arXiv subjects

S. Anderl

Publications and source records attributed to S. Anderl.

18 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2021

The CALYPSO IRAM-PdBI survey of jets from Class 0 protostars. Are jets ubiquitous in young stars ?

As a part of the CALYPSO large programme, we constrain the properties of protostellar jets and outflows in a sample of 21 Class 0 protostars with internal luminosities, Lint, from 0.035 to 47 Lsun. We analyse high angular resolution (~0.5"-1") IRAM PdBI observations in CO (2-1), SO ($5_6-4_5$), and SiO (5-4). CO (2-1), which probes outflowing gas, is detected in all the sources (for the first time in SerpS-MM22 and SerpS-MM18b). Collimated high-velocity jets in SiO (5-4) are detected in 67% of the sources (for the first time in IRAS4B2, IRAS4B1, L1448-NB, SerpS-MM18a), and 77% of these also show jet/outflow emission in SO ($5_6-4_5$). In 5 sources (24% of the sample) SO ($5_6-4_5$) probes the inner envelope and/or the disk. The CALYPSO survey shows that the outflow phenomenon is ubiquitous and that the detection rate of high-velocity jets increases with protostellar accretion, with at least 80% of the sources with Lint>1 Lsun driving a jet. The protostellar flows exhibit an onion-like structure, where the SiO jet (opening angle ~10$^o$) is nested into a wider angle SO (~15$^o$) and CO (~25$^o$) outflow. On scales >300 au the SiO jets are less collimated than atomic jets from Class II sources (~3$^o$). Velocity asymmetry between the two jet lobes are detected in one third of the sources, similarly to Class II atomic jets, suggesting that the same launching mechanism is at work. Most of the jets are SiO rich (SiO/H2 from >2.4e-7 to >5e-6), which indicates efficient release of >1%-10% of silicon in gas phase likely in dust-free winds, launched from inside the dust sublimation radius. The mass-loss rates (from ~7e-8 to ~3e-6 Msun/yr) are larger than what was measured for Class II jets. Similarly to Class II sources, the mass-loss rates are ~1%-50% of the mass accretion rates suggesting that the correlation between ejection and accretion in young stars holds from 1e4 yr up to a few Myr.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2020

Probing episodic accretion with chemistry: CALYPSO observations of IRAM 04191+1522. Results from the CALYPSO IRAM-PdBI survey

Context. The process of mass accretion in the earliest phases of star formation is still not fully understood: Does the accretion rate smoothly decline with the age of the protostar or are there short, intermittent accretion bursts? Aims. We aim to explore whether or not the observed C$^{18}$O and N$_2$H$^+$ emission pattern towards the VeLLO IRAM 04191+1522 can be understood in the framework of a scenario where the emission is chemically tracing a past accretion burst. Methods.We used high-angular-resolution Plateau de Bure Interferometer (PdBI) observations of C$^{18}$O and N$_2$H$^+$ towards IRAM 04191+1522 that were obtained as part of the CALYPSO IRAM Large Program. We model these observations using a chemical code with a time-dependent physical structure coupled with a radiative transfer module, where we allow for variations in the source luminosity. Results. We find that the N$_2$H$^+$ line emission shows a central hole, while the C$^{18}$O emission is compact. The morphology of these two lines cannot be reproduced with a constant luminosity model based on the present-day internal luminosity (0.08 L$_{sun}$). However, the N$_2$H$^+$ peaks are consistent with a constant-luminosity model of 12 L$_{sun}$. Using a model with time-dependent temperature and density profiles, we show that the observed N$_2$H$^+$ peak emission could indeed be caused by a past accretion burst. Such a burst should have occurred a couple of hundred years ago. Conclusions. We suggest that an accretion burst occurred in IRAM 04191+1522 in the recent past. If such bursts are common and sufficiently long in VeLLOs, they could lead to higher accretion onto the central object than their luminosity suggests. For IRAM 04191 in particular, our results yield an estimated final mass of 0.2 - 0.25 M$_{sun}$ by the end of the Class 0 phase, which would make this object a low-mass star rather than a brown dwarf.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2020

Questioning the spatial origin of complex organic molecules in young protostars with the CALYPSO survey

