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P. Hennebelle

Publications and source records attributed to P. Hennebelle.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Global collapse of molecular clouds as a formation mechanism for the most massive stars

The relative importance of primordial molecular cloud fragmentation versus large-scale accretion still remains to be assessed in the context of massive core/star formation. Studying the kinematics of the dense gas surrounding massive-star progenitors can tell us the extent to which large-scale flow of material impacts the growth in mass of star-forming cores. Here we present a comprehensive dataset of the 5500(+/-800) Msun infrared dark cloud SDC335.579-0.272 (hereafter SDC335) which exhibits a network of cold, dense, parsec-long filaments. Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) Cycle 0 observations reveal two massive star-forming cores, MM1 and MM2, sitting at the centre of SDC335 where the filaments intersect. With a gas mass of 545(+770,-385) Msun contained within a source diameter of 0.05pc, MM1 is one of the most massive, compact protostellar cores ever observed in the Galaxy. As a whole, SDC335 could potentially form an OB cluster similar to the Trapezium cluster in Orion. ALMA and Mopra single-dish observations of the SDC335 dense gas furthermore reveal that the kinematics of this hub-filament system are consistent with a global collapse of the cloud. These molecular-line data point towards an infall velocity V_{inf} =0.7(+/-0.2) km/s, and a total mass infall rate \dot{M}_{inf} = 2.5(+/-1.0) x 10^{-3} Msun/yr towards the central pc-size region of SDC335. This infall rate brings 750(+/-300) Msun of gas to the centre of the cloud per free-fall time (t_{ff}=3x10^5 yr). This is enough to double the mass already present in the central pc-size region in 3.5(+2.2,-1.0) x t_{ff}. These values suggest that the global collapse of SDC335 over the past million year resulted in the formation of an early O-type star progenitor at the centre of the cloud's gravitational potential well.

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The structure of the thermally bistable and turbulent atomic gas in the local interstellar medium

This paper is a numerical study of the condensation of the warm neutral medium (WNM) into cold neutral medium (CNM) structures under the effect of turbulence and thermal instability. Using low resolution simulations we explored the impact of the WNM initial density and properties of the turbulence (stirring in Fourier with a varying mix of solenoidal and compressive modes) on the cold gas formation. Two sets of initial conditions which match the observations were selected to produce high resolution simulations (1024^3) allowing to study in details the properties of the produced dense structures. For typical values of the density, pressure and velocity dispersion of the WNM in the solar neighborhood, the turbulent motions of the HI can not provoque the phase transition from WNM to CNM, whatever their amplitude and their distribution in solenoidal and compressive modes. On the other hand we show that a quasi-isothermal increase in WNM density of a factor of 2 to 4 is enough to induce the phase transition, leading to the transition of about 40 percent of the gas to the cold phase within 1 Myr. Given the observed properties of the HI in the local ISM, the WNM and individual CNM structures in the local ISM are sub or transsonic and their dynamics are tightly interwoven. The velocity field bears the evidence of subsonic turbulence with a 2D power spectrum following the Kolmogorov law as P(k) \sim k^{-8/3} while the density is highly contrasted with a singificantly shallower power spectrum, reminiscent of what is observed in the cold ISM. Supra-thermal line width observed for CNM might be the result of relative velocity between cold structures. Finally, the cold structures denser than 5 cm^{-3} reproduce well the laws M \sim L^{2.25-2.28} and sigma(v) \sim 0.5-0.8L^{1/3} generally observed in molecular clouds.

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Adaptable Radiative Transfer Innovations for Submillimetre Telescopes (ARTIST) - Dust polarisation module (DustPol)

We present a new publicly available tool (DustPol) aimed to model the polarised thermal dust emission. The module DustPol, which is publicly available, is part of the ARTIST (Adaptable Radiative Transfer Innovations for Submillimetre Telescopes) package, which also offers tools for modelling the polarisation of line emission together with a model library and a Python-based user interface. DustPol can easily manage analytical as well as pre-gridded models to generate synthetic maps of the Stokes I, Q, and U parameters. These maps are stored in FITS format which is straightforwardly read by the data reduction software used, e.g., by the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA). This turns DustPol into a powerful engine for the prediction of the expected polarisation features of a source observed with ALMA or the Planck satellite as well as for the interpretation of existing submillimetre observations obtained with other telescopes. DustPol allows the parameterisation of the maximum degree of polarisation and we find that, in a prestellar core, if there is depolarisation, this effect should happen at densities of 10^6 cm-3 or larger. We compare a model generated by DustPol with the observational polarisation data of the low-mass Class 0 object NGC 1333 IRAS 4A, finding that the total and the polarised emission are consistent.

