arXiv subjects

Gwanjeong Kim

Publications and source records attributed to Gwanjeong Kim.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

ALMA Survey of Orion Planck Galactic Cold Clumps (ALMASOP): I. Detection of New Hot Corinos with ACA

We report the detection of four new hot corino sources, G211.47-19.27S, G208.68-19.20N1, G210.49-19.79W and G192.12-11.10 from a survey study of Planck Galactic Cold Clumps in the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex with the Atacama Compact Array (ACA). Three sources had been identified as low mass Class 0 protostars in the Herschel Orion Protostar Survey (HOPS). One source in the lambda Orionis region is firstly reported as a protostellar core. We have observed abundant complex organic molecules (COMs), primarily methanol but also other oxygen-bearing COMs (in G211.47-19.27S and G208.68-19.20N1) and the molecule of prebiotic interest NH2CHO (in G211.47-19.27S), signifying the presence of hot corinos. While our spatial resolution is not sufficient for resolving most of the molecular emission structure, the large linewidth and high rotational temperature of COMs suggest that they likely reside in the hotter and innermost region immediately surrounding the protostar. In G211.47-19.27S, the D/H ratio of methanol ([CH2DOH]/[CH3OH]) and the 12C/13C ratio of methanol ([CH3OH]/[13CH3OH]) are comparable to those of other hot corinos. Hydrocarbons and long carbon-chain molecules such as c-C3H2 and HCCCN are also detected in the four sources, likely tracing the outer and cooler molecular envelopes.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2020

ALMA ACA and Nobeyama observations of two Orion cores in deuterated molecular lines

We mapped two molecular cloud cores in the Orion A cloud with the ALMA ACA 7-m Array and with the Nobeyama 45-m radio telescope. These cores have bright N$_2$D$^+$ emission in single-pointing observations with the Nobeyama 45-m radio telescope, have relatively high deuterium fraction, and are thought to be close to the onset of star formation. One is a star-forming core, and the other is starless. These cores are located along filaments observed in N$_2$H$^+$, and show narrow linewidths of 0.41 km s$^{-1}$ and 0.45 km s$^{-1}$ in N$_2$D$^+$, respectively, with the Nobeyama 45-m telescope. Both cores were detected with the ALMA ACA 7m Array in the continuum and molecular lines at Band 6. The starless core G211 shows clumpy structure with several sub-cores, which in turn show chemical differences. Also, the sub-cores in G211 have internal motions that are almost purely thermal. The starless sub-core G211D, in particular, shows a hint of the inverse P Cygni profile, suggesting infall motion. The star-forming core G210 shows an interesting spatial feature of two N$_2$D$^+$ peaks of similar intensity and radial velocity located symmetrically with respect to the single dust continuum peak. One interpretation is that the two N$_2$D$^+$ peaks represent an edge-on pseudo-disk. The CO outflow lobes, however, are not directed perpendicular to the line connecting both N$_2$D$^+$ peaks.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

CS Depletion in Prestellar Cores

The CS molecule is known to be absorbed onto dust in the cold and dense conditions, causing it to get significantly depleted in the central region of cores. This study is aimed to investigate the depletion of the CS molecule using the optically thin C$^{34}$S molecular line observations. We mapped five prestellar cores, L1544, L1552, L1689B, L694-2, and L1197 using two molecular lines, C$^{34}$S $(J=2-1)$ and N$_2$H$^+$ $(J=1-0)$ with the NRO 45-m telescope, doubling the number of cores where the CS depletion was probed using C$^{34}$S. In most of our targets, the distribution of C$^{34}$S emission shows features that suggest that the CS molecule is generally depleted in the center of the prestellar cores. The radial profile of the CS abundance with respect to H$_2$ directly measured from the CS emission and the Herschel dust emission indicates that the CS molecule is depleted by a factor of $\sim$3 toward the central regions of the cores with respect to their outer regions. The degree of the depletion is found to be even more enhanced by an order of magnitude when the contaminating effect introduced by the presence of CS molecules in the surrounding envelope that lie along the line-of-sight is removed. Except for L1197 which is classified as relatively the least evolved core in our targets based on its observed physical parameters, we found that the remaining four prestellar cores are suffering from significant CS depletion at their central region regardless of the relative difference in their evolutionary status.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

