arXiv subjects

Naofumi Fukaya

Publications and source records attributed to Naofumi Fukaya.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

ALMA Band 9 CO(6--5) Reveals a Warm Ring Structure Associated with the Embedded Protostar in the Cold Dense Core MC 27/L1521F

Infall and outflows, coupled with magnetic fields, rapidly structure the gas around newborn protostars. Shocks from interacting components encode the temperature and density distribution, offering a direct probe of the earliest evolution history. However, interferometric observations characterizing warm envelopes using high-excitation lines remain scarce. We present ALMA Band 9 observations of the Taurus dense core MC 27/L1521F, which hosts a Class 0 protostar, targeting the CO($J$=6-5) line at an angular resolution of $\sim$2\arcsec\ ($\approx$300 au). We detect an off-centered ring-like structure with a diameter of $\sim$1000 au that was not identifiable in previous low-$J$ CO data, where emission close to the systemic velocity is strongly affected by optical depth. The ring shows a typical peak brightness temperature of $\sim$3 K at our resolution. Excitation considerations indicate that the detected CO($J$=6-5) emission likely arises from relatively warm ($T \gtrsim 20$ K) and dense ($n({\rm H_2}) \gtrsim 10^{5}$ cm$^{-3}$) gas embedded within the surrounding cold, dense core. The morphology and kinematics suggest an energetic and localized shock-heating event, potentially linked to dynamical gas--magnetic-field interactions in the earliest protostellar phase. Our results demonstrate that high-$J$ CO observations provide a powerful new window on warm and dense gas components, enabling a more direct view of the physical processes operating at the onset of star formation.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2026

Ring-Gap Structures in the Class I Circumstellar Disk of CrA IRS 2 Associated with Magnetic Flux-Driven Bubble

Recent ALMA observations with 0''.1 resolution reveal characteristic substructures in circumstellar disks around young Class I sources, providing clues to the early stages of morphological disk evolution. In this paper, we applied PRIISM imaging to ALMA archival Band 6 continuum data of the circumstellar disk around the Class I protostar CrA IRS 2, located in the Corona Australis molecular cloud, which is associated with an extended gas ring attributed to magnetic flux advection driven by interchange instability. The dust continuum image with 1.5 times higher spatial resolution than conventional imaging revealed, for the first time, the early-phase circumstellar disk with both inner central hole and outer ring-gap structures, making CrA IRS 2 the youngest system exhibiting such features based on the bolometric temperature of $T_{\rm bol}$=235 K. To examine planet-disk interaction as one possible origin of the outer ring-gap structure, we found the measured depth and width to be consistent with planet-disk interaction models, suggesting the existence of a giant planet with a mass of 0.1-1.8 $M_{\rm Jup}$. The additional mechanism required for rapid planet formation could be the magnetic flux dissipation driven by the interchange instability, which suppresses MRI-driven turbulence and extends the dead zone, allowing efficient dust growth and the early formation of planets. This system thus provides new insight into how substructures and planet formation can emerge during the early, accreting phase of disk evolution.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2025

Extended and Compact Ortho-H$_2$D$^+$ Structures Close to the Moment of Star-Formation: Evidence from ALMA-ACA Observations in Taurus

Observing and characterizing pre- and protostellar cores in the earliest and densest stages of star formation is challenging due to their short timescales and high densities, limiting the suitable tracers and targets. We conducted ALMA-Atacama Compact Array (ACA) stand-alone observations of ortho-H$_2$D$^+$ (1$_{\rm 1,0}$-1$_{\rm 1,1}$) emission, which is believed to trace cold high-density regions, toward three dense cores in the Taurus molecular cloud: (1) L1544, likely in the densest prestellar phase; (2) MC 35-mm, a candidate for the first hydrostatic core; and (3) MC 27/L1521F, which hosts a Class 0 very-low luminosity object. These observations provide high angular resolution data for the line across a set of cores selected to represent consecutive stages around the onset of star formation, offering a unique opportunity to trace the time evolution of $\sim$10$^4$ years. With the single-dish total-power array, we detected ortho-H$_2$D$^+$ emission in all three cores, revealing its presence over scales of $\sim$10,000 au. In the interferometric 7 m array data with a beam size of 3.$''$5 ($\sim$500\,au), emission was detected only toward the central continuum source of MC 35-mm, with a significance of $\sim$3$σ$. No significant detections were found in the other targets, placing an upper limit on the H$_2$D$^{+}$ abundance of $\sim$10$^{-11}$ in the dense components traced by the interferometric continuum emission. These results suggest that ortho-H$_2$D$^+$ predominantly exhibits an extended distribution over several thousand au in the early stages of star formation. Detection in compact, dense central structures may only be achieved within a few $\times$ 10$^{4}$ years immediately before or after protostar formation.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Internal 1000 AU-scale Structures of the R CrA Cluster-forming Cloud -- I: Filamentary Structures

