arXiv subjects

Mark J. McCaughrean

Publications and source records attributed to Mark J. McCaughrean.

32 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2006

X-rays from HH210 in the Orion nebula

We report the detection during the Chandra Orion Ultradeep Project (COUP) of two soft, constant, and faint X-ray sources associated with the Herbig-Haro object HH210. HH210 is located at the tip of the NNE finger of the emission line system bursting out of the BN-KL complex, northwest of the Trapezium cluster in the OMC-1 molecular cloud. Using a recent Halpha image obtained with the ACS imager on board HST, and taking into account the known proper motions of HH210 emission knots, we show that the position of the brightest X-ray source, COUP703, coincides with the emission knot 154-040a of HH210, which is the emission knot of HH210 having the highest tangential velocity (425 km/s). The second X-ray source, COUP704, is located on the complicated emission tail of HH210 close to an emission line filament and has no obvious optical/infrared counterpart. Spectral fitting indicates for both sources a plasma temperature of ~0.8 MK and absorption-corrected X-ray luminosities of about 1E30 erg/s (0.5-2.0 keV). These X-ray sources are well explained by a model invoking a fast-moving, radiative bow shock in a neutral medium with a density of ~12000 cm^{-3}. The X-ray detection of COUP704 therefore reveals, in the complicated HH210 region, an energetic shock not yet identified at other wavelengths.

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arXiv2005

SiO J=5--4 in the HH211 Protostellar Jet Imaged with the SMA

We have mapped the SiO J=5-4 line at 217GHz from the HH211 molecular outflow with the Submillimeter Array (SMA). The high resolution map (1.6''x0.9'') shows that the SiO J=5-4 emission comes from the central narrow jet along the outflow axis with a width of ~0.8'' (~250 AU) FWHM. The SiO jet consists of a chain of knots separated by 3-4'' (~1000 AU) and most of the SiO knots have counterparts in shocked H_2 emission seen in a new, deep VLT near-infrared image of the outflow. A new, innermost pair of knots are discovered at just +/-2'' from the central star. The line ratio between the SiO J=5-4 data and upper limits from the SiO J=1-0 data of Chandler & Richer (2001) suggests that these knots have a temperature in excess of 300-500 K and a density of (0.5-1) x10^7 cm^{-3}. The radial velocity measured for these knots is ~30 km/s, comparable to the maximum velocity seen in the entire jet. The high temperature, high density, and velocity structure observed in this pair of SiO knots suggest that they are closely related to the primary jet launched close to the protostar.

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arXiv2005

X-ray Emission from Orion Nebula Cluster Stars with Circumstellar Disks and Jets

We investigate the X-ray and near-infrared emission properties of a sample of pre-main sequence (PMS) stellar systems in the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) that display evidence for circumstellar disks (``proplyds'') and optical jets in Hubble Space Telescope (HST) imaging. Approximately 70% of ~140 proplyds were detected as X-ray sources in the Chandra Orion Ultradeep Program observation of the ONC, including ~25% of proplyds that do not display central stars in HST imaging. Many proplyds display near-infrared excesses, suggesting disk accretion is ongoing onto the central, PMS stars. Among circumstellar disks that are detected in absorption in HST imaging, we find that X-ray absorbing column and apparent disk inclination are well correlated, providing insight into the disk scale heights and metal abundances of UV- and X-ray-irradiated protoplanetary disks. Jet sources display some of the largest near-infrared excesses among the X-ray-detected proplyds, suggesting that the origin of the jets is closely related to ongoing, PMS stellar accretion. Some jet sources display double-peaked X-ray spectral energy distributions, with soft components indicative of strong shocks in the jet collimation region. These results support models in which circumstellar disks collimate and/or launch jets from young stellar objects and, furthermore, demonstrate that star-disk-jet interactions may contribute to PMS X-ray emission.

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arXiv2005

X-ray emission from young brown dwarfs in the Orion Nebula Cluster

We use the sensitive X-ray data from the Chandra Orion Ultradeep Project (COUP) to study the X-ray properties of 34 spectroscopically-identified brown dwarfs with near-infrared spectral types between M6 and M9 in the core of the Orion Nebula Cluster. Nine of the 34 objects are clearly detected as X-ray sources. The apparently low detection rate is in many cases related to the substantial extinction of these brown dwarfs; considering only the BDs with $A_V \leq 5$ mag, nearly half of the objects (7 out of 16) are detected in X-rays. Our 10-day long X-ray lightcurves of these objects exhibit strong variability, including numerous flares. While one of the objects was only detected during a short flare, a statistical analysis of the lightcurves provides evidence for continuous (`quiescent') emission in addition to flares for all other objects. Of these, the $\sim$ M9 brown dwarf COUP 1255 = HC 212 is one of the coolest known objects with a clear detection of quiescent X-ray emission. The X-ray properties (spectra, fractional X-ray luminosities, flare rates) of these young brown dwarfs are similar to those of the low-mass stars in the ONC, and thus there is no evidence for changes in the magnetic activity around the stellar/substellar boundary, which lies at $\sim$ M6 for ONC sources. Since the X-ray properties of the young brown dwarfs are also similar to those of M6--M9 field stars, the key to the magnetic activity in very cool objects seems to be the effective temperature, which determines the degree of ionization in the atmosphere.