Complex organic molecules (COMs) have been detected in a few Class 0 protostars but their origin is not well understood. Going beyond studies of individual objects, we want to investigate the origin of COMs in young protostars on a statistical basis. We use the CALYPSO survey performed with the IRAM PdBI to search for COMs at high angular resolution in a sample of 26 solar-type protostars, including 22 Class 0 and four Class I objects. Methanol is detected in 12 sources and tentatively in one source, which represents half of the sample. Eight sources (30%) have detections of at least three COMs. We find a strong chemical differentiation in multiple systems with five systems having one component with at least three COMs detected but the other component devoid of COM emission. The internal luminosity is found to be the source parameter impacting the most the COM chemical composition of the sources, while there is no obvious correlation between the detection of COM emission and that of a disk-like structure. A canonical hot-corino origin may explain the COM emission in four sources, an accretion-shock origin in two or possibly three sources, and an outflow origin in three sources. The CALYPSO sources with COM detections can be classified into three groups on the basis of the abundances of oxygen-bearing molecules, cyanides, and CHO-bearing molecules. These chemical groups correlate neither with the COM origin scenarii, nor with the evolutionary status of the sources if we take the ratio of envelope mass to internal luminosity as an evolutionary tracer. We find strong correlations between molecules that are a priori not related chemically (for instance methanol and methyl cyanide), implying that the existence of a correlation does not imply a chemical link. [abridged]

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2020

Searching for kinematic evidence of Keplerian disks around Class 0 protostars with CALYPSO

The formation of protoplanetary disks is not well understood. To understand how and when these disks are formed, it is crucial to characterize the kinematics of the youngest protostars at a high angular resolution. Here we study a sample of 16 Class 0 protostars to measure their rotation profile at scales from 50 to 500~au and search for Keplerian rotation. We used high-angular-resolution line observations obtained with the Plateau de Bure Interferometer as part of the CALYPSO large program. From $\mathrm{^{13}CO}$ ($J=2-1$), $\mathrm{C^{18}O}$ ($J=2-1$) and SO ($N_{j}=5_{6}-4_{5}$) moment maps, we find that seven sources show rotation about the jet axis at a few hundred au scales: SerpS-MM18, L1448-C, L1448-NB, L1527, NGC1333- IRAS2A, NGC1333-IRAS4B, and SVS13-B. We analyzed the kinematics of these sources in the $uv$ plane to derive the rotation profiles down to 50~au scales. We find evidence for Keplerian rotation in only two sources, L1527 and L1448-C. Overall, this suggests that Keplerian disks larger than 50 au are uncommon around Class 0 protostars. However, in some of the sources, the line emission could be optically thick and dominated by the envelope emission. Due to the optical thickness of these envelopes, some of the disks could have remained undetected in our observations.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2018

Characterizing young protostellar disks with the CALYPSO IRAM-PdBI survey: large Class 0 disks are rare

Understanding the formation mechanisms of protoplanetary disks and multiple systems, and their pristine properties, is a key question for modern astrophysics. The properties of the youngest disks, embedded in rotating infalling protostellar envelopes, have largely remained unconstrained up to now. In the framework of the IRAM-PdBI CALYPSO survey, we have obtained sub-arcsecond observations of the dust continuum emission at 231 GHz and 94 GHz, for a sample of 16 solar-type Class 0 protostars. In an attempt to identify disk-like structures embedded at small scales in the protostellar envelopes, we model the dust continuum emission visibility profiles using both Plummer-like envelope models and envelope models including additional Gaussian disk-like components. Our analysis shows that in the CALYPSO sample, 11 of the 16 Class 0 protostars are better reproduced by models including a disk-like dust continuum component contributing to the flux at small scales, but less than 25% of these candidate protostellar disks are resolved at radii > 60 au. Including all available literature constraints on Class 0 disks at subarcsecond scales, we show that our results are representative: most (> 72% in a sample of 26 protostars) Class 0 protostellar disks are small and emerge only at radii < 60 au. Our multiplicity fraction at scales 100-5000 au is in global agreement with the multiplicity properties of Class I protostars at similar scales. We confront our observational constraints on the disk size distribution in Class 0 protostars to the typical disk properties from protostellar formation models. Because they reduce the centrifugal radius, and produce a disk size distribution peaking at radii <100 au during the main accretion phase, magnetized models of rotating protostellar collapse are favored by our observations.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

Nature of shocks revealed by SOFIA OI observations in the Cepheus E protostellar outflow