We report on ALMA ACA observations of a high-density region of the Corona Australis cloud forming a young star cluster, and the results of resolving internal structures. In addition to embedded Class 0/I protostars in continuum, a number of complex dense filamentary structures are detected in the C18O and SO lines by the 7m array. These are sub-structures of the molecular clump that are detected by the TP array as the extended emission. We identify 101 and 37 filamentary structures with a few thousand AU widths in C18O and SO, respectively, called as feathers. The typical column density of the feathers in C18O is about 10^{22} cm^{-2}, and the volume density and line mass are ~ 10^5 cm^{-3}, and a few times M_{sun} pc^{-1}, respectively. This line mass is significantly smaller than the critical line mass expected for cold and dense gas. These structures have complex velocity fields, indicating a turbulent internal property. The number of feathers associated with Class 0/I protostars is only ~ 10, indicating that most of them do not form stars but rather being transient structures. The formation of feathers can be interpreted as a result of colliding gas flow as the morphology well reproduced by MHD simulations, supported by the the presence of HI shells in the vicinity. The colliding gas flows may accumulate gas and form filaments and feathers, and trigger the active star formation of the R CrA cluster.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2024

Discovery of Asymmetric Spike-like Structures of the 10 au Disk around the Very Low-luminosity Protostar Embedded in the Taurus Dense Core MC 27/L1521F with ALMA

Recent Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations have revealed an increasing number of compact protostellar disks with radii of less than a few tens of astronomical units and that young Class 0/I objects have an intrinsic size diversity. To deepen our understanding of the origin of such tiny disks, we performed the highest-resolution configuration observations with ALMA at a beam size of $\sim$0$''$03 (4 au) on the very low-luminosity Class 0 protostar embedded in the Taurus dense core MC 27/L1521F. The 1.3 mm continuum measurement successfully resolved a tiny, faint ($\sim$1 mJy) disk with a major axis length of $\sim$10 au, one of the smallest examples in the ALMA protostellar studies. In addition, we detected spike-like components in the northeastern direction at the disk edge. Gravitational instability or other fragmentation mechanisms cannot explain the structures, given the central stellar mass of $\sim$0.2 $M_{\odot}$ and the disk mass of $\gtrsim$10$^{-4}$ $M_{\odot}$. Instead, we propose that these small spike structures were formed by a recent dynamic magnetic flux transport event due to interchange instability that would be favorable to occur if the parental core has a strong magnetic field. The presence of complex arc-like structures on a larger ($\sim$2000 au) scale in the same direction as the spike structures suggests that the event was not single. Such episodic, dynamical events may play an important role in maintaining the compact nature of the protostellar disk in the complex gas envelope during the main accretion phase.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2023

An ALMA-resolved view of 7000 au Protostellar Gas Ring around the Class I source CrA-IRS 2 as a possible sign of magnetic flux advection

Transferring a significant fraction of the magnetic flux from a dense cloud core is essential in the star formation process. A ring-like structure produced by magnetic flux loss has been predicted theoretically, but no observational identification has been presented. We have performed ALMA observations of the Class I protostar IRS 2 in the Corona Australis star-forming region and resolved a distinctive gas ring in the C$^{18}$O ($J$ = 2-1) line emission. The center of this gas ring is $\sim$5,000 au away from the protostar, with a diameter of $\sim$7,000 au. The radial velocity of the gas is $\lesssim1$ km s$^{-1}$ blueshifted from that of the protostar, with a possible expanding feature judged from the velocity-field (moment 1) map and position-velocity diagram. These features are either observationally new or have been discovered but not discussed in depth because they are difficult to explain by well-studied protostellar phenomena such as molecular outflows and accretion streamers. A plausible interpretation is a magnetic wall created by the advection of magnetic flux which is theoretically expected in the Class 0/I phase during star formation as a removal mechanism of magnetic flux. Similar structures reported in the other young stellar sources could likely be candidates formed by the same mechanism, encouraging us to revisit the issue of magnetic flux transport in the early stages of star formation from an observational perspective.

astro-ph.GA↗