First Sub-pc Sale Mapping of Magnetic Fields in the Vicinity of a Very Low Luminosity Object, L1521F-IRS

L1521F is found to be forming multiple cores and it is cited as an example of the densest core with an embedded VeLLO in a highly dynamical environment. We present the core-scale magnetic fields (B-fields) in the near vicinity of the VeLLO L1521F-IRS using submm polarization measurements at 850$~μ$m using JCMT POL-2. This is the first attempt to use high-sensitivity observations to map the sub-parsec scale B-fields in a core with a VeLLO. The B-fields are ordered and very well connected to the parsec-scale field geometry seen in our earlier optical polarization observations and the large-scale structure seen in Planck dust polarization. The core scale B-field strength estimated using Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi relation is $\rm 330\pm100~μ$G which is more than ten times of the value we obtained in the envelope (envelope in this paper is "core envelope"). This indicates that B-fields are getting stronger on smaller scales. The magnetic energies are found to be 1 to 2 orders of magnitude higher than non-thermal kinetic energies in the envelope and core. This suggests that magnetic fields are more important than turbulence in the energy budget of L1521F. The mass-to-flux ratio of 2.3$\pm$0.7 suggests that the core is magnetically-supercritical. The degree of polarization is steadily decreasing towards the denser part of the core with a power law slope of -0.86.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

Submillimeter continuum variability in Planck Galactic cold clumps

In the early stages of star formation, a protostar is deeply embedded in an optically thick envelope such that it is not directly observable. Variations in the protostellar accretion rate, however, will cause luminosity changes that are reprocessed by the surrounding envelope and are observable at submillimeter wavelengths. We searched for submillimeter flux variability toward 12 Planck Galactic Cold Clumps detected by the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT)-SCUBA-2 Continuum Observations of Pre-protostellar Evolution (SCOPE) survey. These observations were conducted at 850 um using the JCMT/SCUBA-2. Each field was observed three times over about 14 months between 2016 April and 2017 June. We applied a relative flux calibration and achieved a calibration uncertainty of ~ 3.6% on average. We identified 136 clumps across 12 fields and detected four sources with flux variations of ~ 30%. For three of these sources, the variations appear to be primarily due to large-scale contamination, leaving one plausible candidate. The flux change of the candidate may be associated with low- or intermediate-mass star formation assuming a distance of 1.5 kpc, although we cannot completely rule out the possibility that it is a random deviation. Further studies with dedicated monitoring would provide a better understanding of the detailed relationship between submillimeter flux and accretion rate variabilities while enhancing the search for variability in star-forming clumps farther away than the Gould Belt.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

JCMT BISTRO Survey observations of the Ophiuchus Molecular Cloud: Dust grain alignment properties inferred using a Ricean noise model

The dependence of polarization fraction $p$ on total intensity $I$ in polarized submillimeter emission measurements is typically parameterized as $p\propto I^{-α}$ $(α\leq 1)$, and used to infer dust grain alignment efficiency in star-forming regions, with an index $α=1$ indicating near-total lack of alignment of grains with the magnetic field. In this work we demonstrate that the non-Gaussian noise characteristics of polarization fraction may produce apparent measurements of $α\sim 1$ even in data with significant signal-to-noise in Stokes $Q$, $U$ and $I$ emission, and so with robust measurements of polarization angle. We present a simple model demonstrating this behavior, and propose a criterion by which well-characterized measurements of polarization fraction may be identified. We demonstrate that where our model is applicable, $α$ can be recovered by fitting the $p-I$ relationship with the mean of the Rice distribution, without statistical debiasing of polarization fraction. We apply our model to JCMT BISTRO Survey POL-2 850$μ$m observations of three clumps in the Ophiuchus Molecular Cloud, finding that in the externally-illuminated Oph A region, $α\approx 0.34$, while in the more isolated Oph B and C, despite their differing star formation histories, $α\sim 0.6-0.7$. Our results thus suggest that dust grain alignment in dense gas is more strongly influenced by incident interstellar radiation field than by star formation history. We further find that grains may remain aligned with the magnetic field at significantly higher gas densities than has previously been believed, thus allowing investigation of magnetic field properties within star-forming clumps and cores.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

