We present arcsecond-scale mid-ir photometry (in the 10.5 micron N band and at 24.8 microns), and low resolution spectra in the N band (R~100) of a candidate high mass protostellar object (HMPO) in IRAS 18151-1208 and of two HMPO candidates in IRAS 20343+4129, IRS 1 and IRS 3. In addition we present high resolution mid-ir spectra (R~80000) of the two HMPO candidates in IRAS 20343+4129. These data are fitted with simple models to estimate the masses of gas and dust associated with the mid-ir emitting clumps, the column densities of overlying absorbing dust and gas, the luminosities of the HMPO candidates, and the likely spectral type of the HMPO candidate for which [Ne II] 12.8 micron emission was detected (IRAS 20343+4129 IRS 3). We suggest that IRAS 18151-1208 is a pre-ultracompact HII region HMPO, IRAS 20343+4129 IRS 1 is an embedded young stellar object with the luminosity of a B3 star, and IRAS 20343+4129 IRS 3 is a B2 ZAMS star that has formed an ultracompact HII region and disrupted its natal envelope.
Arcsecond-resolution spectral observations toward the protobinary system IRAS 16293-2422 at 344 and 354 GHz were conducted using the Submillimeter Array. Complex organic molecules such as CH3OH and HCOOCH3 were detected. Together with the rich organic inventory revealed, it clearly indicates the existence of two, rather than one, compact hot molecular cores (smaller than or equal to 400 AU in radius) associated with each of the protobinary components identified by their dust continuum emission in the inner star-forming core.
We present 86.8 GHz SiO J=2-1 observations of the molecular outflow from the protostellar source NGC 1333 IRAS 2A. Silicon monoxide is a sensitive tracer of shocks in molecular gas, and the emission clearly traces terminal bowshocks at the ends of the outflow lobes, as well as emission knots and a source coincident with the protostar. Our three-field mosaic from the BIMA interferometer covers the entire outflow length, including both lobes. The most prominent emission feature, the eastern bowshock, shows SiO at the leading edge, clearly displaced from the maximum seen in CO. This is in contras…
New AAT near-infrared and SEST 12CO J=2-1 observations are combined with existing ISO mid-infrared and ATCA cm radio continuum observations to examine the protostellar content of the Bok globule BHR 71. Together with observations of Herbig-Haro objects, these data show: (1) Two protostellar sources, IRS1 and IRS2, with a separation of ~17 arcsec (3400 AU) are located within BHR 71. (2) Each protostar is driving its own molecular outflow. The outflow from IRS1 is much larger in extent, is more massive, and dominates the CO emission. (3) Both protostars are associated with Herbig-Haro objects an…
We present radio continuum observations at 7 mm made using the Very Large Array towards three massive star forming regions thought to be in very early stages of evolution selected from the sample of Sridharan et al. (2002). Emission was detected towards all three sources (IRAS 18470-0044, IRAS 19217+1651 and IRAS 23151+5912). We find that in all cases the 7 mm emission corresponds to thermal emission from ionized gas. The regions of ionized gas associated with IRAS 19217+1651 and IRAS 23151+5912 are hypercompact with diameters of 0.009 and 0.0006 pc, and emission measures of 7.0 x 10^8 and 2.3…
Magnetic fields are believed to play a crucial role in the process of star formation. We compare high-angular resolution observations of the submillimeter polarized emission of NGC 1333 IRAS 4A, tracing the magnetic field around a low-mass protostar, with models of the collapse of magnetized molecular cloud cores. Assuming a uniform dust alignment efficiency, we computed the Stokes parameters and synthetic polarization maps from the model density and magnetic field distribution by integrations along the line-of-sight and convolution with the interferometric response. The synthetic maps are in …
Mid-infrared (23-35 micron) emission from the deeply embedded "Class 0" protostar IRAS16293-2422 is detected with the Spitzer Space Telescope infrared spectrograph. A detailed radiative transfer model reproducing the full spectral energy distribution (SED) from 23 micron to 1.3 mm requires a large inner cavity of radius 600 AU in the envelope to avoid quenching the emission from the central sources. This is consistent with a previous suggestion based on high angular resolution millimeter interferometric data. An alternative interpretation using a 2D model of the envelope with an outflow cavity…