Protostellar jets and outflows are key features of the star-formation process, and primary processes of the feedback of young stars on the interstellar medium. Understanding the underlying shocks is necessary to explain how jets and outflows are launched, and to quantify their chemical and energetic impacts on the surrounding medium. We performed a high-spectral resolution study of the [OI]$_{\rm 63 μm}$ emission in the outflow of the intermediate-mass Class 0 protostar Cep E-mm. We present observations of the OI $^3$P$_1 \rightarrow$ $^3$P$_2$, OH between $^2Π_{1/2}$ $J = 3/2$ and $J = 1/2$ at 1837.8 GHz, and CO (16-15) lines with SOFIA-GREAT at three positions in the Cep E outflow: mm (the driving protostar), BI (in the southern lobe), and BII (the terminal position in the southern lobe). The CO line is detected at all three positions. The OI line is detected in BI and BII, whereas the OH line is not detected. In BII, we identify three kinematical components in OI and CO, already detected in CO: the jet, the HH377 terminal bow-shock, and the outflow cavity. The OI column density is higher in the outflow cavity than in the jet, which itself is higher than in the terminal shock. The terminal shock is where the abundance ratio of OI to CO is the lowest (about 0.2), whereas the jet component is atomic (ratio $\sim$2.7). In the jet, we compare the OI observations with shock models that successfully fit the integrated intensity of 10 CO lines: these models do not fit the OI data. The high intensity of OI emission points towards the propagation of additional dissociative or alternative FUV-irradiated shocks, where the illumination comes from the shock itself. From the sample of low-to-high mass protostellar outflows where similar observations have been performed, the effects of illumination seem to increase with the mass of the protostar.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

The shocked gas of the BHR71 outflow observed by Herschel: indirect evidence for an atomic jet

In the BHR71 region, two low-mass protostars drive two distinguishable outflows. They constitute an ideal laboratory to investigate the effects of shock chemistry and the mechanisms that led to their formation. We aim to define the morphology of the warm gas component of the BHR 71 outflow and at modelling its shocked component. We present the first far infrared Herschel images of the BHR71 outflow in the CO(14-13), H$_2$O (2$_{21}$-1$_{10}$), H$_2$O (2$_{12}$-1$_{01}$) and [OI] 145 $μ$m, lines, revealing the presence of several knots of warm, shocked gas associated with fast outflowing gas. In two of these knots we performed a detailed study of the physical conditions by comparing a large set of transitions from several molecules to a grid of shock models. Herschel lines ratios in the outflow knots are quite similar, showing that the excitation conditions of the fast moving gas do not change significantly within the first $\sim$ 0.068 pc of the outflow, apart at the extremity of the southern blue-shifted lobe that is expanding outside the molecular cloud. Rotational diagram, spectral line profile and LVG analysis of the CO lines in knot A show the presence of two gas components: one extended, cold ($T\sim$80 K) and dense ($n$(H$_2$) = 3$\times$10$^5$-4$\times$10$^6$ cm$^{-3}$) and another compact (18 arcsec), warm ($T$ = 1700-2200 K) with slightly lower density ($n$(H$_2$) = (2-6)$\times$10$^4$ cm$^{-3}$). In the two brightest knots (where we performed shock modelling) we found that H$_2$ and CO are well fitted with non-stationary (young) shocks. These models, however, significantly underestimate the observed fluxes of [OI] and OH lines, but are not too far off those of H$_2$O, calling for an additional, possibly dissociative, J-type shock component. Our modelling indirectly suggests that an additional shock component exists, possibly a remnant of the primary jet