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Collapse, outflows and fragmentation of massive, turbulent and magnetized prestellar barotropic cores

Stars and more particularly massive stars, have a drastic impact on galaxy evolution. Yet the conditions in which they form and collapse are still not fully understood. In particular, the influence of the magnetic field on the collapse of massive clumps is relatively unexplored, it is thus of great relevance in the context of the formation of massive stars to investigate its impact. We perform high resolution, MHD simulations of the collapse of hundred solar masses, turbulent and magnetized clouds, using the adaptive mesh refinement code RAMSES. We compute various quantities such as mass distribution, magnetic field and angular momentum within the collapsing core and study the episodic outflows and the fragmentation that occurs during the collapse. The magnetic field has a drastic impact on the cloud evolution. We find that magnetic braking is able to substantially reduce the angular momentum in the inner part of the collapsing cloud. Fast and episodic outflows are being launched with typical velocities of the order of 3-5 km s$^{-1}$ although the highest velocities can be as high as 30-40 km s$^{-1}$. The fragmentation in several objects, is reduced in substantially magnetized clouds with respect to hydrodynamical ones by a factor of the order of 1.5-2. We conclude that magnetic fields have a significant impact on the evolution of massive clumps. In combination with radiation, magnetic fields largely determine the outcome of massive core collapse. We stress that numerical convergence of MHD collapse is a challenging issue. In particular, numerical diffusion appears to be important at high density therefore possibly leading to an over-estimation of the number of fragments.

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The methanol lines and hot core of OMC2-FIR4, an intermediate-mass protostar, with Herschel-HIFI

In contrast with numerous studies on the physical and chemical structure of low- and high-mass protostars, much less is known about their intermediate-mass counterparts, a class of objects that could help to elucidate the mechanisms of star formation on both ends of the mass range. We present the first results from a rich HIFI spectral dataset on an intermediate-mass protostar, OMC2-FIR4, obtained in the CHESS (Chemical HErschel SurveyS of star forming regions) key programme. The more than 100 methanol lines detected between 554 and 961 GHz cover a range in upper level energy of 40 to 540 K. Our physical interpretation focusses on the hot core, but likely the cold envelope and shocked regions also play a role in reality, because an analysis of the line profiles suggests the presence of multiple emission components. An upper limit of 10^-6 is placed on the methanol abundance in the hot core, using a population diagram, large-scale source model and other considerations. This value is consistent with abundances previously seen in low-mass hot cores. Furthermore, the highest energy lines at the highest frequencies display asymmetric profiles, which may arise from infall around the hot core.

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Herschel/HIFI observations of spectrally resolved methylidyne signatures toward the high-mass star-forming core NGC6334I

In contrast to extensively studied dense star-forming cores, little is known about diffuse gas surrounding star-forming regions. We study molecular gas in the high-mass star-forming region NGC6334I, which contains diffuse, quiescent components that are inconspicuous in widely used molecular tracers such as CO. We present Herschel/HIFI observations of CH toward NGC6334I observed as part of the CHESS key program. HIFI resolves the hyperfine components of its J=3/2-1/2 transition, observed in both emission and absorption. The CH emission appears close to the systemic velocity of NGC6334I, while its measured linewidth of 3 km/s is smaller than previously observed in dense gas tracers such as NH3 and SiO. The CH abundance in the hot core is 7 10^-11, two to three orders of magnitude lower than in diffuse clouds. While other studies find distinct outflows in, e.g., CO and H2O toward NGC6334I, we do not detect outflow signatures in CH. To explain the absorption signatures, at least two absorbing components are needed at -3.0 and +6.5 km/s with N(CH)=7 10^13 and 3 10^13 cm^-2. Two additional absorbing clouds are found at +8.0 and 0.0 km/s, both with N(CH)=2 10^13 cm^-2. Turbulent linewidths for the four absorption components vary between 1.5 and 5.0 km/s in FWHM. We constrain physical properties of our CH clouds by matching our CH absorbers with other absorption signatures. In the hot core, molecules such as H2O and CO trace gas that is heated and dynamically influenced by outflow activity, whereas CH traces more quiescent material. The four CH absorbers have column densities and turbulent properties consistent with diffuse clouds: two are located near NGC6334, and two are unrelated foreground clouds. Local density and dynamical effects influence the chemical composition of physical components of NGC6334, causing some components to be seen in CH but not in other tracers, and vice versa.