TRAO Survey of Nearby Filamentary Molecular clouds, the Universal Nursery of Stars (TRAO FUNS) I. Dynamics and Chemistry of L1478 in the California Molecular Cloud

"TRAO FUNS" is a project to survey Gould Belt's clouds in molecular lines. This paper presents its first results on the central region of the California molecular cloud, L1478. We performed On-The-Fly mapping observations using the Taedeok Radio Astronomy Observatory (TRAO) 14m single dish telescope equipped with a 16 multi-beam array covering $\sim$1.0 square degree area of this region using C$^{18}$O (1-0) mainly tracing low density cloud and about 460 square arcminute area using N$_{2}$H$^{+}$ (1-0) mainly tracing dense cores. CS (2-1) and SO $(3_{2}-2_{1})$ were also used simultaneously to map $\sim$440 square arcminute area of this region. We identified 10 filaments by applying the dendrogram technique to the C$^{18}$O data-cube and 8 dense N$_{2}$H$^{+}$ cores by using {\sc FellWalker}. Basic physical properties of filaments such as mass, length, width, velocity field, and velocity dispersion are derived. It is found that L1478 consists of several filaments with slightly different velocities. Especially the filaments which are supercritical are found to contain dense cores detected in N$_{2}$H$^{+}$. Comparison of non-thermal velocity dispersions derived from C$^{18}$O and N$_{2}$H$^{+}$ for the filaments and dense cores indicates that some of dense cores share similar kinematics with those of the surrounding filaments while several dense cores have different kinematics with those of their filaments. This suggests that the formation mechanism of dense cores and filaments can be different in individual filaments depending on their morphologies and environments.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

The JCMT BISTRO Survey: The Magnetic Field of the Barnard 1 Star-Forming Region

We present the POL-2 850 $μ$m linear polarization map of the Barnard 1 clump in the Perseus molecular cloud complex from the B-fields In STar-forming Region Observations (BISTRO) survey at the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. We find a trend of decreasing polarization fraction as a function of total intensity, which we link to depolarization effects towards higher density regions of the cloud. We then use the polarization data at 850 $μ$m to infer the plane-of-sky orientation of the large-scale magnetic field in Barnard 1. This magnetic field runs North-South across most of the cloud, with the exception of B1-c where it turns more East-West. From the dispersion of polarization angles, we calculate a turbulence correlation length of $5.0 \pm 2.5$ arcsec ($1500$ au), and a turbulent-to-total magnetic energy ratio of $0.5 \pm 0.3$ inside the cloud. We combine this turbulent-to-total magnetic energy ratio with observations of NH$_3$ molecular lines from the Green Bank Ammonia Survey (GAS) to estimate the strength of the plane-of-sky component of the magnetic field through the Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi method. With a plane-of-sky amplitude of $120 \pm 60$ $μ$G and a criticality criterion $λ_c = 3.0 \pm 1.5$, we find that Barnard 1 is a supercritical molecular cloud with a magnetic field nearly dominated by its turbulent component.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

