The standard model of low-mass star formation applied to massive stars: a multi-wavelength picture of AFGL 2591

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the hypothesis that the embedded luminous star AFGL2591-VLA3 (2.3E5Lsun at 3.33kpc) is forming according to a scaled-up version of a low-mass star formation scenario. We present multi-configuration VLA 3.6cm and 7mm, as well as CARMA C18O and 3mm continuum observations to investigate the morphology and kinematics of the ionized gas, dust, and molecular gas around AFGL2591. We also compare our results to ancillary near-IR images, and model the SED and 2MASS image profiles of AFGL2591 using a dust continuum radiative transfer code. The observed 3.6cm images uncover for the first time that the central powering source AFGL2591-VLA3 has a compact core plus collimated jet morphology, extending 4000AU eastward from the central source with an opening angle of <10deg at this radius. However, at 7mm VLA3 does not show a jet morphology, but instead compact (<500AU) emission, some of which (<0.57 mJy of 2.9mJy) is estimated to be from dust. We determine that the momentum rate of the jet is not sufficient to ionize itself via only shocks, and thus a significant portion of the emission is instead likely created in a photoionized wind. The C18O emission uncovers dense entrained material in the outflow(s) from the young stars in the region. The main features of the SED and 2MASS images of AFGL2591-VLA3 are also reproduced by our model dust geometry of a rotationally flattened envelope with and without a disk. The above results are consistent with a picture of massive star formation similar to that seen for low-mass protostars. However, within its envelope, AFGL2591-VLA3 contains at least four other young stars, constituting a small cluster. Therefore it appears that AFGL2591-VLA3 may be able to source its accreting material from a shared gas reservoir while still exhibiting the phenomena expected during the formation of low-mass stars. (Abridged)

arXiv comment23 pages, 15 figures, 8 tables. To be published in Astronomy & Astrophysics

References in corpus (31)

• On the variation of the Initial Mass Function
• The Formation of Massive Stars from Turbulent Cores
• Interpreting Spectral Energy Distributions from Young Stellar Objects. II. Fitting observed SEDs using a large grid of pre-computed models
• Accretion Disks around Young Objects. I. The Detailed Vertical Structure
• The Chandra Source Catalog
• IRIS: A new generation of IRAS maps
• 2-D Radiative Transfer in Protostellar Envelopes: I. Effects of Geometry on Class I Sources
• Massive molecular outflows
• The SCUBA Legacy Catalogue: Continuum Objects Detected by SCUBA
• Parallaxes and proper motions of interstellar masers toward the Cygnus X star-forming complex. I. Membership of the Cygnus X region
• The Physical Conditions for Massive Star Formation: Dust Continuum Maps and Modeling
• The Role of Multiplicity in Disk Evolution and Planet Formation
• Evolution of Massive Protostars via Disk Accretion
• HYPERION: An open-source parallelized three-dimensional dust continuum radiative transfer code
• Collapse of massive magnetized dense cores using radiation-magneto-hydrodynamics: early fragmentation inhibition
• Radiation-Hydrodynamic Simulations of the Formation of Orion-Like Star Clusters II. The Initial Mass Function from Winds, Turbulence, and Radiation
• Collapse, outflows and fragmentation of massive, turbulent and magnetized prestellar barotropic cores
• The Spectral Energy Distribution of HH30 IRS: Constraining The Circumstellar Dust Size Distribution
• The Impact of the Massive Young Star GL 2591 on its Circumstellar Material: Temperature, Density and Velocity Structure
• Recipes for stellar jets: results of combined optical/infrared diagnostics
• The efficiency of star formation in clustered and distributed regions
• Water in the envelopes and disks around young high-mass stars
• Very compact radio emission from high-mass protostars. II. Dust disks and ionized accretion flows
• Resolved 24.5 micron emission from massive young stellar objects
• Kinematics of the inner thousand AU region around the young massive star AFGL 2591-VLA3: a massive disk candidate?
• Chemical segregation toward massive hot cores: The AFGL2591 star forming region
• Star formation in dense clusters
• Changes in the Radio Appearance of MWC 349A
• Ionized Gas Towards Molecular Clumps: Physical Properties of Massive Star Forming Regions
• Mid-infrared imaging of the massive young star AFGL 2591: Probing the circumstellar environment of an outflow source
• The JCMT Spectral Legacy Survey: physical structure of the molecular envelope of the high-mass protostar AFGL2591

Cited by in corpus (29)

• A Herschel and APEX Census of the Reddest Sources in Orion: Searching for the Youngest Protostars
• Radio Jets from Young Stellar Objects
• Radiation Transfer of Models of Massive Star Formation. III. The Evolutionary Sequence
• Chemical complexity in high-mass star formation: An observational and modeling case study of the AFGL 2591 VLA 3 hot core
• Protostellar Outflows at the EarliesT Stages (POETS). I. Radio thermal jets at high resolution nearby H${}_2$O maser sources
• Slow ionized wind and rotating disklike system associated with the high-mass young stellar object G345.4938+01.4677
• Weak and Compact Radio Emission in Early High-Mass Star Forming Regions: II. The Nature of the Radio Sources
• Modeling the accretion disk around the high-mass protostar GGD 27-MM1
• A global view on star formation: The GLOSTAR Galactic plane survey III. 6.7 GHz methanol maser survey in Cygnus X
• SOFIA/EXES Observations of Water Absorption in the Protostar AFGL 2591 at High Spectral Resolution
• Linking low- to high-mass YSOs with Herschel-HIFI observations of water
• The SOFIA Massive (SOMA) Star Formation Survey. IV. Isolated Protostars
• Fragmentation, rotation and outflows in the high-mass star-forming region IRAS 23033+5951. A case study of the IRAM NOEMA large program CORE
• Disk fragmentation in high-mass star formation. High-resolution observations towards AFGL 2591-VLA 3
• YSO jets in the Galactic Plane from UWISH2: IV - Jets and outflows in Cygnus-X
• NGC7538 IRS1 -- an O star driving an ionized jet and giant N-S outflow
• Unveiling the traits of massive young stellar objects through a multi-scale survey
• Momentum-driven outflow emission from an O-type YSO: Comparing the radio jet with the molecular outflow
• The magnetic field at milliarcsecond resolution around IRAS20126+4104
• Weak and Compact Radio Emission in Early Massive Star Formation Regions: An Ionized Jet Toward G11.11-0.12P1
• High Resolution Observations of the Massive Protostar in IRAS18566+0408
• The burst mode of accretion in massive star formation with stellar inertia
• Multi-wavelength modelling of the circumstellar environment of the massive proto-star AFGL 2591 VLA 3
• The HIFI spectral survey of AFGL 2591 (CHESS). III. Chemical structure of the protostellar envelope
• Aligned grains and inferred toroidal magnetic fields in the envelopes of massive young stellar objects
• K-band High-Resolution Spectroscopy of Embedded Massive Protostars
• Multi-epoch VLBA H${}_2$O maser observations toward the massive YSOs AFGL 2591 VLA 2 and VLA 3
• Cygnus survey with the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope at 325 and 610 MHz: the catalog
• Parsec scales of carbon chain and complex organic molecules in AFGL 2591 and IRAS 20126