Context. The youngest protostars that power energetic outflows are surrounded by infalling and rotating envelopes that contain most of the mass of the system. Aims. To study the properties and kinematics of the protostellar envelope surrounding the embedded source IRAS 05173-0555 in L1634. Methods. We carried out VLA ammonia observations at 1.3 cm with the VLA in the D configuration to map the gas towards the core of L1634. Results. The NH3 emission towards IRAS 05173-0555 is resolved and shows two components clearly distinguishable morphologically: a cross-like structure, roughly elongated in…
We present observations of continuum and molecular lines towards the protostar candidates IRAS 21307+5049 and IRAS 22172+5549. Single-dish maps in the 12CO(2--1), C18O(2--1), HCO+(1--0) lines and sub-mm continuum are compared with interferometric maps in the 12CO(1--0) line and 3 mm continuum, and with mid- and near-infrared images. A plausible interpretation of our data based on the continuum maps and spectral energy distributions is that two components are present: a compact molecular core, responsible for the continuum emission at wavelengths longer than ~25 \mum, and a cluster of stars loc…
We present a radiative transfer model, which is applicable to the study of submillimetre spectral line observations of protostellar envelopes. The model uses an exact, non-LTE, spherically symmetric radiative transfer `Stenholm' method, which numerically solves the radiative transfer problem by the process of `Lambda-iteration'. We also present submillimetre spectral line data of the Class 0 protostars NGC1333-IRAS2 and Serpens SMM4. We examine the physical constraints which can be used to limit the number and range of parameters used in protostellar envelope models, and identify the turbulent…
We report Hubble Space Telescope near-infrared NICMOS observations of a remarkable low-luminosity Class I (protostellar) source in the Taurus Molecular Cloud. IRAS 04325+2402 exhibits a complex bipolar scattered light nebula. The central continuum source is resolved and may be multiple, or may be crossed by a small dust lane. Complex arcs seen in scattered light surround the central source; the physical nature of these structures is not clear, but they may reflect perturbations from multiple stellar sources or from time-dependent mass ejection. A second, resolved continuum source is found at a…
We present bispectrum speckle interferometry of the massive protostellar object IRAS 23151+5912 in the near-infrared K' band. The reconstructed image shows the diffuse nebulosity north-east of two point-like sources in unprecedented detail. The comparison of our near-infrared image with mm continuum and CO molecular line maps shows that the brighter of the two point sources lies near the center of the mm peak, indicating that it is a high-mass protostar. The nebulosity coincides with the blue-shifted molecular outflow component. The most prominent feature in the nebulosity is a bow-shock-like …
We report high spatial resolution VLA observations of the low-mass star-forming region IRAS 16293-2422 using four molecular probes: ethyl cyanide (CH$_3$CH$_2$CN), methyl formate (CH$_3$OCHO), formic acid (HCOOH), and the ground vibrational state of silicon monoxide (SiO). Ethyl cyanide emiss ion has a spatial scale of $\sim20''$ and encompasses binary cores A and B as determined by continuum emission peaks. Surrounded by formic acid emission, methyl formate emission has a spatial scale of $\sim6''$and is confined to core B. SiO emission shows two velocity components with spatial scales less t…
We present the results of a multi-line and continuum study towards the source IRAS 23385+6053,performed with the IRAM-30m telescope, the Plateau de Bure Interferometer, the Very Large Array Interferometer and the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. The new results confirm our earlier findings, namely that IRAS 23385+6053 is a good candidate high-mass protostellar object, precursor of an ultracompact H$_{II}$ region. The source is roughly composed of two regions: a molecular core $\sim0.03\div0.04$ pc in size, with a temperature of $\sim40$ K and an H$_{2}$ volume density of the order of 10$^{7}$ cm…