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First detection of ND in the solar-mass protostar IRAS16293-2422

In the past decade, much progress has been made in characterising the processes leading to the enhanced deuterium fractionation observed in the ISM and in particular in the cold, dense parts of star forming regions such as protostellar envelopes. Very high molecular D/H ratios have been found for saturated molecules and ions. However, little is known about the deuterium fractionation in radicals, even though simple radicals often represent an intermediate stage in the formation of more complex, saturated molecules. The imidogen radical NH is such an intermediate species for the ammonia synthesis in the gas phase. Herschel/HIFI represents a unique opportunity to study the deuteration and formation mechanisms of such species, which are not observable from the ground. We searched here for the deuterated radical ND in order to determine the deuterium fractionation of imidogen and constrain the deuteration mechanism of this species. We observed the solar-mass Class 0 protostar IRAS16293-2422 with the heterodyne instrument HIFI as part of the Herschel key programme CHESS (Chemical HErschel Surveys of Star forming regions). The deuterated form of the imidogen radical ND was detected and securely identified with 2 hyperfine component groups of its fundamental transition in absorption against the continuum background emitted from the nascent protostar. The 3 groups of hyperfine components of its hydrogenated counterpart NH were also detected in absorption. We derive a very high deuterium fractionation with an [ND]/[NH] ratio of between 30 and 100%. The deuterium fractionation of imidogen is of the same order of magnitude as that in other molecules, which suggests that an efficient deuterium fractionation mechanism is at play. We discuss two possible formation pathways for ND, by means of either the reaction of N+ with HD, or deuteron/proton exchange with NH.

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Ortho-to-para ratio of interstellar heavy water

Despite the low elemental deuterium abundance in the Galaxy, enhanced molecular D/H ratios have been found in the environments of low-mass star forming regions, and in particular the Class 0 protostar IRAS 16293-2422. The CHESS (Chemical HErschel Surveys of Star forming regions) Key Program aims at studying the molecular complexity of the interstellar medium. The high sensitivity and spectral resolution of the HIFI instrument provide a unique opportunity to observe the fundamental 1,1,1 - 0,0,0 transition of the ortho-D2O molecule, inaccessible from the ground, and to determine the ortho-to-para D2O ratio. We have detected the fundamental transition of the ortho-D2O molecule at 607.35 GHz towards IRAS 16293-2422. The line is seen in absorption with a line opacity of 0.62 +/- 0.11 (1 sigma). From the previous ground-based observations of the fundamental 1,1,0 - 1,0,1 transition of para-D2O seen in absorption at 316.80 GHz we estimate a line opacity of 0.26 +/- 0.05 (1 sigma). We show that the observed absorption is caused by the cold gas in the envelope of the protostar. Using these new observations, we estimate for the first time the ortho to para D2O ratio to be lower than 2.6 at a 3 sigma level of uncertainty, to be compared with the thermal equilibrium value of 2:1.