JCMT BISTRO survey: Magnetic Fields within the Hub-Filament Structure in IC 5146

We present the 850 $μ$m polarization observations toward the IC5146 filamentary cloud taken using the Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array 2 (SCUBA-2) and its associated polarimeter (POL-2), mounted on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT), as part of the B-fields In STar forming Regions Observations (BISTRO). This work is aimed at revealing the magnetic field morphology within a core-scale ($\lesssim 1.0$ pc) hub-filament structure (HFS) located at the end of a parsec-scale filament. To investigate whether or not the observed polarization traces the magnetic field in the HFS, we analyze the dependence between the observed polarization fraction and total intensity using a Bayesian approach with the polarization fraction described by the Rice likelihood function, which can correctly describe the probability density function (PDF) of the observed polarization fraction for low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) data. We find a power-law dependence between the polarization fraction and total intensity with an index of 0.56 in $A_V\sim$ 20--300 mag regions, suggesting that the dust grains in these dense regions can still be aligned with magnetic fields in the IC5146 regions. Our polarization maps reveal a curved magnetic field, possibly dragged by the contraction along the parsec-scale filament. We further obtain a magnetic field strength of 0.5$\pm$0.2 mG toward the central hub using the Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi method, corresponding to a mass-to-flux criticality of $\sim$ $1.3\pm0.4$ and an Alfvénic Mach number of $<$0.6. These results suggest that gravity and magnetic field is currently of comparable importance in the HFS, and turbulence is less important.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

The JCMT BISTRO Survey: The Magnetic Field In The Starless Core $ρ$ Ophiuchus C

We report 850~$μ$m dust polarization observations of a low-mass ($\sim$12 $M_{\odot}$) starless core in the $ρ$ Ophiuchus cloud, Ophiuchus C, made with the POL-2 instrument on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) as part of the JCMT B-fields In STar-forming Region Observations (BISTRO) survey. We detect an ordered magnetic field projected on the plane of sky in the starless core. The magnetic field across the $\sim$0.1~pc core shows a predominant northeast-southwest orientation centering between $\sim$40$^\circ$ to $\sim$100$^\circ$, indicating that the field in the core is well aligned with the magnetic field in lower-density regions of the cloud probed by near-infrared observations and also the cloud-scale magnetic field traced by Planck observations. The polarization percentage ($P$) decreases with an increasing total intensity ($I$) with a power-law index of $-$1.03 $\pm$ 0.05. We estimate the plane-of-sky field strength ($B_{\mathrm{pos}}$) using modified Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi (DCF) methods based on structure function (SF), auto-correlation (ACF), and unsharp masking (UM) analyses. We find that the estimates from the SF, ACF, and UM methods yield strengths of 103 $\pm$ 46 $μ$G, 136 $\pm$ 69 $μ$G, and 213 $\pm$ 115 $μ$G, respectively. Our calculations suggest that the Ophiuchus C core is near magnetically critical or slightly magnetically supercritical (i.e. unstable to collapse). The total magnetic energy calculated from the SF method is comparable to the turbulent energy in Ophiuchus C, while the ACF method and the UM method only set upper limits for the total magnetic energy because of large uncertainties.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2019

CO Outflow Survey of 68 Very Low Luminosity Objects: a Search for Proto-Brown Dwarf Candidates

We present the results of a systematic search for molecular outflows in 68 Very Low Luminosity Objects (VeLLOs) from single-dish observations in CO isotopologues which find 16 VeLLOs showing clear outflow signatures in the CO maps. With additional three VeLLOs from the literature, we analyzed the outflow properties for 19 VeLLOs, identifying 15 VeLLOs as proto-Brown Dwarf (BD) candidates and four VeLLOs as likely faint protostar candidates. The proto-BD candidates are found to have a mass accretion rate ($\sim 10^{-8} - 10^{-7}$ $\rm M_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$) lower than that of the protostar candidates ($\gtrsim 10^{-6}$ $\rm M_{\odot}$ yr$^{-1}$). Their accretion luminosities are similar to or smaller than their internal luminosities, implying that many proto-BD candidates might have had either small accretion activity in a quiescent manner throughout their lifetime, or be currently exhibiting a relatively higher (or episodic) mass accretion than the past. There are strong trends that outflows of many proto-BDs are less active if they are fainter or have less massive envelopes. The outflow forces and internal luminosities for more than half of the proto-BD candidates seem to follow an evolutionary track of a protostar with its initial envelope mass of $\sim$0.08 $\rm M_{\odot}$, indicating that some BDs may form in less massive dense cores in a way similar to normal stars. But, because there also exists a significant fraction (about 40%) of proto-BDs with much weaker outflow force than expected by the relations for protostars, we should not rule out the possibility of other formation mechanism for the BDs.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2018

