Angular momentum profiles of Class 0 protostellar envelopes
M. Gaudel, A. J. Maury, A. Belloche, S. Maret, Ph. André, P. Hennebelle, M. Galametz, L. Testi, S. Cabrit, P. Palmeirim, B. Ladjelate, C. Codella, L. Podio
[abridged] Understanding how the infalling gas redistribute most of its initial angular momentum inherited from prestellar cores before reaching the stellar embryo is a key question. Disk formation has been naturally considered as a possible solution to this "angular momentum problem". However, how the initial angular momentum of protostellar cores is distributed and evolves during the main accretion phase and the beginning of disk formation has largely remained unconstrained up to now. In the framework of the IRAM CALYPSO survey, we used high dynamic range C$^{18}$O (2-1) and N$_2$H$^+$ (1-0) observations to quantify the distribution of specific angular momentum along the equatorial axis in a sample of 12 Class 0 protostellar envelopes from scales ~50 to 10000 au. The radial distributions of specific angular momentum in the CALYPSO sample suggest two distinct regimes within protostellar envelopes: the specific angular momentum decreases as $j \propto r^{1.6 \pm 0.2}$ down to ~1600 au and then tends to become relatively constant around 6 $\times$ 10$^{-4}$ km s$^{-1}$ pc down to ~50 au. The values of specific angular momentum measured in the inner Class 0 envelopes, namely that of the material directly involved in the star formation process ($<$1600 au), is on the same order of magnitude as what is inferred in small T-Tauri disks. Thus, disk formation appears to be a direct consequence of angular momentum conservation during the collapse. Our analysis reveals a dispersion of the directions of velocity gradients at envelope scales $>$1600 au, suggesting that they may not be related to rotational motions of the envelopes. We conclude that the specific angular momentum observed at these scales could find its origin in core-forming motions (infall, turbulence) or trace an imprint of the initial conditions for the formation of protostellar cores.
In the standard picture for low-mass star formation, a dense molecular cloud undergoes gravitational collapse to form a protostellar system consisting of a new central star, a circumstellar disk, and a surrounding envelope of remaining material. The mass distribution of the system evolves as matter accretes from the large-scale envelope through the disk and onto the protostar. While this general picture is supported by simulations and indirect observational measurements, the specific timescales related to disk growth and envelope dissipation remain poorly constrained. In this paper we conduct …
HH 211 is a young Class 0 protostellar system, with a flattened envelope, a possible rotating disk, and a collimated jet. We have mapped it with the Submillimeter Array in 341.6 GHz continuum and SiO J=8-7 at ~ 0.6 resolution. The continuum traces the thermal dust emission in the flattened envelope and the possible disk. Linear polarization is detected in the continuum in the flattened envelope. The field lines implied from the polarization have different orientations, but they are not incompatible with current gravitational collapse models, which predict different orientation depending on the…
Theoretically, misalignment between the magnetic field and rotational axis in a dense core is considered to be dynamically important in the star formation process, however, extent of this influence remains observationally unclear. For a sample of 32 Class 0 and I protostars in the Perseus Molecular Cloud, we analyzed gas motions using C$^{18}$O data from the SMA MASSES survey and the magnetic field structures using 850 $μ$m polarimetric data from the JCMT BISTRO-1 survey and archive. We do not find any significant correlation between the velocity gradients in the C$^{18}$O emission in the prot…
It is not well known what drives the chemistry of a protostellar envelope, in particular the role of the stellar mass and the outflows on its chemical enrichment. We study the chemical structure of NGC 1333 IRAS 4A in order to (i) investigate the influence of the outflows on the chemistry, (ii) constrain the age of our object, (iii) compare it with a typical high-mass protostellar envelope. In our analysis we use JCMT line mapping and HIFI pointed spectra. To study the influence of the outflow on the degree of deuteration, we compare JCMT maps of HCO+ and DCO+ with non-LTE (RADEX) models in a …
Evidence of Enhanced Ionization in Protostellar Envelopes
Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie（马克斯·普朗克天文学研究所）；Steward Observatory, University of Arizona（亚利桑那大学斯图尔德天文台）；Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG（格勒诺布尔阿尔卑斯大学、法国国家科学研究中心、地球与行星物理学研究所）；Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie（马克斯·普朗克射电天文学研究所）；Laboratoire d’Astrophysique (AIM) Université Paris-Saclay, Université Paris Cité, CEA, CNRS, AIM（巴黎萨克雷大学、巴黎西岱大学、法国原子能和替代能源委员会、法国国家科学研究中心天体分子实验室）；INAF, Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri（意大利国家天体物理研究所阿切尔天文台）
