Turbulence in Class 0 and I protostellar envelopes

We estimate the levels of turbulence in the envelopes of class 0 and I protostars using a model based on measurements of the peak separation of double-peaked asymmetric line profiles. We use observations of 20 protostars of both class 0 and I taken in the  HCO⁺(J = 3 → 2)  line that show the classic double-peaked profile. We find that some class 0 sources show high levels of turbulence, whilst others demonstrate much lower levels. In class I protostars, we find predominantly low levels of turbulence. The observations are consistent with a scenario in which class 0 protostars form in a variety of environments and subsequently evolve into class I protostars. The data do not appear to be consistent with a recently proposed scenario in which class 0 protostars can only form in extreme environments.     

Deuterium chemistry in the young massive protostellar core NGC 2264 CMM3

In this work we present the first attempt of modelling the deuterium chemistry in the massive young protostellar core NGC 2264 CMM3. We investigated the sensitivity of this chemistry to the physical conditions in its surrounding environment. The results showed that deuteration, in the protostellar gas, is affected by variations in the core density, the amount of gas depletion onto grain surfaces, the CR ionisation rate, but it is insensitive to variations in the H₂ ortho-to-para ratio.Our results, also, showed that deuteration is often enhanced in less-dense, partially depleted (\(<85\%\)), or cores that are exerted to high CR ionisation rates (\(\ge6.5\times10^{-17}~\mbox{s}^{-1}\)). However, in NGC 2264 CMM3, decreasing the amount of gas depleted onto grains and enhancing the CR ionisation rate are often overestimating the observed values in the core. The best fit time to observations occurs around \((1\mbox{--}5) \times 10^{4}~\mbox{yrs}\) for core densities in the range \((1\mbox{--}5)\times10^{6}~\mbox{cm}^{-3}\) with CR ionisation rate between \((1.7\mbox{--}6.5)\times10^{-17}~\mbox{s}^{-1}\). These values are in agreement with the results of the most recent theoretical chemical model of CMM3, and the time range of best fit is, also, in-line with the estimated age of young protostellar objects.We conclude that deuterium chemistry in protostellar cores is: (i) sensitive to variations in the physical conditions in its environment, (ii) insensitive to changes in the H₂ ortho-to-para ratio. We also conclude that the core NGC 2264 CMM3 is in its early stages of chemical evolution with an estimated age of \((1\mbox{--}5)\times10^{4}~\mbox{yrs}\).     

Photometric monitoring of the young star Par 1724 in Orion

We report new photometric observations of the ∼200 000 year old naked weak‐line run‐away T Tauri star Par 1724, located north of the Trapezium cluster in Orion. We observed in the broad band filters B, V, R, and I using the 90 cm Dutch telescope on La Silla, the 80 cm Wendelstein telescope, and a 25 cm telescope of the University Observatory Jena in Großschwabhausen near Jena. The photometric data in V and R are consistent with a ∼5.7 day rotation period due to spots, as observed before between 1960ies and 2000. Also, for the first time, we present evidence for a long‐term 9 or 17.5 year cycle in photometric data (V band) of such a young star, a cycle similar to that to of the Sun and other active stars (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The physical and chemical properties of circumstellar envelopes

An overview is given of recent results on some basic properties of the circumstellar envelopes of evolved stars. The focus is on well studied examples which illustrate envelopes of different types and at different stages of evolution. The close connection between the physical and chemical properties of the envelopes is emphasized.     

Optical surface features and morphologic properties of the Orion Nebula

In the field partsH, K, L andM of the Orion Nebula, indicated in Figure 2, no obvious differences do appear in the monochromatic photographs obtained in H+[Nii], [Oii], the visual continuum and the range of the Balmer continuum. A different situation we meet in the rest of the field, where one observes two types of featuresA andB, distinguished in Figure 1 by solid and dashed bordering lines respectively. Relative to the conditions in the H+[Nii] pictures, the typeA areas gain in intensity in the photographs taken in the visual continuum. the emission in the forbidden [Oii] lines at 3727 Å is correlated with H+[Nii], the emission in the range of the Balmer continuum with the visual continuum. According to these properties theA-areas must have a particularly high percentage of scattered star light.Most of the areas with identical monochromatic features show a high deficiency of cluster stars correlated with a low surface brightnesss and a reduced gas density. This is explained by an opaqueness of the emission strata in the direction in the line of sight and a position of the same nearer to the observer than the extension of the cluster. There appear surface structures at large distances from the Trapezium which show a correlation between the intensity of scattered star light and the intensity of the emission of the higher ions ([Oiii], [Neiii]). This observation is considered as a proof that canals through the nebular cloud complex allow in some directions the exciting radiation to reach large distances from the star without having suffered an appreciable absorption or scattering.     