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The distribution of water in the high-mass star-forming region NGC 6334I

We present observations of twelve rotational transitions of H2O-16, H2O-18, and H2O-17 toward the massive star-forming region NGC 6334 I, carried out with Herschel/HIFI as part of the guaranteed time key program Chemical HErschel Surveys of Star forming regions (CHESS). We analyze these observations to obtain insights into physical processes in this region. We identify three main gas components (hot core, cold foreground, and outflow) in NGC 6334 I and derive the physical conditions in these components. The hot core, identified by the emission in highly excited lines, shows a high excitation temperature of 200 K, whereas water in the foreground component is predominantly in the ortho- and para- ground states. The abundance of water varies between 4 10^-5 (outflow) and 10^-8 (cold foreground gas). This variation is most likely due to the freeze-out of water molecules onto dust grains. The H2O-18/H2O-17 abundance ratio is 3.2, which is consistent with the O-18/O-17 ratio determined from CO isotopologues. The ortho/para ratio in water appears to be relatively low 1.6(1) in the cold, quiescent gas, but close to the equilibrium value of three in the warmer outflow material (2.5(0.8)).

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Nitrogen hydrides in interstellar gas: Herschel/HIFI observations towards G10.6-0.4 (W31C)

The HIFI instrument on board the Herschel Space Observatory has been used to observe interstellar nitrogen hydrides along the sight-line towards G10.6-0.4 in order to improve our understanding of the interstellar chemistry of nitrogen. We report observations of absorption in NH N=1-0, J=2-1 and ortho-NH2 1_1,1-0_0,0. We also observed ortho-NH3 1_0-0_0, and 2_0-1_0, para-NH3 2_1-1_1, and searched unsuccessfully for NH+. All detections show emission and absorption associated directly with the hot-core source itself as well as absorption by foreground material over a wide range of velocities. All spectra show similar, non-saturated, absorption features, which we attribute to diffuse molecular gas. Total column densities over the velocity range 11-54 km/s are estimated. The similar profiles suggest fairly uniform abundances relative to hydrogen, approximately 6*10^-9, 3*10^-9, and 3*10^-9 for NH, NH2, and NH3, respectively. These abundances are discussed with reference to models of gas-phase and surface chemistry.

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Detection of hydrogen fluoride absorption in diffuse molecular clouds with Herschel/HIFI: a ubiquitous tracer of molecular gas

We discuss the detection of absorption by interstellar hydrogen fluoride (HF) along the sight line to the submillimeter continuum sources W49N and W51. We have used Herschel's HIFI instrument in dual beam switch mode to observe the 1232.4762 GHz J = 1 - 0 HF transition in the upper sideband of the band 5a receiver. We detected foreground absorption by HF toward both sources over a wide range of velocities. Optically thin absorption components were detected on both sight lines, allowing us to measure - as opposed to obtain a lower limit on - the column density of HF for the first time. As in previous observations of HF toward the source G10.6-0.4, the derived HF column density is typically comparable to that of water vapor, even though the elemental abundance of oxygen is greater than that of fluorine by four orders of magnitude. We used the rather uncertain N(CH)-N(H2) relationship derived previously toward diffuse molecular clouds to infer the molecular hydrogen column density in the clouds exhibiting HF absorption. Within the uncertainties, we find that the abundance of HF with respect to H2 is consistent with the theoretical prediction that HF is the main reservoir of gas-phase fluorine for these clouds. Thus, hydrogen fluoride has the potential to become an excellent tracer of molecular hydrogen, and provides a sensitive probe of clouds of small H2 column density. Indeed, the observations of hydrogen fluoride reported here reveal the presence of a low column density diffuse molecular cloud along the W51 sight line, at an LSR velocity of ~ 24kms-1, that had not been identified in molecular absorption line studies prior to the launch of Herschel.

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Herschel/HIFI discovery of interstellar chloronium (H$_2$Cl$^+$)

We report the first detection of chloronium, H$_2$Cl$^+$, in the interstellar medium, using the HIFI instrument aboard the \emph{Herschel} Space Observatory. The $2_{12}-1_{01}$ lines of ortho-H$_2^{35}$Cl$^+$ and ortho-H$_2^{37}$Cl$^+$ are detected in absorption towards NGC~6334I, and the $1_{11}-0_{00}$ transition of para-H$_2^{35}$Cl$^+$ is detected in absorption towards NGC~6334I and Sgr~B2(S). The H$_2$Cl$^+$ column densities are compared to those of the chemically-related species HCl. The derived HCl/H$_2$Cl$^+$ column density ratios, $\sim$1--10, are within the range predicted by models of diffuse and dense Photon Dominated Regions (PDRs). However, the observed H$_2$Cl$^+$ column densities, in excess of $10^{13}$~cm$^{-2}$, are significantly higher than the model predictions. Our observations demonstrate the outstanding spectroscopic capabilities of HIFI for detecting new interstellar molecules and providing key constraints for astrochemical models.