We present a comprehensive analysis on the evolution of envelopes surrounding protostellar systems in the Perseus molecular cloud using data from the MASSES survey. We focus our attention to the C$^{18}$O(2--1) spectral line, and we characterize the shape, size, and orientation of 54 envelopes and measure their fluxes, velocity gradients, and line widths. To look for evolutionary trends, we compare these parameters to the bolometric temperature Tbol, a tracer of protostellar age. We find evidence that the angular difference between the elongation angle of the C$^{18}$O envelope and the outflow…
We performed mapping observations of the Class I protostellar binary system L1551 NE in the C$^{18}$O ($J$=3-2), $^{13}$CO ($J$=3-2), CS ($J$=7-6), and SO ($J_N$=7$_8$-6$_7$) lines with Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment (ASTE). The ASTE C$^{18}$O data are combined with our previous SMA C$^{18}$O data, which show a $r \sim$300-AU scale Keplerian disk around the protostellar binary system. The C$^{18}$O maps show a $\sim$20000-AU scale protostellar envelope surrounding the central Keplerian circumbinary disk. The envelope exhibits a northeast (blue) - southwest (red) velocity gradient a…
We report molecular line observations of the massive protostellar source G339.88-1.26 with the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array. The observations reveal a highly collimated SiO jet extending from the 1.3 mm continuum source, which connects to a slightly wider but still highly collimated CO outflow. Rotational features perpendicular to the outflow axis are detected in various molecular emissions, including SiO, SO2, H2S, CH3OH, and H2CO emissions. Based on their spatial distributions and kinematics, we find that they trace different parts of the envelope-disk system. The SiO emissio…
Context: Simulations suggest that gas heating due to radiative feedback is a key factor in whether or not multiple protostellar systems will form. Chemistry is a good tracer of the physical structure of a protostellar system, since it depends on the temperature structure. Aims: We aim to study the relationship between envelope gas temperature and protostellar multiplicity. Methods: Single dish observations of various molecules that trace the cold, warm and UV-irradiated gas are used to probe the temperature structure of multiple and single protostellar systems on 7000 AU scales. Results: Singl…
HH 111 is a Class I protostellar system at a distance of ~ 400 pc, with the central source VLA 1 associated with a rotating disk deeply embedded in a flattened envelope. Here we present the observations of this system at ~ 0.6" (240 AU) resolution in C18O (J=2-1) and 230 GHz continuum obtained with Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array, and in SO obtained with Submillimeter Array. The observations show for the first time how a Keplerian rotating disk can be formed inside a flattened envelope. The flattened envelope is detected in C18O, extending out to >~ 2400 AU from the VLA 1 source. …
To assess the potential role of magnetic fields in regulating the envelope rotation and the fragmentation of Class 0 protostars, we carried out observations of the dust polarized emission at 0.87 mm with the SMA, in the envelopes of a large sample of 20 Class 0 protostars. We estimate the mean magnetic field orientation over the central 1000 au envelope scales and compared it to that of the protostellar outflow in order to study the relation between their misalignment and the kinematics of the circumstellar gas. We discover a strong relationship between the misalignment of the magnetic field o…
The formation pathways of different types of organic molecules in protostellar envelopes and other regions of star formation are subjects of intense current interest. We here present observations of C$_4$H and CH$_3$OH, tracing two distinct groups of interstellar organic molecules, toward 16 protostars in the Ophiuchus and Corona Australis molecular clouds. Together with observations in the literature, we present C$_4$H and CH$_3$OH data from single-dish observations of 40 embedded protostars. We find no correlation between the C$_4$H and CH$_3$OH column densities in this large sample. Based o…
HL Tau is a Class I-II protostar embedded in an infalling and rotating envelope and possibly associated with a planet forming disk, and it is co-located in a 0.1 pc molecular cloud with two nearby young stellar objects. Our ALMA observations revealed two arc-like structures on a 1000 au scale connected to the disk, and their kinematics could not be explained with any conventional model of infalling and rotational motions. In this work, we investigate the nature of these arc-like structures connected to the HL Tau disk. We conducted new observations in the 13CO and C18O (3-2; 2-1) lines with JC…
To study transportation of magnetic flux from large to small scales in protostellar sources, we analyzed the Nobeyama 45-m N2H+ (1-0), JCMT 850 um polarization, and ALMA C18O (2-1) and 1.3 mm and 0.8 mm (polarized) continuum data of the Class 0 protostar HH 211. The magnetic field strength in the dense core on a 0.1 pc scale was estimated with the single-dish line and polarization data using the Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi method, and that in the protostellar envelope on a 600 au scale was estimated from the force balance between the gravity and magnetic field tension by analyzing the gas kinema…