High-resolution ALMA Study of the Proto-Brown-Dwarf Candidate L328-IRS

This paper presents our observational attempts to precisely measure the central mass of a proto-brown dwarf candidate, L328-IRS, in order to investigate whether L328-IRS is in the substellar mass regime. Observations were made for the central region of L328-IRS with the dust continuum and CO isotopologue line emission at ALMA band 6, discovering the detailed outflow activities and a deconvolved disk structure of a size of $\sim$87 AU $\times$ 37 AU. We investigated the rotational velocities as a function of the disk radius, finding that its motions between 130 AU and 60 AU are partially fitted with a Keplerian orbit by a stellar object of $\sim0.30 ~\rm\,M_\odot$, while the motions within 60 AU do not follow any Keplerian orbit at all. This makes it difficult to lead a reliable estimation of the mass of L328-IRS. Nonetheless, our ALMA observations were useful enough to well constrain the inclination angle of the outflow cavity of L328-IRS as $\sim 66^{\circ}$, enabling us to better determine the mass accretion rate of $\sim 8.9\times 10^{-7} \rm\,M_\odot~yr^{-1}$. From assumptions that the internal luminosity of L328-IRS is mostly due to this mass accretion process in the disk, or that L328-IRS has mostly accumulated the mass through this constant accretion rate during its outflow activity, its mass was estimated to be $\sim 0.012 - 0.023\rm\,M_\odot$, suggesting L328-IRS to be a substellar object. However, we leave our identification of L328-IRS as a proto-brown dwarf to be tentative because of various uncertainties especially regarding the mass accretion rate.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2018

A holistic perspective on the dynamics of G035.39-00.33: the interplay between gas and magnetic fields

Magnetic field is one of the key agents that play a crucial role in shaping molecular clouds and regulating star formation, yet the complete information on the magnetic field is not well constrained due to the limitations in observations. We study the magnetic field in the massive infrared dark cloud G035.39-00.33 from dust continuum polarization observations at 850 $\micron$ with SCUBA-2/POL-2 at JCMT. The magnetic field tends to be perpendicular to the densest part of the main filament (F$_{M}$), whereas it has a less defined relative orientation in the rest of the structure, where it tends to be parallel to some diffuse regions. A mean plane-of-the-sky magnetic field strength of $\sim$50 $μ$G for F$_{M}$ is obtained using Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi method. Based on $^{13}$CO (1-0) line observations, we suggest a formation scenario of F$_{M}$ due to large-scale ($\sim$10 pc) cloud-cloud collision. Using additional NH$_3$ line data, we estimate that F$_{M}$ will be gravitationally unstable if it is only supported by thermal pressure and turbulence. The northern part of F$_{M}$, however, can be stabilized by a modest additional support from the local magnetic field. The middle and southern parts of F$_{M}$ are likely unstable even if the magnetic field support is taken into account. We claim that the clumps in F$_{M}$ may be supported by turbulence and magnetic fields against gravitational collapse. Finally, we identified for the first time a massive ($\sim$200 M$_{\sun}$), collapsing starless clump candidate, "c8", in G035.39-00.33. The magnetic field surrounding "c8" is likely pinched, hinting at an accretion flow along the filament.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2018