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2017

Glycolaldehyde in Perseus young solar analogs

Aims: In this paper we focus on the occurrence of glycolaldehyde (HCOCH2OH) in young solar analogs by performing the first homogeneous and unbiased study of this molecule in the Class 0 protostars of the nearby Perseus star forming region. Methods: We obtained sub-arcsec angular resolution maps at 1.3mm and 1.4mm of glycolaldehyde emission lines using the IRAM Plateau de Bure (PdB) interferometer in the framework of the CALYPSO IRAM large program. Results: Glycolaldehyde has been detected towards 3 Class 0 and 1 Class I protostars out of the 13 continuum sources targeted in Perseus: NGC1333-IRAS2A1, NGC1333-IRAS4A2, NGC1333-IRAS4B1, and SVS13-A. The NGC1333 star forming region looks particularly glycolaldehyde rich, with a rate of occurrence up to 60%. The glycolaldehyde spatial distribution overlaps with the continuum one, tracing the inner 100 au around the protostar. A large number of lines (up to 18), with upper-level energies Eu from 37 K up to 375 K has been detected. We derived column densities > 10^15 cm^-2 and rotational temperatures Trot between 115 K and 236 K, imaging for the first time hot-corinos around NGC1333-IRAS4B1 and SVS13-A. Conclusions: In multiple systems glycolaldehyde emission is detected only in one component. The case of the SVS13-A+B and IRAS4-A1+A2 systems support that the detection of glycolaldehyde (at least in the present Perseus sample) indicates older protostars (i.e. SVS13-A and IRAS4-A2), evolved enough to develop the hot-corino region (i.e. 100 K in the inner 100 au). However, only two systems do not allow us to firmly conclude whether the primary factor leading to the detection of glycolaldehyde emission is the environments hosting the protostars, evolution (e.g. low value of Lsubmm/Lint), or accretion luminosity (high Lint).

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2016

First image of the L1157 molecular jet by the CALYPSO IRAM-PdBI survey

Fast jets are thought to be a crucial ingredient of star formation because they might extract angular momentum from the disk and thus allow mass accretion onto the star. However, it is unclear whether jets are ubiquitous, and likewise, their contribution to mass and angular momentum extraction during protostar formation remains an open question. Our aim is to investigate the ejection process in the low-mass Class 0 protostar L1157. This source is associated with a spectacular bipolar outflow, and the recent detection of high-velocity SiO suggests the occurrence of a jet. Observations of CO 2-1 and SiO 5-4 at 0.8" resolution were obtained with the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer as part of the CALYPSO large program. The jet and outflow structure were fit with a precession model. We derived the column density of CO and SiO, as well as the jet mass-loss rate and mechanical luminosity. High-velocity CO and SiO emission resolve for the first time the first 200 au of the outflow-driving molecular jet. The jet is strongly asymmetric, with the blue lobe 0.65 times slower than the red lobe. This suggests that the large-scale asymmetry of the outflow is directly linked to the jet velocity and that the asymmetry in the launching mechanism has been at work for the past 1800 yr. Velocity asymmetries are common in T Tauri stars, which suggests that the jet formation mechanism from Class 0 to Class II stages might be similar. Our model simultaneously fits the inner jet and the clumpy 0.2 pc scale outflow by assuming that the jet precesses counter-clockwise on a cone inclined by 73 degree to the line of sight with an opening angle of 8 degree on a period of 1640 yr. The estimated jet mass flux and mechanical luminosity are 7.7e-7 Msun/yr, and 0.9 Lsun, indicating that the jet could extract at least 25% of the gravitational energy released by the forming star.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2016

Probing the CO and methanol snow lines in young protostars. Results from the CALYPSO IRAM-PdBI survey

Context. "Snow lines", marking regions where abundant volatiles freeze out onto the surface of dust grains, play an important role for planet growth and bulk composition in protoplanetary disks. They can already be observed in the envelopes of the much younger, low-mass Class 0 protostars that are still in their early phase of heavy accretion. Aims. We aim at using the information on the sublimation regions of different kinds of ices to understand the chemistry of the envelope, its temperature and density structure, and the history of the accretion process. Methods. As part of the CALYPSO IRAM Large Program, we have obtained observations of C$^{18}$O, N$_2$H$^+$ and CH$_3$OH towards nearby Class 0 protostars with the IRAM Plateau de Bure interferometer at sub-arcsecond resolution. For four of these sources we have modeled the emission using a chemical code coupled with a radiative transfer module. Results. We observe an anti-correlation of C$^{18}$O and N$_2$H$^+$ in NGC 1333-IRAS4A, NGC 1333-IRAS4B, L1157, and L1448C, with N$_2$H$^+$ forming a ring around the centrally peaked C$^{18}$O emission due to N$_2$H$^+$ being chemically destroyed by CO. The emission regions of models and observations match for a CO binding energy of 1200 K, which is higher than the binding energy of pure CO ices ($\sim$855 K). Furthermore, we find very low CO abundances inside the snow lines in our sources, about an order of magnitude lower than the total CO abundance observed in the gas on large scales in molecular clouds before depletion sets in. Conclusions. The high CO binding energy may hint at CO being frozen out in a polar ice environment like amorphous water ice or in non-polar CO$_2$-rich ice. The low CO abundances are comparable to values found in protoplanetary disks, which may indicate an evolutionary scenario where these low values are already established in the protostellar phase. (Abbr. Version)