While most sources above 10^5Lsun have already formed an Ultracompact HII region (UCHII), this is not necessarily the case for sources of lower luminosity. Characterizing sources in the transition phase, i.e., very luminous objects without any detectable free-free emission, is important for a general understanding of massive star formation. Therefore, we observed the luminous High-Mass Protostellar Object IRAS23151+5912 with the Submillimeter Array at 875mum in the submm continuum and spectral line emission at sub-arcsecond resolution. The 875mum submm continuum emission has been resolved into…
High-resolution SiO observations of the NGC 1333 IRAS 4A star-forming region showed a highly collimated outflow with a substantial deflection. The deflection was suggested to be caused by the interactions of the outflow and a dense cloud core. To investigate the deflection process of protostellar outflows, we have carried out three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations of the collision of an outflow with a dense cloud. Assuming a power-law type density distribution of the obstructing cloud, the numerical experiments show that the deflection angle is mainly determined by the impact parameter and…
A detailed radiative transfer analysis of the observed continuum and molecular line emission toward the deeply embedded young stellar object IRAS 16293-2422 is performed. The continuum modelling is used to constrain the temperature and density distributions in the envelope, enabling quantitative estimates of various molecular abundances. The molecular excitation analysis reveals that the emission from some molecular species is well reproduced assuming a constant fractional abundance throughout the envelope. The abundances and isotope ratios are generally close to typical values found in cold m…
In this article, we report high-resolution (~ 0.1" -- 0.3"), high-sensitivity (~ 50 -100 uJy beam-1) Very Large Array 0.7 and 1.3 cm observations of the young stellar system IRAS 16293-2422 in rho-Ophiuchus. In the 0.7 cm image, component A to the south-east of the system looks like its usual binary self. In the new 1.3 cm image, however, component A2 appears to have split into two sub-components located roughly symmetrically around the original position of A2. This change of morphology is likely the result of a recent bipolar ejection, one of the very first such events observed in a low-mass …
We present new infrared data from a survey for embedded protostellar jets in the Orion A cloud. This survey makes use of the S(1) v = 1-0 line of molecular hydrogen at lambda = 2.12 mum to search for infrared jets deep inside the cloud and thus hidden from view at optical wavelengths. We present data on the three flows associated with the Herbig-Haro objects HH 43/38 & HH 64, HH 65, and the L1641-N giant flow. HH 43, HH 38 and HH 64 are part of one H_2 flow extending over at least 1.4 pc. We identify a deeply embedded 1.3 mm and IRAS source (HH 43 MMS1 = IRAS 05355-0709C) as the likely driving…
IRAS 21413+5442 and IRAS 21407+5441 are two massive star forming regions of high luminosity, likely associated with each other. Near-infrared photometry on these two IRAS sources was performed at UKIRT using the UFTI under excellent seeing conditions yielding an angular resolution of $\sim$ 0.5 arcsec. Our results reveal details of stellar content to a completeness limit (90%) of J = 18.5, H = 18.0, and K = 17.5 mag in the two regions. In IRAS 21413+5442, we identify a late O type star, having large (H-K) color, to be near the centre of the CO jets observed by earlier authors. The UKIRT images…
We have obtained Johnson U, B, V and Cousins R, I photometry and low resolution spectra of a small sample of hot post-AGB candidates. Using the present data in combination with JHK data from 2MASS, infrared data from the MSX catalog and the IRAS fluxes, we have studied the spectral energy distribution (SED) of these stars. Using the DUSTY code we have estimated the dust temperatures, the distances to the stars, the mass-loss rates, angular radii of the inner boundary of the dust envelopes and dynamical ages from the tip of the AGB. These candidates have also been imaged through a narrow band H…
In the course of a comprehensive mm/submm survey of massive star-forming regions, the vicinities of a sample of 47 luminous IRAS sources were closely investigated with SCUBA and IRAM bolometers in order to search for massive protostellar candidates. A particularly interesting object has been found in the surroundings of the bright FIR source IRAS 07029-1215. Follow-up line observations show that the object is cold, that it has a massive envelope, and that it is associated with an energetic molecular outflow. No infrared point source has been detected at its position. Therefore, it is a very go…