Magnetic fields towards Ophiuchus-B derived from SCUBA-2 polarization measurements

We present the results of dust emission polarization measurements of Ophiuchus-B (Oph-B) carried out using the Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array 2 (SCUBA-2) camera with its associated polarimeter (POL-2) on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) in Hawaii. This work is part of the B-fields In Star-forming Region Observations (BISTRO) survey initiated to understand the role of magnetic fields in star formation for nearby star-forming molecular clouds. We present a first look at the geometry and strength of magnetic fields in Oph-B. The field geometry is traced over $\sim$0.2 pc, with clear detection of both of the sub-clumps of Oph-B. The field pattern appears significantly disordered in sub-clump Oph-B1. The field geometry in Oph-B2 is more ordered, with a tendency to be along the major axis of the clump, parallel to the filamentary structure within which it lies. The degree of polarization decreases systematically towards the dense core material in the two sub-clumps. The field lines in the lower density material along the periphery are smoothly joined to the large scale magnetic fields probed by NIR polarization observations. We estimated a magnetic field strength of 630$\pm$410 $μ$G in the Oph-B2 sub-clump using a Davis-Chandeasekhar-Fermi analysis. With this magnetic field strength, we find a mass-to-flux ratio $λ$= 1.6$\pm$1.1, which suggests that the Oph-B2 clump is slightly magnetically supercritical.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2018

Planck Cold Clumps in the $λ$ Orionis complex. II. Environmental effects on core formation

Based on the 850 $μ$m dust continuum data from SCUBA-2 at James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT), we compare overall properties of Planck Galactic Cold Clumps (PGCCs) in the $λ$ Orionis cloud to those of PGCCs in the Orion A and B clouds. The Orion A and B clouds are well known active star-forming regions, while the $λ$ Orionis cloud has a different environment as a consequence of the interaction with a prominent OB association and a giant Hii region. PGCCs in the $λ$ Orionis cloud have higher dust temperatures ($Td=16.13\pm0.15$ K) and lower values of dust emissivity spectral index ($ β=1.65\pm0.02$) than PGCCs in the Orion A (Td=13.79$\pm 0.21$K, $β=2.07\pm0.03$) and Orion B ($Td=13.82\pm0.19$K, $β=1.96\pm0.02$) clouds. We find 119 sub-structures within the 40 detected PGCCs and identify them as cores. Of total 119 cores, 15 cores are discovered in the $λ$ Orionis cloud, while 74 and 30 cores are found in the Orion A and B clouds, respectively. The cores in the $λ$ Orionis cloud show much lower mean values of size R=0.08 pc, column density N(H2)=$(9.5\pm1.2) \times 10^{22}$ cm$^{-2}$, number density n(H2)=$(2.9 \pm 0.4)\times10^{5}$ cm$^{-3}$, and mass $M_{core}$=$1.0\pm0.3$ M$_{\odot}$ compared to the cores in the Orion A (R=0.11pc, $N(H2)=(2.3\pm0.3) \times 10^{23}$ cm$^{-2}$, n(H2)=$(3.8\pm0.5) \times 10^{5}$cm$^{-3}$, and $M_{core}$=$2.4 \pm 0.3$ M$_{\odot}$) and Orion B (R=0.16pc, N(H2)=$(3.8 \pm 0.4) \times 10^{23}$cm$^{-2}$, n(H2)=$(15.6\pm1.8)\times10^{5}$ cm$^{-3}$, and $M_{core}$= $2.7\pm0.3$ M$_{\odot}$) clouds. These core properties in the $λ$ Orionis cloud can be attributed to the photodissociation and external heating by the nearby Hii region, which may prevent the PGCCs from forming gravitationally bound structures and eventually disperse them. These results support the idea of negative stellar feedback on core formation.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2018