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Herschel/HIFI measurements of the ortho/para ratio in water towards Sagittarius B2(M) and W31C

We present Herschel/HIFI observations of the fundamental rotational transitions of ortho- and para-H$_2^{16}$O and H$_2^{18}$O in absorption towards Sagittarius~B2(M) and W31C. The ortho/para ratio in water in the foreground clouds on the line of sight towards these bright continuum sources is generally consistent with the statistical high-temperature ratio of 3, within the observational uncertainties. However, somewhat unexpectedly, we derive a low ortho/para ratio of $2.35 \pm 0.35$, corresponding to a spin temperature of $\sim$27~K, towards Sagittarius~B2(M) at velocities of the expanding molecular ring. Water molecules in this region appear to have formed with, or relaxed to, an ortho/para ratio close to the value corresponding to the local temperature of the gas and dust.

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Dynamic star formation in the massive DR21 filament

The formation of massive stars is a highly complex process in which it is not clear whether the star-forming gas is in global gravitational collapse or in an equilibrium state, supported by turbulence. By studying one of the most massive and dense star-forming regions in the Galaxy at a distance of less than 3 kpc, the filament containing the well-known sources DR21 and DR21(OH), we expect to find observational signatures that allow to discriminate between the two views. We use molecular line data from our 13CO 1-0, CS 2-1, and N2H+ 1-0 survey of the Cygnus X region obtained with the FCRAO and high-angular resolution observations of CO, CS, HCO+, N2H+, and H2CO, obtained with the IRAM 30m telescope. We observe a complex velocity field and velocity dispersion in the DR21 filament in which regions of highest column-density, i.e. dense cores, have a lower velocity dispersion than the surrounding gas and velocity gradients that are not (only) due to rotation. Infall signatures in optically thick line profiles of HCO+ and 12CO are observed along and across the whole DR21 filament. From modelling the observed spectra, we obtain a typical infall speed of 0.6 km/s and mass accretion rates of the order of a few 10^-3 Msun/yr for the two main clumps constituting the filament. These massive (4900 and 3300 Msun) clumps are both gravitationally contracting. All observed kinematic features in the DR21 filament can be explained if it is formed by the convergence of flows at large scales and is now in a state of global gravitational collapse. Whether this convergence of flows originated from self-gravity at larger scales or from other processes can not be settled with the present study. The observed velocity field and velocity dispersion are consistent with results from (magneto)-hydrodynamic simulations where the cores lie at the stagnation points of convergent turbulent flows.

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Herschel/HIFI observations of interstellar OH+ and H2O+ towards W49N: a probe of diffuse clouds with a small molecular fraction

We report the detection of absorption by interstellar hydroxyl cations and water cations, along the sight-line to the bright continuum source W49N. We have used Herschel's HIFI instrument, in dual beam switch mode, to observe the 972 GHz N = 1 - 0 transition of OH+ and the 1115 GHz 1(11) - 0(00) transition of ortho-H2O+. The resultant spectra show absorption by ortho-H2O+, and strong absorption by OH+, in foreground material at velocities in the range 0 to 70 km/s with respect to the local standard of rest. The inferred OH+/H2O+ abundance ratio ranges from ~ 3 to ~ 15, implying that the observed OH+ arises in clouds of small molecular fraction, in the 2 - 8% range. This conclusion is confirmed by the distribution of OH+ and H2O+ in Doppler velocity space, which is similar to that of atomic hydrogen, as observed by means of 21 cm absorption measurements, and dissimilar from that typical of other molecular tracers. The observed OH+/H abundance ratio of a few E-8 suggests a cosmic ray ionization rate for atomic hydrogen of (0.6 - 2.4) E-16 s-1, in good agreement with estimates inferred previously for diffuse clouds in the Galactic disk from observations of interstellar H3+ and other species.