We probe the region around the protostar HH108MMS by deep mid infrared photometric and polarimetric imaging. The protostar is detected at 14mu in absorption against the diffuse background. Next to HH108MMS, we find a second absorbing core, named Q1, and the young stellar object IRAS18331-0035 which is more advanced in its evolution and already seen in emission at 12mu and 14mu. HH108MMS, Q1 and IRAS18331-0035 form a triplet along an extended filamentary absorption feature. From the variation of the surface brightness across the source, we derive for HH108MMS and Q1 the optical depth and densit…
We present 850micron imaging polarimetry of two high-mass star forming regions - W48 and S152. Within these regions we have identified two candidate high-mass protostellar objects - W48W and S152SE. The submillimetre continuum emission from the candidate HMPOs is bright in comparison to the nearby HII regions. W48W is a cold dense source, with no radio or mid-infrared emission. S152SE has an IRAS source IRAS 22566+5828 in the Southwestern part of the region, which appears in the mid-infrared 8.28micron emission, but there is no radio emission. The 850micron data shows another core within the r…
This paper presents a large spectral line and continuum survey of 8 deeply embedded, low-mass protostellar cores using the Submillimeter Array. Each source was observed in high excitation lines of some of the most common molecular species, CO, HCO+, CS, SO, H2CO, CH3OH and SiO. Line emission from 11 species originating from warm and dense gas have been imaged at high angular resolution (1-3"; typically 200-600 AU) together with continuum emission at 230 GHz (1.3 mm) and 345 GHz (0.8 mm). Compact continuum emission is observed for all sources which likely originates in marginally optically thic…
(Abridged) We have observed CS and C17O lines, and 1.2 mm cont. emission towards a sample of 130 high-mass protostellar candidates with DEC<-30 deg. This is the first step of the southern extension of a project started more than a decade ago aimed at the identification of massive protostellar candidates. We selected from the IRAS PSC 429 sources which potentially are compact molecular clouds. The sample is divided into two groups: the 298 sources with [25-12]>0.57 and [60-12]>1.30 we call 'High' sources, the remaining 131 we call 'Low' sources. In this paper, we check the association with dens…
The mid-infrared emission at the center of IRAS 21026+4104 is not that of a simple compact source, as one would expect from an isolated high mass protostellar object. Furthermore the central thermal infrared emission does not appear to be coming directly from a circumstellar disk as has been recently hypothesized from near-infrared observations. The mid-infrared structure is complex, but with the help of multiple wavelength information two plausible scenarios to explain the emission in the region are advanced. The first is that there is a tight cluster of young stellar objects here. The second…
We aim to study dust properties of massive star forming regions in the outer Galaxy, in a direction opposite to the Galactic center. We present observations of six outer Galaxy point sources IRAS 01045+6505, 01420+6401, 05271+3059, 05345+3556, 20222+3541 and 20406+4555, taken with the Submillimeter Common-User Bolometer Array (SCUBA) on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) at 450 and 850 micron. Single temperature greybody models are fitted to the Spectral Energy Distribution of the detected sub-mm cores to derive dust temperature, dust emissivity index and optical depth at 250 micron. The…
We present a compilation and study of DENIS, 2MASS, ISOGAL, MSX and IRAS 1--25 micron photometry for a sample of 441 late-type stars in the inner Galaxy, which we previously searched for 86 GHz SiO maser emission (Messineo et al.2002). The comparison of the DENIS and 2MASS J and Ks magnitudes shows that most of the SiO targets are indeed variable stars. The MSX colours and the IRAS [12]-[25] colour of our SiO targets are consistent with those of Mira type stars with dust silicate feature at 9.7 micron feature in emission, indicating only a moderate mass-loss rate.
