Gravitational Slingshot of Young Massive Stars in Orion

Abstract

The Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) is the nearest region of massive star formation and thus a crucial testing ground for theoretical models. Of particular interest amongst the ONC's ~1000 members are: θ^1 Ori C, the most massive binary in the cluster with stars of masses 38 and 9 MSun (Kraus et al. 2009); the Becklin-Neugebauer (BN) object, a 30 km/s runaway star of ~8 MSun (Tan 2004); and the Kleinmann-Low (KL) nebula protostar, a highly-obscured, ~15 MSun object still accreting gas while also driving a powerful, apparently "explosive" outflow (Allen & Burton 1993). The unusual behavior of BN and KL is much debated: How did BN acquire its high velocity? How is this related to massive star formation in the KL nebula? Here we report the results of a systematic survey using ~ 10^7 numerical experiments of gravitational interactions of the θ^1C and BN stars. We show that dynamical ejection of BN from this triple system at its observed velocity leaves behind a binary with total energy and eccentricity matching those observed for θ^1C. Five other observed properties of θ^C are also consistent with it having ejected BN and altogether we estimate there is only a <~ 10^{-5} probability that θ^1C has these properties by chance. We conclude that BN was dynamically ejected from the θ^1C system about 4,500 years ago. BN has then plowed through the KL massive-star-forming core within the last 1,000 years causing its recently-enhanced accretion and outflow activity.

16 pages, 9 figures, 1 table, accepted to ApJ

References in corpus (5)

• The distance to the Orion Nebula
• The Origin of OB Runaway Stars
• Kinematic Structure of the Orion Nebula Cluster and its Surroundings
• Tracing the young massive high-eccentricity binary system Theta 1 Orionis C through periastron passage
• Monitoring the Large Proper Motions of Radio Sources in the Orion BN/KL Region

Cited by in corpus (29)

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• A Keplerian disk around Orion Source I, a ~15 Msun YSO
• The Structure, Dynamics and Star Formation Rate of the Orion Nebula Cluster
• The VLTI/MIDI survey of massive young stellar objects - Sounding the inner regions around intermediate- and high-mass young stars using mid-infrared interferometry
• Evidence for feedback and stellar-dynamically regulated bursty star cluster formation: the case of the Orion Nebula Cluster
• The Orion Fingers: Near-IR Adaptive Optics Imaging of an Explosive Protostellar Outflow
• Dynamical Evidence for a Magnetocentrifugal Wind from a 20 Msun Binary Young Stellar Object
• Hot Molecular Circumstellar Disk around Massive Protostar Orion Source I
• ALMA Observations of Orion Source I at 350 and 660 GHz
• New Evidence for the Dynamical Decay of a Multiple System in the Orion Kleinmann-Low Nebula
• Hunting for Runaways from the Orion Nebula Cluster
• The VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey: Observational evidence for two distinct populations of massive runaway stars in 30 Doradus
• ALMA Imaging of Millimeter/Submillimeter Continuum Emission in Orion KL
• A study of dynamical processes in the Orion KL region using ALMA-- Probing molecular outflow and inflow
• The Orion fingers: Near-IR spectral imaging of an explosive outflow
• Star Cluster Formation from Turbulent Clumps. I. The Fast Formation Limit
• On the Formation of Runaway Stars BN and x in the Orion Nebula Cluster
• ALMA Observation of the 658 GHz Vibrationally Excited H${}_2$O Maser in Orion KL Source I
• Three-dimensional Shock Structure of Orion KL Outflow with IGRINS
• The Orion fingers: H${}_2$ temperatures and excitation in an explosive outflow
• Extremely high excitation SiO lines in disk-outflow system in Orion Source I
• High spectral resolution observations toward Orion BN at 6 $\mu$m: no evidence for hot water
• A molecular-line study of the interstellar bullet engine IRAS 05506+2414
• Formation of Orion Fingers
• Comparison of Low-Mass and High-Mass Star Formation
• Fire from Ice - Massive Star Birth from Infrared Dark Clouds