mass results. However, comparison with other studies could not corroborate conclusions from earlier work on intermediate mass protostars which hypothesized that fragmentation enhances outflow forces in clustered intermediate mass star formation. Any enhancement in comparison with the classical relation between outflow force and luminosity can be attributed the use of a higher excitation line and improvement in methods; They are in line with results from low-mass protostars using similar techniques. The role of fragmentation on outflows is an important ingredient to understand clustered star formation and the link between low and high-mass star formation. However, detailed information on spatial scales of a few 100 AU, covering all individual members is needed to make the necessary progress.

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