A First Look at BISTRO Observations of The $ρ$ Oph-A core

We present 850 $μ$m imaging polarimetry data of the $ρ$ Oph-A core taken with the Submillimeter Common-User Bolometer Array-2 (SCUBA-2) and its polarimeter (POL-2), as part of our ongoing survey project, BISTRO (B-fields In STar forming RegiOns). The polarization vectors are used to identify the orientation of the magnetic field projected on the plane of the sky at a resolution of 0.01 pc. We identify 10 subregions with distinct polarization fractions and angles in the 0.2 pc $ρ$ Oph A core; some of them can be part of a coherent magnetic field structure in the $ρ$ Oph region. The results are consistent with previous observations of the brightest regions of $ρ$ Oph-A, where the degrees of polarization are at a level of a few percents, but our data reveal for the first time the magnetic field structures in the fainter regions surrounding the core where the degree of polarization is much higher ($> 5 \%$). A comparison with previous near-infrared polarimetric data shows that there are several magnetic field components which are consistent at near-infrared and submillimeter wavelengths. Using the Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi method, we also derive magnetic field strengths in several sub-core regions, which range from approximately 0.2 to 5 mG. We also find a correlation between the magnetic field orientations projected on the sky with the core centroid velocity components.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

How do stars gain their mass? A JCMT/SCUBA-2 Transient Survey of Protostars in Nearby Star Forming Regions

Most protostars have luminosities that are fainter than expected from steady accretion over the protostellar lifetime. The solution to this problem may lie in episodic mass accretion -- prolonged periods of very low accretion punctuated by short bursts of rapid accretion. However, the timescale and amplitude for variability at the protostellar phase is almost entirely unconstrained. In "A JCMT/SCUBA-2 Transient Survey of Protostars in Nearby Star Forming Regions", we are monitoring monthly with SCUBA-2 the sub-mm emission in eight fields within nearby (<500 pc) star forming regions to measure the accretion variability of protostars. The total survey area of ~1.6 sq.deg. includes ~105 peaks with peaks brighter than 0.5 Jy/beam (43 associated with embedded protostars or disks) and 237 peaks of 0.125-0.5 Jy/beam (50 with embedded protostars or disks). Each field has enough bright peaks for flux calibration relative to other peaks in the same field, which improves upon the nominal flux calibration uncertainties of sub-mm observations to reach a precision of ~2-3% rms, and also provides quantified confidence in any measured variability. The timescales and amplitudes of any sub-mm variation will then be converted into variations in accretion rate and subsequently used to infer the physical causes of the variability. This survey is the first dedicated survey for sub-mm variability and complements other transient surveys at optical and near-IR wavelengths, which are not sensitive to accretion variability of deeply embedded protostars.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2017

First results from BISTRO -- a SCUBA-2 polarimeter survey of the Gould Belt

We present the first results from the B-fields In STar-forming Region Observations (BISTRO) survey, using the Sub-millimetre Common-User Bolometer Array 2 (SCUBA-2) camera, with its associated polarimeter (POL-2), on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) in Hawaii. We discuss the survey's aims and objectives. We describe the rationale behind the survey, and the questions which the survey will aim to answer. The most important of these is the role of magnetic fields in the star formation process on the scale of individual filaments and cores in dense regions. We describe the data acquisition and reduction processes for POL-2, demonstrating both repeatability and consistency with previous data. We present a first-look analysis of the first results from the BISTRO survey in the OMC 1 region. We see that the magnetic field lies approximately perpendicular to the famous 'integral filament' in the densest regions of that filament. Furthermore, we see an 'hour-glass' magnetic field morphology extending beyond the densest region of the integral filament into the less-dense surrounding material, and discuss possible causes for this. We also discuss the more complex morphology seen along the Orion Bar region. We examine the morphology of the field along the lower-density north-eastern filament. We find consistency with previous theoretical models that predict magnetic fields lying parallel to low-density, non-self-gravitating filaments, and perpendicular to higher-density, self-gravitating filaments.

astro-ph.GA↗