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2015

Jet multiplicity in the proto-binary system NGC1333-IRAS4A. The detailed CALYPSO IRAM-PdBI view

Owing to the paucity of sub-arcsecond (sub)mm observations required to probe the innermost regions of newly forming protostars, several fundamental questions are still being debated, such as the existence and coevality of close multiple systems. We study the physical and chemical properties of the jets and protostellar sources in the NGC1333-IRAS4A proto-binary system using continuum emission and molecular tracers of shocked gas. We observed NGC1333-IRAS4A in the SiO(6-5), SO(6_5-5_4), and CO(2-1) lines and the continuum emission at 1.3, 1.4, and 3 mm using the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer in the framework of the CALYPSO large program. We clearly disentangle for the first time the outflow emission from the two sources A1 and A2. The two protostellar jets have very different properties: the A1 jet is faster, has a short dynamical timescale (<10^3 yr), and is associated with H2 shocked emission, whereas the A2 jet, which dominates the large-scale emission, is associated with diffuse emission, bends, and emits at slower velocities. The observed bending of the A2 jet is consistent with the change of propagation direction observed at large scale and suggests jet precession on very short timescales (~200-600 yr). In addition, a chemically rich spectrum with emission from several COMs (e.g. HCOOH, CH3OCHO, CH3OCH3) is only detected towards A2. Finally, very high-velocity shocked emission (~50 km s^-1) is observed along the A1 jet. An LTE analysis shows that SiO, SO, and H2CO abundances in the gas phase are enhanced up to (3-4)x10^{-7}, (1.4-1.7)x10^{-6}, and (3-7.9)x10^{-7}, respectively. The intrinsic different properties of the jets and driving sources in NGC1333-IRAS4A suggest different evolutionary stages for the two protostars, with A1 being younger than A2, in a very early stage of star formation previous to the hot-corino phase.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2014

SiO excitation from dense shocks in the earliest stages of massive star formation

Molecular outflows are a direct consequence of accretion, and therefore they represent one of the best tracers of accretion processes in the still poorly understood early phases of high-mass star formation. Previous studies suggested that the SiO abundance decreases with the evolution of a massive young stellar object probably because of a decay of jet activity, as witnessed in low-mass star-forming regions. We investigate the SiO excitation conditions and its abundance in outflows from a sample of massive young stellar objects through observations of the SiO(8-7) and CO(4-3) lines with the APEX telescope. Through a non-LTE analysis, we find that the excitation conditions of SiO increase with the velocity of the emitting gas. We also compute the SiO abundance through the SiO and CO integrated intensities at high velocities. For the sources in our sample we find no significant variation of the SiO abundance with evolution for a bolometric luminosity-to-mass ratio of between 4 and 50 $L_\odot/M_\odot$. We also find a weak increase of the SiO(8-7) luminosity with the bolometric luminosity-to-mass ratio. We speculate that this might be explained with an increase of density in the gas traced by SiO. We find that the densities constrained by the SiO observations require the use of shock models that include grain-grain processing. For the first time, such models are compared and found to be compatible with SiO observations. A pre-shock density of $10^5\, $cm$^{-3}$ is globally inferred from these comparisons. Shocks with a velocity higher than 25 km s$^{-1}$ are invoked for the objects in our sample where the SiO is observed with a corresponding velocity dispersion. Our comparison of shock models with observations suggests that sputtering of silicon-bearing material (corresponding to less than 10% of the total silicon abundance) from the grain mantles is occurring.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2014

Shocks in dense clouds. IV. Effects of grain-grain processing on molecular line emission

