arXiv subjects

Yankun Zhang

Publications and source records attributed to Yankun Zhang.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

ALMA-QUARKS view of W49N: Multipolar episodic outflow associated with the most energetic Galactic water maser

We present a detailed investigation of a multipolar episodic molecular outflow in the mini-starburst region W49N, which hosts the most luminous water maser in the Galaxy. Using high-resolution ($\sim$0.3 arcsec) Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of the $\mathrm{^{12}CO}$ emission as part of the ALMA-QUARKS survey, we analyze the morphology and kinematics of the outflow. Our observations reveal four newly identified outflow lobes in addition to the previously known central bipolar jet. These lobes appear more jet-like rather than exhibiting wide opening angles. Based on the $\mathrm{^{12}CO}$ (2-1) and $\mathrm{^{13}CO}$ (2-1) emission, we provide a more reliable estimate of the outflow's physical parameters, confirming it as one of the most energetic outflows in the Galaxy. Notably, these newly discovered lobes exhibit chains of knots, a characteristic signature of episodic ejection. Furthermore, two of the lobes display prominent S-shaped wiggles, suggestive of a precessing jet. The discovery of these features -- commonly observed in outflows from low-mass protostars -- in such an extreme massive star-forming environment provides compelling evidence that some underlying physical mechanisms for launching outflows are conserved across a wide range of stellar masses.

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arXiv2026

Random gas motions inside sub-parsec scale supercritical filaments

Supercritical gas filaments in molecular clouds host the dense cores in which new stars form. The mechanisms governing their formation and subsequent gas accretion remain poorly understood. In this study, we conduct a statistical analysis of a large sample of sub-parsec supercritical filaments using H13COp J=1-0 data from the ALMA Three-millimeter Observations of Massive Star-forming regions (ATOMS) Survey. We identified velocity-coherent filaments in position-position-velocity (PPV) space and systematically examined velocity gradients both along and perpendicular to their skeletons. Our analysis uncovers a remarkable result: at scales of ~ 0.1-1 pc, the local velocity gradients within these supercritical filaments show no preferred alignment with the filament skeletons and exhibit no correlation with the local gravitational field. This random orientation suggests the presence of chaotic gas motions deep inside these dense structures. These findings may indicate that turbulence-rather than gravity-dominates gas dynamics and structural evolution at small scales, even in regions on the verge of star formation, challenging the paradigm of gravity-dominated structure formation within molecular clouds. This scenario should be further tested by more state-of-the-art simulations. This study offers key observational insights into the roles of turbulence and gravity in establishing the initial conditions for star formation.

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arXiv2026

The ALMA-QUARKS survey: Investigating Thermal Feedback of Massive Protostars in Hot Molecular Cores

We identify a sample of 83 spatially resolved hot molecular cores (HMCs) in the QUARKS survey, aiming at investigating thermal feedback from massive stars. Using CH$_3$CN\,(12--11) line emission together with 1.3\,mm continuum data we derive the radial temperature, volume density and \ch3cn{} abundance profiles for the 83 HMCs. Based on the envelope temperature and density profiles, we compute the luminosities of the embedded massive protostars with \radmc{} radiation transfer model. The derived luminosities are comparable (within $\sim1$ dex) to the bolometric luminosities of their natal clumps and show strong correlations with several core-scale properties, including the HMC mass ($Log[ M_\mathrm{env}] = 1.01\,Log [L_\star] - 4.80$), the inner core radius (the flat radius of Plummer-like volume density profile) ($Log[a] = 0.46\,Log[L_\star] + 0.52$) and the central density $ (Log[n_c] = -0.55 Log[L_\star] +10.47) $. These empirical relations provide useful observational constraints for physical models of protostellar objects. Importantly, we find a strong positive correlation between the massive protostellar luminosity and the local thermal Jeans mass. The derived Jeans masses, $M_\mathrm{Jeans}$, exceed the HMC masses $M_\mathrm{env}$, with the average $M_\mathrm{Jeans}$ being two times larger than the average $M_\mathrm{env}$. This provides observational evidence that thermal feedback from massive protostars can effectively suppress further fragmentation of HMCs, thereby promoting massive star formation. In addition, the positive correlation between massive protostellar luminosity and natal clump mass suggests that more massive clumps preferentially host more luminous protostars, leading to stronger thermal feedback.