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arXiv2002

A Substellar Mass Function for Alpha Per

We present a deep, wide-field optical survey of the young stellar cluster Alpha Per, in which we have discovered a large population of candidate brown dwarfs. Subsequent infrared photometric follow-up shows that the majority of them are probable or possible members of the cluster, reaching to a minimum mass of 0.035 Msun. We have used this list of members to derive the luminosity and mass functions of the substellar population of the cluster (alpha=0.59+-0.05) and compared its slope to the value measure for the Pleiades. This comparison indicates that the two cluster mass functions are, indeed, very similar.

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arXiv2002

Search for nearby stars among proper motion stars selected by optical-to-infrared photometry. II. Two late M dwarfs within 10 pc

We have identified two late M dwarfs within 10 parsecs of the Sun, by cross-correlating the Luyten NLTT catalogue of stars with proper motions larger than 0.18 arcsec/yr, with objects lacking optical identification in the 2MASS data base. The 2MASS photometry was then combined with improved optical photometry obtained from the SuperCOSMOS Sky Surveys. The two objects (LP775-31 and LP655-48) have extremely red optical-to-infrared colours ((R-K)~7) and very bright infrared magnitudes (K_s<10): follow-up optical spectroscopy with the ESO 3.6-m telescope gave spectral types of M8.0 and M7.5 dwarfs, respectively. Comparison of their near-infrared magnitudes with the absolute magnitudes of known M8 and M7.5 dwarfs with measured trigonometric parallaxes yields spectroscopic distance estimates of 6.4+/-1.4 parsecs and 8.0+/-1.6 parsecs for LP775-31 and LP655-48, respectively. In contrast, Cruz & Reid (2002) recently determined spectral types of M6 for both objects, and commensurately larger distances of 11.3+/-1.3 parsecs and 15.3+/-2.6 parsecs. LP655-48 is also a bright X-ray source (1RXS J044022.8-053020). With only a few late M dwarfs previously known within 10 parsecs, these two objects represent an important addition to the census of the Solar neighbourhood.

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arXiv2002

The Eagle's EGGs: fertile or sterile?

We present a deep, high spatial resolution (0.35 arcsec FWHM), near-infrared (1-2.5 micron) imaging survey of the Eagle Nebula, M16, made with the VLT, centred on the famous elephant trunks. We compare these data with the existing HST optical images to search for evidence of ongoing or recent star formation in the trunks, and in particular in the 73 small evaporating gaseous globules (EGGs) on their surface. We find that two of the three HST trunks have relatively massive YSOs in their tips. Most of the EGGs appear to be empty, but some 15% of them do show evidence for associated young low-mass stars or brown dwarfs: in particular, there is a small cluster of such sources seen at the head of the largest trunk.

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arXiv2001

Evidence for dust grain growth in young circumstellar disks

Hundreds of circumstellar disks in the Orion nebula are being rapidly destroyed by the intense ultraviolet radiation produced by nearby bright stars. These young, million-year-old disks may not survive long enough to form planetary systems. Nevertheless, the first stage of planet formation -- the growth of dust grains into larger particles -- may have begun in these systems. Observational evidence for these large particles in Orion's disks is presented. A model of grain evolution in externally irradiated protoplanetary disks is developed and predicts rapid particle size evolution and sharp outer disk boundaries. We discuss implications for the formation rates of planetary systems.

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arXiv2000

Giant protostellar outflows revealed by infrared imaging

We present new infrared data from a survey for embedded protostellar jets in the Orion A cloud. This survey makes use of the S(1) v = 1-0 line of molecular hydrogen at lambda = 2.12 mum to search for infrared jets deep inside the cloud and thus hidden from view at optical wavelengths. We present data on the three flows associated with the Herbig-Haro objects HH 43/38 & HH 64, HH 65, and the L1641-N giant flow. HH 43, HH 38 and HH 64 are part of one H_2 flow extending over at least 1.4 pc. We identify a deeply embedded 1.3 mm and IRAS source (HH 43 MMS1 = IRAS 05355-0709C) as the likely driving source, while the infrared source previously assumed to drive HH 43/38 (HH 43-IRS1 = IRAS 05357-0710) is seen to drive a smaller jet. The morphology of HH 43-IRS1 suggests that it is a star+disk system seen close to edge-on. We identify another large H_2 flow apparently comprising the L1641-S3 CO outflow and the redshifted lobe of the L1641-S CO outflow containing HH 65. This flow extends over at least 2.6 pc and appears strongly curved. It is driven by L1641-S3 IRS, a deeply embedded 1.3 mm and IRAS source (L1641-S3 MMS1 = IRAS 05375-0731). Finally, we have found some additional large H_2 features to the east of V 380 Ori and the HH 1/2 system, which probably outline another part of the L1641-N outflow. The molecular flow MB 20/21, which extends to the south from V 380 Ori, also appears to be a part of the L1641-N outflow.