Gravitational collapse of a rotating iron stellar core and physical properties of the accompanying neutrino emission

We have ascertained an important role of rotation effects in a collapsing stellar core using a quasi-one-dimensional hydrodynamic model with a rigorous allowance for the neutrino energy losses including the neutrino opacity stage. However, the neutrino scattering processes are not considered in the neutrino emission kinetics as secondary compared to the absorption processes. The quasi-one-dimensional approximation (with averaging of the expression for the centrifugal force over the polar angle) allows numerical calculations to be performed relatively easily up to the formation of a hydrostatically equilibrium neutron star after a very long stage of collapsar cooling by neutrino emission (about 2 s). We present detailed results of our numerical solution, including the neutrino spectra, with electron neutrinos making a dominant contribution to them and the contribution from electron antineutrinos being smaller by an order of magnitude. In the model under consideration, we solve the equation of matter neutronization kinetics by taking into account the main process of nuclear reactions on free nucleons, although the contribution from iron and helium nuclei is included in the equation of state.     

A population of very young brown dwarfs and free-floating planets in Orion

We describe the results of a very deep imaging survey of the Trapezium cluster in the IJH bands, using the UKIRT high-resolution camera UFTI. Approximately 32 per cent of the 515 point sources detected are brown dwarf candidates, including several free-floating objects with masses below the deuterium-burning (planetary) threshold at 0.013 M_⊙, which are detectable because of their extreme youth. We have confidence that almost all the sources detected are cluster members, since foreground contamination is minimal in the 33-arcmin² area surveyed, and the dense backdrop of OMC-1 obscures all background stars at these wavelengths. Extinction is calculated from the ( J − H ) colours, permitting accurate luminosity estimates, and temperatures are derived from the dereddened ( I − J ) colours. There is some evidence for a cut-off in the luminosity function below the level corresponding to several Jupiter masses, which may represent the bottom end of the initial mass function . Since star formation is complete in the Trapezium, this limit could have wide significance, if confirmed. However, it could well be an effect of the dispersal of the molecular cloud by the central O-type stars, a process for which the time-scale will vary between star formation regions.     

A comparison of the rotational properties of T Tauri stars in Orion and Taurus

We analyse the distribution of projected equatorial velocities ( v  sin  i ) for a magnitude-limited sample of stars in Taurus, in order to assess whether this sample can contain a population of fast rotators (missed in previous photometric monitoring campaigns) similar to those recently discovered in Orion by Stassun et al. We find strong evidence, in line with the results of photometric monitoring campaigns in Taurus, that there is no such population of stars in Taurus that rotate at a large fraction of breakup velocity. We thus demonstrate that the stellar rotation distributions in the two star-forming regions are intrinsically different (with a statistical significance of this discrepancy in excess of 3 σ ), and discuss possible origins for this difference.     

Workshop summary on physical and chemical properties of potential Earth impactors

Abstract— From 2001 June 17 to 25, we held the first international workshop in Erice, Italy, dedicated to the determination of geological and geophysical properties of near‐Earth objects (NEOs). The goal was to develop a roadmap for determining the physical and chemical properties of NEOs in the coming decades to meet the scientific requirements for development of Earth collision avoidance technology. We identified many properties that are desired, but four measurements are needed most critically for any potentially hazardous NEO: (1) its mass, (2) its mass distribution, (3) its material strengths, and (4) its internal structure. Global (whole‐body) properties, such as material strengths and internal structure, can be determined best from the analyses of permeating waves: artificially initiated seismology and multifrequency reflection and transmission radio tomography. Seismology provides the best geophysical (material strengths) data of NEOs composed of consolidated materials while radio tomography provides the best geological data (e.g., the state of fracture) of electrically nonconducting media. Thus, the two methods are complementary: seismology is most suitable for stony and metallic asteroids, while radio tomography is most appropriate for comet nuclei and carbonaceous asteroids. The three main conclusions are (1) remote sensing for physical characterization should be increased, (2) several dedicated NEO missions should be prepared for geophysical and geological investigations, and (3) that it is prudent to develop and prove the technology to make geophysical measurements on NEOs now.     