We report on spectroscopic analyses of three K giants previously suggested to be Li-rich: IRAS 12327-6523, IRAS 13539-4153, and IRAS 17596-3952. High-resolution optical spectra and the LTE model atmospheres are used to derive the stellar parameters: ($T_{\rm eff}$, log $g$, [Fe/H]), elemental abundances, and the isotopic ratio $^{12}$C/$^{13}$C. IRAS 13539-4153 shows an extremely high Li abundance of $\logε$(Li) $\approx$ 4.2, a value ten times more than the present Li abundance in the local interstellar medium. This is the third highest Li abundance yet reported for a K giant. IRAS 12327-6523…
We present here an extensive analysis of the protostellar jet driven by IRAS 20126+4104, deriving the kinematical, dynamical, and physical conditions of the H2 gas along the flow. The jet has been investigated by means of near-IR H2 and [FeII] narrow-band imaging, high resolution spectroscopy of the 1-0S(1) line (2.12 um), NIR (0.9-2.5 um) low resolution spectroscopy, along with ISO-SWS and LWS spectra (from 2.4 to 200 um). The flow shows a complex morphology. In addition to the large-scale jet precession presented in previous studies, we detect a small-scale wiggling close to the source, that…
We present a study of McNeil's Nebula, a newly appeared reflection nebula in the L1630 cloud, together with photometry and spectroscopy of its source. New IR photometry compared to earlier 2MASS data shows that the star has brightened by about 3 magnitudes in the near-infrared, changing its location in a J-H/H-K diagram precisely along a reddening vector. A Gemini NIRI K-band spectrum shows strong CO-bandhead emission and Br-gamma is in emission, indicative of strong accretion. A Gemini GMOS optical spectrum shows only a red, heavily veiled continuum, with H-alpha strongly in emission and disp…
We performed interferometric observations of a high-mass protostellar candidate IRAS 18566+0408 in the \nh3 (J,K)=(1,1), (2,2) and (3,3) inversion transitions, the SiO J=2-1 and HCN J=1-0 lines, and the 43 and 87 GHz continuum emission using the VLA and OVRO. The 87 GHz continuum emission reveals two continuum peaks MM-1 and MM-2 along a molecular ridge. The dominant peak MM-1 coincides with a compact emission feature at 43 GHz, and arises mostly from the dust emission. For dust emissivity index $β$ of 1.3, the masses in the dust peaks amount to 70 \msun for MM-1, and 27 \msun for MM-2. Assumi…
We present a catalogue of molecular cloud cores drawn from high latitude, medium opacity clouds, using the all-sky IRAS Sky Survey Atlas (ISSA) images at 60 and 100~$μ$m. The typical column densities of the cores are $ N(H_2)\sim 3.8 \times 10^{21} $cm$^{-2}$ and the typical volume densities are $ n(H_2) \sim 2 \times 10^3$cm$^{-3}$. They are therefore significantly less dense than many other samples obtained in other ways. Those cloud cores with IRAS point sources are seen to be already forming stars, but this is found to be only a small fraction of the total number of cores. The fraction of …
We present Sloan Digital Sky Survey and United States Naval Observatory observations of the V1647 Ori protostar and surrounding field near NGC 2068. V1647 Ori, the likely driving source for HH 23, brightened significantly in November 2003. Analysis of SDSS imaging acquired in November 1998 and February 2002 during the quiescent state, recent USNO photometry, and published 2MASS and Gemini data shows that the color changes associated with brightening suggest an EXor outburst rather than a simple dust clearing event.
Up to now only a few intermediate-mass molecular outflows have been studied with enough high-angular resolution. The aim of this work is to study in detail the intermediate-mass YSO IRAS 22272+6358A, which is embedded in L1206, and its molecular outflow, in order to investigate the interaction of the outflow with the dense protostellar material, and to compare their properties with those of lower mas counterparts. We carried out OVRO observations of the 2.7 mm continuum emission, CO(1-0), C18O(1-0), and HC3N(12-11) in order to map with high-angular resolution the core of L1206, and to derive t…
We report on photometry and high-resolution spectroscopy for IRAS 19285+0517. The spectral energy distribution based on visible and near-IR photometry and far-IR fluxes shows that the star is surrounded by dust at a temperature of $T_{\rm {d}}$ $\sim$ 250 K. Spectral line analysis shows that the star is a K giant with a projected rotational velocity $v sin i$ = 9 $\pm$ 2 km s$^{-1}$. We determined the atmospheric parameters: $T_{\rm {eff}}$ = 4500 K, log $g$ = 2.5, $ξ_{t}$ = 1.5 km s$^{-1}$, and [Fe/H] = 0.14 dex. The LTE abundance analysis shows that the star is Li-rich (log $ε$(Li) = 2.5$\pm…
Investigating in more detail the previously suggested massive disk scenario for the High-Mass Protostellar Object IRAS18089-1732, we observed the source in the 860mum band with the Submillimeter Array in various spectral lines and the submm continuum emission at (sub-)arcsecond spatial resolution. Fifty spectral lines from eighteen different species spanning upper level energy states between 17 and 747K were detected. One of the assumed best tracers for massive disks, CH3CN, is optically thick and does not allow a further disk investigation. However, the complex molecule HCOOCH3 appears optica…