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arXiv2026

ATOMS-QUARKS survey: Inflow and infall in massive protocluster G318.049+00.086: Evidence of competitive accretion

We present a gas kinematic study of the massive protocluster G318.049+00.086. The protocluster is reported to contain 12 prestellar core candidates and 4 protostellar cores. Filamentary structures are identified using the 1.3 mm dust continuum map, with four of them converge into a dense central region, forming a hub-filament system (HFS). High velocity gradients (10 - 20 km s$^{-1}$ pc$^{-1}$) derived from PV analysis of H$^{13}$CO$^{+}$ emission along three of those filaments are suggestive of mass inflow onto the central hub. A mass inflow rate higher than $10^{3}$ M$_{\odot}$ Myr$^{-1}$ along the filaments is indicating that the central hub is capable of forming massive star(s). Investigation of H$^{13}$CO$^{+}$ and CCH spectral profiles revealed the majority of the cores having the characteristic blue asymmetric line profiles, typical signature of gravitational collapse. The remaining few cores showed red asymmetric profiles, indicative of gas expansion. Also, the derived mass infall rates for the protostellar cores in hub-region is significantly higher in comparison to those located along the filaments. The mass-radius relationship of the cores revealed that the cores with red profiles reside in the massive star formation regime. However, the global velocity gradient along the filaments suggests that these particular cores are losing material to the hub. Our results are supporting a competitive accretion scenario of massive star formation where gas is expected to be funnelled from less gravitationally dominant cores to the cores located at the gravitationally favorable position.

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arXiv2026

ALMA Polarization Study of the Magnetic Fields in Two Massive Clumps in the 20 km s$^{-1}$ Cloud of the Central Molecular Zone

We present the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of linearly polarized 870 $\mu$m continuum emission at a resolution of $\sim$0.2$^{\prime\prime}$ (2000 au) toward the two massive clumps, Clump 1 and Clump 4, in the 20 km s$^{-1}$ cloud. The derived magnetic field strengths for both clumps range from $\sim$0.3 to 3.1 mG using the Angular Dispersion Function (ADF) method. The magnetic field orientations across multiple scales suggests that the magnetic field dominates at the cloud scale, whereas gravity likely governs the structures at the core (0.01$-$0.1 pc) and condensation ($\le$ 0.01 pc) scales. Furthermore, the study on the angular difference between the orientations of the local gravity gradient and the magnetic field suggests that the gravity predominantly governs the dynamics in the diffuse regions, while both gravity and star formation feedback become increasingly significant within the dense regions. The ratio of the magnetic field tension force $F_\mathrm{B}$ to the gravitational force $F_\mathrm{G}$ suggests that the magnetic field may provide some support against gravity, but it is insufficient to prevent gas from infalling toward the dense cores.

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arXiv2025

The ALMA-QUARKS survey: Evidence of a candidate high-mass prestellar core aside a bright-rimmed cloud IRAS 18290-0924

Although frequently reported in observations, the definitive confirmation of high-mass prestellar cores has remained elusive, presenting a persistent challenge in star formation studies. Using two-band observational data from the 3mm ATOMS and 1.3mm QUARKS surveys, we report a high-mass prestellar core candidate, C2, located on the side of the bright-rimmed cloud IRAS 18290-0924. The C2 core identified from the 3mm continuum data of the ATOMS survey ($\sim$2 arcsecond, $\rm\sim 10000~au$ at 5.3 kpc) has a mass ranging from 27-68 $M_{\odot}$ for temperatures 10-22K within a radius of $\sim$2800 au. The highest-resolution ($\sim$0.3 arcsecond, $\rm\sim 1500 au$) observations of this source presented to date from the QUARKS survey reveal no evidence of further fragmentation. Further analysis of a total $\sim$10 GHz band width of molecular line survey does not find star-formation activity (e.g., outflows, ionized gas) associated with the core, with a few molecular lines of cold gas detected only. Additionally, virial analysis indicates the C2 core is gravitationally bound ($α_{\rm vir} \sim0.1-0.3$) and thus could be undergoing collapse toward star formation. These results strongly establish a candidate for a high-mass prestellar core, contributing to the very limited number of such sources known to date.

