Bipolar molecular outflows

Summary Bipolar molecular outflows are a ubiquitous phenomenon in the process of star formation. We review the main observational properties of the outflows around young stellar objects, highlighting the recent wealth of information provided by the new generation of large radiotelescopes operating at millimeter wavelengths (in particular the IRAM 30-m, the NRO 45-m, and the JCMT 15-m dishes). The observations of outflows containing molecular, jet-like flows and bullets are discussed in detail, as they provide key information for understanding origin and evolution of the outflows. We also discuss a number of closely related issues: the evidence for dense shocked gas associated with the flows, the interaction of the outflows with the ambient dense cores, the evolutionary status of the sources driving the outflows, the properties of circumstellar disks, and theoretical models of the origin of the neutral winds. All these areas are important for developing a plausible scenario for the formation and evolution of the bipolar molecular outflows.This article was processed by the author using the Springer-Verlag T_EX AAR macro package 1991.