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arXiv1999

HH 46/47: Also a parsec scale flow

We report the discovery of a pair of large Herbig-Haro type structures roughly 10 arcminutes (1.3 pc) north-east and south-west of the source driving the well-known HH 46/47 Herbig-Haro jet in new deep emission-line images made using the Wide Field Imager on the ESO/MPG La Silla 2.2-m telescope. These new images suggest that the HH 46/47 outflow is much more extensive than previously assumed, extending over a total of 2.6 pc on the sky, or over 3 pc in space, when deprojected. HH 46/47 thus also belongs to the recently-discovered class of giant Herbig-Haro flows.

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arXiv1999

Wide binaries in the Orion Nebula Cluster

Using proper motion data for 894 stars in the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) compiled by Jones & Walker in 1988, we search for binaries with apparent separations in the range 1000-5000 AU, and find an upper limit of three. Using a Monte Carlo method, we test the consistency of this result with two hypotheses: i) that the cluster contains a binary population identical to that found in the solar neighbourhood, and ii) that the cluster contains no binaries at all in this separation range. We obtain results strongly favouring the latter hypothesis. Star formation in the Galaxy is seen to occur in a variety of different environments, but it has been proposed that most stars may be formed in dense regions similar to the ONC, rather than in less dense groupings like that found in Taurus-Auriga. Since roughly 15 per cent of galactic field stars are known to be in binaries with separations greater than 1000 AU, the apparent absence of such binaries in the ONC places an upper limit on the contribution that dense clusters can make to galactic star formation.

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arXiv1998

Interpreting the Mean Surface Density of Companions in Star-Forming Regions

We study the interpretation of the mean surface density of stellar companions as a function of separation (or the two point correlation function of stars) in star-forming regions. First, we consider the form of the functions for various simple stellar distributions (binaries, global density profiles, clusters, and fractals) and the effects of survey boundaries. Following this, we study the dependencies of the separation at which a transition from the binary to the large-scale clustering regime occurs. Larson (1995) found that the mean surface density of companions follows different power-law functions of separation in the two regimes. He identified the transition separation with the typical Jeans length in the molecular cloud. However, we show that this is valid only for special cases. In general, the transition separation depends on the volume density of stars, the depth of the star-forming region, the volume-filling nature of the stellar distribution, and on the parameters of the binaries. Furthermore, the transition separation evolves with time. We then apply these results to the Taurus-Auriga, Ophiuchus, and Orion Trapezium star-forming regions. We find that while the transition separation in the Taurus-Auriga star-forming region may indicate a typical Jeans length, this is not true of the Orion Trapezium Cluster. We also show that there is no evidence for sub-clustering or fractal structure in the stars of the Orion Trapezium Cluster. This is consistent with the fact that, if such structure were present when the stars formed, it would have been erased by the current age of the cluster due to the stellar velocity dispersion. [Abstract abridged]

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arXiv1997

High-resolution near-infrared imaging of the Orion 114-426 silhouette disk

We present the first high-resolution near-infrared images of the edge-on silhouette circumstellar disk, Orion 114-426, made using NICMOS on the Hubble Space Telescope. Images taken against the bright nebular background of the ionized hydrogen Pa$α$ line at 1.87 micron show the major axis of the disk to be approximately 20% smaller than at 0.6 micron, from which we deduce the structure of the edge of the disk. Continuum images of diffuse polar lobes above and below the plane of the disk show a morphology and evolution with wavelength consistent with predictions for reflection nebulae in a diffuse envelope with large polar cavities, surrounding a thin, massless, Keplerian disk, centered on an otherwise hidden central star. We make use of our observations and reasonable assumptions about the underlying disk structure to show that the disk mass is at least 10 earth masses and plausibly $\geq 5\times 10^{-4}$ solar masses.

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arXiv1996

The OMC-1 molecular hydrogen outflow as a fragmented stellar wind bubble

We present new images of the OMC-1 molecular hydrogen outflow, made using long-slit spectroscopy in order to accurately subtract the underlying continuum emission. These images reveal an extremely clumpy, quasi-spherical inner shell that breaks up at larger radii into bow-shocks and trailing wakes in the north-west, as originally described by Allen & Burton (1993); a fainter counter-finger to the south-east is newly discovered in the present data. While the outflow appears to be broadly bipolar, this is probably due to an interaction between an initially spherical wind from the source and a large-scale density enhancement surrounding it, rather than direct collimation imposed close to the source. The clumpy appearance of the inner shell confirms the prediction of the recent model of Stone, Xu, & Mundy (1995), in which a spherical and time-varying wind fragments a swept-up shell, producing high-velocity shrapnel, which in turn drives bow-shocks into the surrounding gas, resulting in the observed "fingers". As an alternative to the single varying source proposed by Stone et al., we speculate that several young sources in the BN-KL cluster may have been responsible for first sweeping up the shell and then fragmenting it.

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