We report the detection of a unique CO2 ice band toward the deeply embedded, low-mass protostar HOPS-68. Our spectrum, obtained with the Infrared Spectrograph onboard the Spitzer Space Telescope, reveals a 15.2 micron CO2 ice bending mode profile that cannot modeled with the same ice structure typically found toward other protostars. We develop a modified CO2 ice profile decomposition, including the addition of new high-quality laboratory spectra of pure, crystalline CO2 ice. Using this model, we find that 87-92% of the CO2 is sequestered as spherical, CO2-rich mantles, while typical interstel…
We study protostellar envelope and outflow evolution using Hubble Space Telescope NICMOS or WFC3 images of 304 protostars in the Orion Molecular clouds. These near-IR images resolve structures in the envelopes delineated by the scattered light of the central protostars with 80 AU resolution and they complement the 1.2-870 micron spectral energy distributions obtained with the Herschel Orion Protostar Survey program (HOPS). Based on their 1.60 micron morphologies, we classify the protostars into five categories: non-detections, point sources without nebulosity, bipolar cavity sources, unipolar …
Polarized dust continuum emission has been observed with ALMA in an increasing number of deeply embedded protostellar systems. It generally shows a sharp transition going from the protostellar envelope to the disk scale, with the polarization fraction typically dropping from ${\sim} 5\%$ to ${\sim} 1\%$ and the inferred magnetic field orientations becoming more aligned with the major axis of the system. We quantitatively investigate these observational trends using a sample of protostars in the Perseus molecular cloud and compare these features with a non-ideal MHD disk formation simulation. W…
A massive envelope and a strong bipolar outflow are the two main structures characterizing the youngest protostellar systems. In order to understand the physical properties of a bipolar outflow and the relationship with those of the envelope, we obtained a mosaic map covering the whole bipolar outflow of the youngest protostellar system L1157 with about $5"$ angular resolution in CO J=2-1 using the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy. By utilizing these observations of the whole bipolar outflow, we estimate its physical properties and show that they are consistent with mul…
We report our SMA observations of the Class \RN{1}-\RN{2} protostar HL Tau in the $^{13}$CO (2--1), C$^{18}$O (2--1), SO(5$_6$--4$_5$), and the 1.3 mm dust-continuum emission and our analyses of the ALMA long baseline data of the HCO$^{+}$ (1--0) emission. The 1.3 mm continuum emission observed with the SMA shows compact ($\sim$0$\farcs$8 $\times$ 0$\farcs$5) and extended ($\sim$6$\farcs$5 $\times$ 4$\farcs$3) components, tracing the protoplanetary disk and the protostellar envelope, respectively. The $^{13}$CO, C$^{18}$O, and HCO$^+$ show a compact ($\sim$ 200 AU) component at velocities high…
We have imaged 15 molecular-line emissions and the dust continuum emission around the Class 0 protostellar source, IRAS 15398-3359, with ALMA. The outflow structure is mainly traced by the H2CO (K_a=0 and 1), CCH, and CS emissions. These lines also trace the disk/envelope structure around the protostar. The H2CO (K_a=2 and 3), CH3OH, and SO emissions are concentrated toward the protostar, while the DCN emission is more extended around the protostar. We have performed the principal component analysis (PCA) for these distributions on the two different scales, the outflow and the disk/envelope st…
We use archived IRAC images from the Spitzer Space Telescope to show that many Class 0 protostars exhibit complex, irregular, and non-axisymmetric structure within their dusty envelopes. Our 8 $μ$m extinction maps probe some of the densest regions in these protostellar envelopes. Many of the systems are observed to have highly irregular and non-axisymmetric morphologies on scales >= 1000 AU, with a quarter of the sample exhibiting filamentary or flattened dense structures. Complex envelope structure is observed in regions spatially distinct from outflow cavities, and the densest structures oft…
We present key results from the Herschel Orion Protostar Survey (HOPS): spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and model fits of 330 young stellar objects, predominantly protostars, in the Orion molecular clouds. This is the largest sample of protostars studied in a single, nearby star-formation complex. With near-infrared photometry from 2MASS, mid- and far-infrared data from Spitzer and Herschel, and sub-millimeter photometry from APEX, our SEDs cover 1.2-870 $μ$m and sample the peak of the protostellar envelope emission at ~100 $μ$m. Using mid-IR spectral indices and bolometric temperatures, …
We present a study of dense molecular gas kinematics in seventeen nearby protostellar systems using single-dish and interferometric molecular line observations. The non-axisymmetric envelopes around a sample of Class 0/I protostars were mapped in the N2H+ (J=1-0) tracer with the IRAM 30m, CARMA and PdBI as well as NH3 (1,1) with the VLA. The molecular line emission is used to construct line-center velocity and linewidth maps for all sources to examine the kinematic structure in the envelopes on spatial scales from 0.1 pc to ~1000 AU. The direction of the large-scale velocity gradients from sin…