Grain-grain processing has been shown to be an indispensable ingredient of shock modelling in high density environments. For densities higher than \sim10^5 cm-3, shattering becomes a self-enhanced process that imposes severe chemical and dynamical consequences on the shock characteristics. Shattering is accompanied by the vaporization of grains, which can directly release SiO to the gas phase. Given that SiO rotational line radiation is used as a major tracer of shocks in dense clouds, it is crucial to understand the influence of vaporization on SiO line emission. We have developed a recipe for implementing the effects of shattering and vaporization into a 2-fluid shock model, resulting in a reduction of computation time by a factor \sim100 compared to a multi-fluid modelling approach. This implementation was combined with an LVG-based modelling of molecular line radiation transport. Using this model we calculated grids of shock models to explore the consequences of different dust-processing scenarios. Grain-grain processing is shown to have a strong influence on C-type shocks for a broad range of magnetic fields: they become hotter and thinner. The reduction in column density of shocked gas lowers the intensity of molecular lines, at the same time as higher peak temperatures increase the intensity of highly excited transitions compared to shocks without grain-grain processing. For OH the net effect is an increase in line intensities, while for CO and H2O it is the contrary. The intensity of H2 emission is decreased in low transitions and increased for highly excited lines. For all molecules, the highly excited lines become sensitive to the value of the magnetic field. Although vaporization increases the intensity of SiO rotational lines, this effect is weakened by the reduced shock width. The release of SiO early in the hot shock changes the excitation characteristics of SiO radiation.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2014

APEX observations of supernova remnants - I. Non-stationary MHD-shocks in W44

Aims. The interaction of supernova remnants (SNRs) with molecular clouds gives rise to strong molecular emission in the far-IR and sub-mm wavelength regimes. The application of MHD shock models in the interpretation of this line emission can yield valuable information on the energetic and chemical impact of supernova remnants. Methods. New mapping observations with the APEX telescope in CO (3-2), (4-3), (6-5), (7-6) and 13CO (3-2) towards two regions in the supernova remnant W44 are presented. Integrated intensities are extracted on five different positions, corresponding to local maxima of CO emission. The integrated intensities are compared to the outputs of a grid of models, which combine an MHD shock code with a radiative transfer module based on the large velocity gradient approximation. Results. All extracted spectra show ambient and line-of-sight components as well as blue- and red-shifted wings indicating the presence of shocked gas. Basing the shock model fits only on the highest-lying transitions that unambiguously trace the shock-heated gas, we find that the observed CO line emission is compatible with non-stationary shocks and a pre-shock density of 10^4 cm-3. The ages of the modelled shocks scatter between values of \sim1000 and \sim3000 years. The shock velocities in W44F are found to lie between 20 and 25 km/s, while in W44E fast shocks (30-35 km/s) as well as slower shocks (\sim20 km/s) are compatible with the observed spectral line energy diagrams. The pre-shock magnetic field strength components perpendicular to the line of sight in both regions have values between 100 and 200 \muG. Our best-fitting models allow us to predict the full ladder of CO transitions, the shocked gas mass in one beam as well as the momentum- and energy injection.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2012

Cool and warm dust emission from M33 (HerM33es)

We study the far-infrared emission from the nearby spiral galaxy M33 in order to investigate the dust physical properties such as the temperature and the luminosity density across the galaxy. Taking advantage of the unique wavelength coverage (100, 160, 250, 350 and 500 micron) of the Herschel Space Observatory and complementing our dataset with Spitzer-IRAC 5.8 and 8 micron and Spitzer-MIPS 24 and 70 micron data, we construct temperature and luminosity density maps by fitting two modified blackbodies of a fixed emissivity index of 1.5. We find that the 'cool' dust grains are heated at temperatures between 11 and 28 K with the lowest temperatures found in the outskirts of the galaxy and the highest ones in the center and in the bright HII regions. The infrared/submillimeter total luminosity (5 - 1000 micron) is estimated to be 1.9x10^9 Lsun. 59% of the total luminosity of the galaxy is produced by the 'cool' dust grains (~15 K) while the rest 41% is produced by 'warm' dust grains (~55 K). The ratio of the cool-to-warm dust luminosity is close to unity (within the computed uncertainties), throughout the galaxy, with the luminosity of the cool dust being slightly enhanced in the center of the galaxy. Decomposing the emission of the dust into two components (one emitted by the diffuse disk of the galaxy and one emitted by the spiral arms) we find that the fraction of the emission in the disk in the mid-infrared (24 micron) is 21%, while it gradually rises up to 57% in the submillimeter (500 micron). We find that the bulk of the luminosity comes from the spiral arm network that produces 70% of the total luminosity of the galaxy with the rest coming from the diffuse dust disk. The 'cool' dust inside the disk is heated at a narrow range of temperatures between 18 and 15 K (going from the center to the outer parts of the galaxy).