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CHESS, Chemical Herschel surveys of star forming regions:Peering into the protostellar shock L1157-B1

The outflow driven by the low-mass class 0 protostar L1157 is the prototype of the so-called chemically active outflows. The bright bowshock B1 in the southern outflow lobe is a privileged testbed of magneto-hydrodynamical (MHD) shock models, for which dynamical and chemical processes are strongly interdependent. We present the first results of the unbiased spectral survey of the L1157-B1 bowshock, obtained in the framework of the key program "Chemical Herschel Surveys of Star Forming Regions" (CHESS). The main aim is to trace the warm and chemically enriched gas and to infer the excitation conditions in the shock region. The CO 5-4 and H2O lines have been detected at high-spectral resolution in the unbiased spectral survey of the HIFI-Band 1b spectral window (555-636 GHz), presented by Codella et al. in this volume. Complementary ground-based observations in the submm window help establish the origin of the emission detected in the main-beam of HIFI, and the physical conditions in the shock.}{Both lines exhibit broad wings, which extend to velocities much higher than reported up to now. We find that the molecular emission arises from two regions with distinct physical conditions: an extended, warm (100K), dense (3e5 cm-3) component at low-velocity, which dominates the water line flux in Band~1; a secondary component in a small region of B1 (a few arcsec) associated with high-velocity, hot (> 400 K) gas of moderate density ((1.0-3.0)e4 cm-3), which appears to dominate the flux of the water line at 179mu observed with PACS. The water abundance is enhanced by two orders of magnitude between the low- and the high-velocity component, from 8e-7 up to 8e-5. The properties of the high-velocity component agree well with the predictions of steady-state C-shock models.

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Strong absorption by interstellar hydrogen fluoride: Herschel/HIFI observations of the sight-line to G10.6-0.4 (W31C)

We report the detection of strong absorption by interstellar hydrogen fluoride along the sight-line to the submillimeter continuum source G10.6-0.4 (W31C). We have used Herschel's HIFI instrument, in dual beam switch mode, to observe the 1232.4763 GHz J=1-0 HF transition in the upper sideband of the Band 5a receiver. The resultant spectrum shows weak HF emission from G10.6-0.4 at LSR velocities in the range -10 to -3 km/s, accompanied by strong absorption by foreground material at LSR velocities in the range 15 to 50 km/s. The spectrum is similar to that of the 1113.3430 GHz 1(11)-0(00) transition of para-water, although at some frequencies the HF (hydrogen fluoride) optical depth clearly exceeds that of para-H2O. The optically-thick HF absorption that we have observed places a conservative lower limit of 1.6E+14 cm-2 on the HF column density along the sight-line to G10.6-0.4. Our lower limit on the HF abundance, 6E-9 relative to hydrogen nuclei, implies that hydrogen fluoride accounts for between ~ 30 and 100% of the fluorine nuclei in the gas phase along this sight-line. This observation corroborates theoretical predictions that - because the unique thermochemistry of fluorine permits the exothermic reaction of F atoms with molecular hydrogen - HF will be the dominant reservoir of interstellar fluorine under a wide range of conditions.

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Toward understanding the formation of multiple systems - A pilot IRAM-PdBI survey of Class 0 objects

The formation process of binary stars and multiple systems is poorly understood. Here, we seek to determine the typical outcome of protostellar collapse and to constrain models of binary formation by core fragmentation during collapse, using high-resolution millimeter continuum imaging of very young (Class 0) protostars observed at the beginning of the main accretion phase. We carried out a pilot high-resolution study of 5 Class 0 objects, using the most extended (A) configuration of the IRAM PdBI at 1.3 mm, which allow us to probe the multiplicity of Class 0 protostars down to separations a ~50 AU and circumstellar mass ratios q ~0.07. We show that our PdBI observations revealed only wide (>1500 AU) protobinary systems and/or outflow-generated features. When combined with previous millimeter interferometric observations of Class 0 protostars, our pilot PdBI study tentatively suggests that the binary fraction in the ~ 75-1000 AU range increases from the Class 0 to the Class I stage. It also seems to argue against purely hydrodynamic models of binary star formation. We briefly discuss possible alternative scenarios to reconcile the low multiplicity rate of Class 0 protostars on small scales with the higher binary fraction observed at later evolutionary stages.

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