Near-infrared photometry and narrow/broad-band imaging of the massive and luminous young stellar object IRAS 05361+3539 are presented. Imaging observations were made at Mt. Abu while the photometric data were taken from the 2MASS. From the color-color and color-magnitude diagrams, we identified several sources of faint Class II type and about six Class I type in the parent molecular cloud complex. The IRAS 05361+3539 itself was seen to be a Class I object and our images in Br$γ$ and H$_{2}$ lines show jets/outflows from this object. The jet/outflow matches with the axis of CO outflow detected …
We present a detailed spectroscopic investigation, spanning four winters, of the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star IRAS 02091+6333. Zijlstra & Weinberger (2002) found a giant wall of dust around this star and modelled this unique phenomenon. However their work suffered from the quality of the optical investigations of the central object. Our spectroscopic investigation allowed us to define the spectral type and the interstellar foreground extinction more precisely. Accurate multi band photometry was carried out. This provides us with the possibility to derive the physical parameters of the sy…
New mid-infrared (10 and 20 micron) spectro-photometry of the ultraluminous infrared galaxy IRAS 08572+3915 is presented. The 10 micron spectrum reveals a deep silicate absorption feature, while the 20 micron spectrum shows no clear evidence for an 18 micron silicate absorption feature. An interstellar extinction curve is fitted to IRAS 08572+3915 and two other deep silicate infrared galaxies, NGC 4418 and Arp 220. It is found that pure extinction cannot explain the spectral energy distributions of these sources. On the other hand, both the strength of the silicate absorption and the overall s…
The onset of gravitational collapse in cluster-forming clouds is still poorly known. Our goal is to use the Class 0 protostar IRAS 4A, which is undergoing collapse in the active molecular cloud NGC 1333, to set constraints on this process. In particular we want to measure the mass infall rate and investigate whether the collapse could have been triggered by a strong external perturbation. We analyze existing continuum observations to derive the density structure of the envelope, and use our new molecular line observations done with the IRAM 30m telescope to probe its velocity structure. We per…
We report the discovery of a young massive stellar cluster embedded in an extended HII region, invisible at optical wavelengths where the extinction is $A_V \approx 28$ magnitudes, associated with the IRAS source 16177-5018. $J, H$ and nb$K$ imaging photometry combined with the $K_S$ 2MASS data show the presence of sources with infrared excess emission at 2.2 $μ$m, concentrated in an area of about one square parsec around a massive young stellar object identified as the IRAS source. This object has a near-mid infrared spectral index betweem 2.2 and 25 $μ$m $α({\rm IR}) = d {\rm log}(λF_λ)/d {\…
We investigate the dust composition of detached shells around carbon stars, with a focus to understand the origin of the cool magnesium-sulfide (MgS) material around warm carbon stars, which has been detected around several of these objects. We build a radiative transfer model of a carbon star surrounded by an expanding detached shell of dust. The shell contains amorphous carbon grains and MgS grains. We find that a small fraction of MgS dust (2% of the dust mass) can give a significant contribution to the IRAS 25 micron flux. However, the presence of MgS in the detached shell cannot be inferr…
Context. This is the third of a series of papers devoted to study in detail and with high-angular resolution intermediate-mass molecular outflows and their powering sources. Aims. The aim of this paper is to study the intermediate-mass YSO IRAS 20050+2720 and its molecular outflow, and put the results of this and the previous studied sources in the context of intermediate-mass star formation. Methods. We carried out VLA observations of the 7 mm continuum emission, and OVRO observations of the 2.7 mm continuum emission, CO(1-0), C18O(1-0), and HC3N(12-11) to map the core towards IRAS 20050+2720…
We report on the identification of 54 embedded clusters around 217 massive protostellar candidates of which 34 clusters are new detections. The embedded clusters are identified as stellar surface density enhancements in the 2 $μ$m All Sky Survey (2MASS) data. Because the clusters are all associated with massive stars in their earliest evolutionary stage, the clusters should also be in an early stage of evolution. Thus the properties of these clusters should reflect properties associated with their formation rather than their evolution. For each cluster, we estimate the mass, the morphological …