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

Probing MHD Shocks with high-J CO observations: W28F

Context. Observing supernova remnants (SNRs) and modelling the shocks they are associated with is the best way to quantify the energy SNRs re-distribute back into the Interstellar Medium (ISM). Aims. We present comparisons of shock models with CO observations in the F knot of the W28 supernova remnant. These comparisons constitute a valuable tool to constrain both the shock characteristics and pre-shock conditions. Methods. New CO observations from the shocked regions with the APEX and SOFIA telescopes are presented and combined. The integrated intensities are compared to the outputs of a grid of models, which were combined from an MHD shock code that calculates the dynamical and chemical structure of these regions, and a radiative transfer module based on the 'large velocity gradient' (LVG) approximation. Results. We base our modelling method on the higher J CO transitions, which unambiguously trace the passage of a shock wave. We provide fits for the blue- and red-lobe components of the observed shocks. We find that only stationary, C-type shock models can reproduce the observed levels of CO emission. Our best models are found for a pre-shock density of 104 cm-3, with the magnetic field strength varying between 45 and 100 μG, and a higher shock velocity for the so-called blue shock (\sim25 km s-1) than for the red one (\sim20 km s-1). Our models also satisfactorily account for the pure rotational H2 emission that is observed with Spitzer.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2010

Star Forming Dense Cloud Cores in the TeV γ-ray SNR RX J1713.7-3946

RX J1713.7-3946 is one of the TeV γ-ray supernova remnants (SNRs) emitting synchrotron X rays. The SNR is associated with molecular gas located at ~1 kpc. We made new molecular observations toward the dense cloud cores, peaks A, C and D, in the SNR in the 12CO(J=2-1) and 13CO(J=2-1) transitions at angular resolution of 90". The most intense core in 13CO, peak C, was also mapped in the 12CO(J=4-3) transition at angular resolution of 38". Peak C shows strong signs of active star formation including bipolar outflow and a far-infrared protostellar source and has a steep gradient with a r^{-2.2$\pm$0.4} variation in the average density within radius r. Peak C and the other dense cloud cores are rim-brightened in synchrotron X rays, suggesting that the dense cloud cores are embedded within or on the outer boundary of the SNR shell. This confirms the earlier suggestion that the X rays are physically associated with the molecular gas (Fukui et al. 2003). We present a scenario where the densest molecular core, peak C, survived against the blast wave and is now embedded within the SNR. Numerical simulations of the shock-cloud interaction indicate that a dense clump can indeed survive shock erosion, since shock propagation speed is stalled in the dense clump. Additionally, the shock-cloud interaction induces turbulence and magnetic field amplification around the dense clump that may facilitate particle acceleration in the lower-density inter-clump space leading to the enhanced synchrotron X rays around dense cores.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2010

PACS and SPIRE photometer maps of M33: First results of the Herschel M33 extended survey (HERM33ES)

Within the framework of the HERM33ES key project, we are studying the star forming interstellar medium in the nearby, metal-poor spiral galaxy M33, exploiting the high resolution and sensitivity of Herschel. We use PACS and SPIRE maps at 100, 160, 250, 350, and 500 micron wavelength, to study the variation of the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) with galacto-centric distance. Detailed SED modeling is performed using azimuthally averaged fluxes in elliptical rings of 2 kpc width, out to 8 kpc galacto-centric distance. Simple isothermal and two-component grey body models, with fixed dust emissivity index, are fitted to the SEDs between 24 and 500 micron using also MIPS/Spitzer data, to derive first estimates of the dust physical conditions. The far-infrared and submillimeter maps reveal the branched, knotted spiral structure of M33. An underlying diffuse disk is seen in all SPIRE maps (250-500 micron). Two component fits to the SEDs agree better than isothermal models with the observed, total and radially averaged flux densities. The two component model, with beta fixed at 1.5, best fits the global and the radial SEDs. The cold dust component clearly dominates; the relative mass of the warm component is less than 0.3% for all the fits. The temperature of the warm component is not well constrained and is found to be about 60K plus/minus 10K. The temperature of the cold component drops significantly from about 24K in the inner 2 kpc radius to 13K beyond 6 kpc radial distance, for the best fitting model. The gas-to-dust ratio for beta=1.5, averaged over the galaxy, is higher than the solar value by a factor of 1.5 and is roughly in agreement with the subsolar metallicity of M33.

astro-ph.CO↗