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arXiv2025

The ALMA-ATOMS-QUARKS survey: Resolving a chemically rich massive protostellar outflow

We present a comprehensive study on the physical and chemical structures of a chemically rich bipolar outflow in a high-mass star forming region IRAS 16272$-$4837 (SDC335), utilizing high-resolution spectral line data at 1.3 mm and 3 mm dual-bands from the ALMA ATOMS and QUARKS surveys. The high-velocity jet is enveloped by a lower-velocity outflow cavity, containing bright knots that show enhanced molecular intensities and elevated excitation temperatures. Along the outflow, we have identified 35 transitions from 22 molecular species. By analyzing the spatial distribution and kinematics of these molecular lines, we find that the molecular inventory in the outflow is regulated by three processes: (i) direct entrainment from the natal molecular core by the outflow; (ii) shock-induced release of molecules or atoms from dust grains; and (iii) thermal desorption and gas-phase reactions driven by shock heating. These results confirm that outflows are not only dynamical structures but also active chemical factories, where entrainment, shocks, and thermal processing jointly enrich the molecular content. Our findings confirmed that outflow chemistry has multi-origin nature, and provide critical insights into chemical evolution during high-mass star formation.

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arXiv2025

A misaligned protostellar disk fed by gas streamers in a barred spiral-like massive dense core

High-mass stars, born in massive dense cores (MDCs), profoundly impact the cosmic ecosystem through feedback processes and metal enrichment, yet little is known about how MDCs assemble and transfer mass across scales to form high-mass young stellar objects (HMYSOs). Using multi-scale (40-2500 au) observations of an MDC hosting an HMYSO, we identify a coherent dynamical structure analogous to barred spiral galaxies: three 20,000 au spiral arms feed a 7,500 au central bar, which channels gas to a 2,000 au pseudodisk. Further accretion proceeds through the inner structures, including a Keplerian disk and an inner disk (100 au), which are thought to be driving a collimated bipolar outflow. This is the first time that these multi-scale structures (spiral arms, bar, streamers, envelope, disk, and outflow) have been simultaneously observed as a physically coherent structure within an MDC. Our discovery suggests that well-organized hierarchical structures play a crucial role during the gas accretion and angular momentum build-up of a massive disk.

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arXiv2025

The ALMA-QUARKS Survey: III. Clump-to-core fragmentation and search for high-mass starless cores

The Querying Underlying mechanisms of massive star formation with ALMA-Resolved gas Kinematics and Structures (QUARKS) survey observed 139 infrared-bright (IR-bright) massive protoclusters at 1.3 mm wavelength with ALMA. This study investigates clump-to-core fragmentation and searches for candidate high-mass starless cores within IR-bright clumps using combined ALMA 12-m (C-2) and Atacama Compact Array (ACA) 7-m data, providing $\sim$ 1 arcsec ($\sim\rm0.02~pc$ at 3.7 kpc) resolution and $\sim\rm0.6\,mJy\,beam^{-1}$ continuum sensitivity ($\sim 0.3~M_{\odot}$ at 30 K). We identified 1562 compact cores from 1.3 mm continuum emission using getsf. Observed linear core separations ($λ_{\rm obs}$) are significantly less than the thermal Jeans length ($λ_{\rm J}$), with the $λ_{\rm obs}/λ_{\rm J}$ ratios peaking at $\sim0.2$. This indicates that thermal Jeans fragmentation has taken place within the IR-bright protocluster clumps studied here. The observed low ratio of $λ_{\rm obs}/λ_{\rm J}\ll 1$ could be the result of evolving core separation or hierarchical fragmentation. Based on associated signatures of star formation (e.g., outflows and ionized gas), we classified cores into three categories: 127 starless, 971 warm, and 464 evolved cores. Two starless cores have mass exceeding 16$\,M_{\odot}$, and represent high-mass candidates. The scarcity of such candidates suggests that competitive accretion-type models could be more applicable than turbulent core accretion-type models in high-mass star formation within these IR-bright protocluster clumps.

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