The earliest phases of high-mass star formation, as seen in NGC 6334 by Herschel-HOBYS
Journal
Date Issued
2017
Author(s)
Tigé, J.
•
Motte, F.
•
Russeil, D.
•
Zavagno, A.
•
Hennemann, M.
•
Schneider, N.
•
Hill, T.
•
Nguyen Luong, Q.
•
Di Francesco, J.
•
Bontemps, S.
•
Louvet, F.
•
Didelon, P.
•
Könyves, V.
•
André, Ph.
•
Leuleu, G.
•
Bardagi, J.
•
Anderson, L. D.
•
Arzoumanian, D.
•
•
Bernard, J. -P.
•
•
Figueira, M.
•
Kirk, J.
•
Martin, P. G.
•
Minier, V.
•
•
Nony, T.
•
Persi, P.
•
•
Polychroni, D.
•
Rayner, T.
•
Rivera-Ingraham, A.
•
Roussel, H.
•
•
•
White, G. J.
Abstract
Aims: To constrain models of high-mass star formation, the Herschel-HOBYS key program aims at discovering massive dense cores (MDCs) able to host the high-mass analogs of low-mass prestellar cores, which have been searched for over the past decade. We here focus on NGC 6334, one of the best-studied HOBYS molecular cloud complexes.
Methods: We used Herschel/PACS and SPIRE 70-500 μm images of the NGC 6334 complex complemented with (sub)millimeter and mid-infrared data. We built a complete procedure to extract 0.1 pc dense cores with the getsources software, which simultaneously measures their far-infrared to millimeter fluxes. We carefully estimated the temperatures and masses of these dense cores from their spectral energy distributions (SEDs). We also identified the densest pc-scale cloud structures of NGC 6334, one 2 pc × 1 pc ridge and two 0.8 pc × 0.8 pc hubs, with volume-averaged densities of 105 cm-3.
Results: A cross-correlation with high-mass star formation signposts suggests a mass threshold of 75 M☉ for MDCs in NGC 6334. MDCs have temperatures of 9.5-40 K, masses of 75-1000 M☉, and densities of 1 × 105-7 × 107 cm-3. Their mid-infrared emission is used to separate 6 IR-bright and 10 IR-quiet protostellar MDCs while their 70 μm emission strength, with respect to fitted SEDs, helps identify 16 starless MDC candidates. The ability of the latter to host high-mass prestellar cores is investigated here and remains questionable. An increase in mass and density from the starless to the IR-quiet and IR-bright phases suggests that the protostars and MDCs simultaneously grow in mass. The statistical lifetimes of the high-mass prestellar and protostellar core phases, estimated to be 1-7 × 104 yr and at most 3 × 105 yr respectively, suggest a dynamical scenario of high-mass star formation.
Conclusions: The present study provides good mass estimates for a statistically significant sample, covering the earliest phases of high-mass star formation. High-mass prestellar cores may not exist in NGC 6334, favoring a scenario presented here, which simultaneously forms clouds, ridges, MDCs, and high-mass protostars.
Methods: We used Herschel/PACS and SPIRE 70-500 μm images of the NGC 6334 complex complemented with (sub)millimeter and mid-infrared data. We built a complete procedure to extract 0.1 pc dense cores with the getsources software, which simultaneously measures their far-infrared to millimeter fluxes. We carefully estimated the temperatures and masses of these dense cores from their spectral energy distributions (SEDs). We also identified the densest pc-scale cloud structures of NGC 6334, one 2 pc × 1 pc ridge and two 0.8 pc × 0.8 pc hubs, with volume-averaged densities of 105 cm-3.
Results: A cross-correlation with high-mass star formation signposts suggests a mass threshold of 75 M☉ for MDCs in NGC 6334. MDCs have temperatures of 9.5-40 K, masses of 75-1000 M☉, and densities of 1 × 105-7 × 107 cm-3. Their mid-infrared emission is used to separate 6 IR-bright and 10 IR-quiet protostellar MDCs while their 70 μm emission strength, with respect to fitted SEDs, helps identify 16 starless MDC candidates. The ability of the latter to host high-mass prestellar cores is investigated here and remains questionable. An increase in mass and density from the starless to the IR-quiet and IR-bright phases suggests that the protostars and MDCs simultaneously grow in mass. The statistical lifetimes of the high-mass prestellar and protostellar core phases, estimated to be 1-7 × 104 yr and at most 3 × 105 yr respectively, suggest a dynamical scenario of high-mass star formation.
Conclusions: The present study provides good mass estimates for a statistically significant sample, covering the earliest phases of high-mass star formation. High-mass prestellar cores may not exist in NGC 6334, favoring a scenario presented here, which simultaneously forms clouds, ridges, MDCs, and high-mass protostars.
Herschel is an ESA space observatory with science instruments provided by European-led Principal Investigator consortia and with important participation from NASA. Catalogs built from Tables A.1-A.12, are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/602/A77
Volume
602
Start page
A77
Issn Identifier
0004-6361
Ads BibCode
2017A&A...602A..77T
Rights
open.access
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