Symmetry properties and widths of the filamentary structures in the Orion A giant molecular cloud

We identify 225 filaments from an H_2 column density map constructed using simultaneous ~(12)CO,~(13)CO and C~(18)O(J=1-0) observations carried out as a part of the Milky Way Imaging Scroll Painting(MWISP) project.We select 46 long filaments with lengths above 1.2 pc to analyze the filament column density profiles.We divide the selected filaments into 397 segments and calculate the column density profiles for each segment.The symmetries of the profiles are investigated.The proportion of intrinsically asymmetrical segments is 65.3%,and that of intrinsically symmetrical ones is 21.4%.The typical full width at half maximum(FWHM) of the intrinsically symmetrical filament segments is ～ 0.67 pc with the Plummer-like fitting,and ～ 0.50 pc with the Gaussian fitting,respectively.The median FWHMs derived from the second-moment method for intrinsically symmetrical and asymmetrical profiles are ～ 0.44 and 0.46 pc,respectively.Close association exists between the filamentary structures and the YSOs in the region.     

The JCMT Legacy Survey of the Gould Belt: a first look at Orion B with HARP

The Gould Belt Legacy Survey will survey nearby star-forming regions (within 500 pc), using Heterodyne Array Receiver Programme (HARP), Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array 2 and Polarimeter 2 on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. This paper describes the initial data obtained using HARP to observe ¹²CO, ¹³CO and C¹⁸O   J = 3 → 2  towards two regions in Orion B, NGC 2024 and NGC 2071. We describe the physical characteristics of the two clouds, calculating temperatures and opacities utilizing all the three isotopologues. We find good agreement between temperatures calculated from CO and from dust emission in the dense, energetic regions. We determine the mass and energetics of the clouds, and of the high-velocity material seen in ¹²CO emission, and compare the relative energetics of the high- and low-velocity material in the two clouds. We present a clumpfind analysis of the ¹³CO condensations. The slope of the condensation mass functions, at the high-mass ends, is similar to the slope of the initial mass function.     

CO abundances in a protostellar cloud: freeze-out and desorption in the envelope and outflow of L483

CO isotopes are able to probe the different components in protostellar clouds. These components, core, envelope and outflow have distinct physical conditions, and sometimes more than one component contributes to the observed line profile. In this study, we determine how CO isotope abundances are altered by the physical conditions in the different components. We use a 3D molecular line transport code to simulate the emission of four CO isotopomers, ¹²CO   J = 2 → 1, ¹³CO J = 2 → 1  , C¹⁸O   J = 2 → 1  and C¹⁷O   J = 2 → 1  from the Class 0/1 object L483, which contains a cold quiescent core, an infalling envelope and a clear outflow. Our models replicate James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) line observations with the inclusion of freeze-out, a density profile and infall. Our model profiles of ¹²CO and ¹³CO have a large linewidth due to a high-velocity jet. These profiles replicate the process of more abundant material being susceptible to a jet. C¹⁸O and C¹⁷O do not display such a large linewidth as they trace denser quiescent material deep in the cloud.     

Subsystems of flare stars of different ages in Orion and the Pleiades

The two best-studied subsystems of flare stars, in Orion and the Pleiades, which are of considerably different ages, are compared. It is shown that the observed differences between them are consistent with the evolutionary status of flare stars that represent a stage in the evolution of red dwarfs. It is found that less luminous stars exhibit higher flare frequencies. For equally luminous stars, flare activity is lower in older stars.Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 37, No. 1, pp. 59–72, January–February, 1994.     

The dynamics of dust in a collapsing protostellar cloud and its possible role in planet formation

First results are presented of a calculation describing the collapse of a rotating dusty protostellar cloud. The dust and gas components are calculated separately, although their interaction (e.g., radiation transport, friction, etc.) is taken into account. In the early stages of the collapse the dust is dynamically unimportant. The evolution of the dust cloud is strongly influenced by dust-dust collisions: rapid sedimentation into an equatorial dust disc is found to take place as a result of accumulative dust-dust collisions and the corresponding grain growth. Treating the dust separately from the gas allows us to compare our results with solar-system cosmochemical measurements, with celestial mechanics information and to draw conclusions about the time and place of planet formation in the collapsing cloud.Paper presented at the Conference on Protostars and Planets, held at the Planetary Science Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, between January 3 and 7, 1978.     

Calculations and physical properties of the D3 emission lines of a prominence

The D3 emission lines observed on a prominence over the solar east limb on 1984 May 5, which were found to consist of two components, i.e. the main and the broadened components, have been successfully calculated using the two-cloud model method with the multiplet of helium (3 ³D_3,2,1–2 ³P_2,1,0) taken into account. The results obtained show that the ejecta in front of the prominence are formed by the intermittent ejections of the matter from the plage region around the prominence, because there exist at least three distinguishable phases of the line-of-sight velocity, increasing during the observations. The turbulent velocity of the ejecta is rather large, about 29 km s⁻¹. The Doppler width of the ejecta is mainly the result of the non-thermal effect, and the thermal effect can be neglected compared with the non-thermal effect. The prominence is quiet and characterized by typical properties .