We have analyzed rotational spectral line emission of OCS, CH3OH, HCOOCH3, and H2CS observed toward the low-mass Class 0 protostellar source IRAS 16293-2422 Source A at a sub-arcsecond resolution (~0".6 x 0".5) with ALMA. Significant chemical differentiation is found at a 50 AU scale. The OCS line is found to well trace the infalling-rotating envelope in this source. On the other hand, the CH3OH and HCOOCH3 distributions are found to be concentrated around the inner part of the infalling-rotating envelope. With a simple ballistic model of the infalling-rotating envelope, the radius of the cent…
The high-sensitivity of the IRAM 30-m ASAI unbiased spectral survey in the mm-window allows us to detect NO emission towards both the Class I object SVS13-A and the protostellar outflow shock L1157-B1. We detect the hyperfine components of the $^2Π_{\rm 1/2}$ $J$ = 3/2 $\to$ 1/2 (at 151 GHz) and the $^2Π_{\rm 1/2}$ $J$ = 5/2 $\to$ 3/2 (250 GHz) spectral pattern. The two objects show different NO profiles: (i) SVS13-A emits through narrow (1.5 km s$^{-1}$) lines at the systemic velocity, while (ii) L1157-B1 shows broad ($\sim$ 5 km s$^{-1}$) blue-shifted emission. For SVS13-A the analysis leads…
We aim to reveal the gas energetics in the circumstellar environment of the prototypical high-mass protostellar object AFGL2591 using space-based far-infrared observations of linear rotor molecules. Rotational spectral line signatures of CO, HCO+, CS, HCN and HNC from a 490-1240 GHz survey with Herschel/HIFI, complemented by ground-based JCMT and IRAM 30m spectra, cover transitions with E(up)/k between 5 and ~300 K (750K for 12C16O, using selected frequency settings up to 1850 GHz). The resolved spectral line profiles are used to separate and study various kinematic components. The line profil…
Grain growth during star formation affects the physical and chemical processes in the evolution of star-forming clouds. We investigate the origin of the millimeter (mm)-sized grains recently observed in Class I protostellar envelopes. We use the coagulation model developed in our previous paper and find that a hydrogen number density of as high as $10^{10}~{\rm cm^{-3}}$, instead of the typical density $10^5~{\rm cm^{-3}}$, is necessary for the formation of mm-sized grains. Thus, we test a hypothesis that such large grains are transported to the envelope from the inner, denser parts, finding t…
We present the results of a suite of numerical simulations designed to explore the origin of the angular momenta of protostellar cores. Using the hydrodynamic grid code \emph{Athena} with a sink implementation, we follow the formation of protostellar cores and protostars (sinks) from the subvirial collapse of molecular clouds on larger scales to investigate the range and relative distribution of core properties. We find that the core angular momenta are relatively unaffected by large-scale rotation of the parent cloud; instead, we infer that angular momenta are mainly imparted by torques betwe…
Star forming molecular clouds are observed to be both highly magnetized and turbulent. Consequently the formation of protostellar disks is largely dependent on the complex interaction between gravity, magnetic fields, and turbulence. Studies of non-turbulent protostellar disk formation with realistic magnetic fields have shown that these fields are efficient in removing angular momentum from the forming disks, preventing their formation. However, once turbulence is included, disks can form in even highly magnetized clouds, although the precise mechanism remains uncertain. Here we present sever…
We use numerical simulations of molecular cloud formation in the colliding flow scenario to investigate the reliability of observational estimates of the angular momenta of early-state, low-mass protostellar cores. We show that, with suitable corrections for projection factors, molecular line observations of velocity gradients in NH$_3$ can be used to provide reasonable estimates of core angular momenta within a factor of two to three, with a few large underestimates due to unfavorable viewing angles. Our results differ from previous investigations which suggested that observations might overe…
The physical and chemical conditions in Class 0/I protostars are fundamental in unlocking the protostellar accretion process and its impact on planet formation. The aim is to determine which physical components are traced by different molecules at sub-arcsecond scales (100 - 400 au). We use a suite of Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) datasets in Band 6 (1 mm), Band 5 (1.8 mm) and Band 3 (3 mm) at spatial resolutions 0.5 - 3" for 16 protostellar sources. The protostellar envelope is well traced by C$^{18}$O, DCO$^+$ and N$_2$D$^+$, with the freeze-out of CO governing the chem…
We have observed the Class I protostellar source Elias 29 with Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). We have detected CS, SO, $^{34}$SO, SO$_2$, and SiO line emissions in a compact component concentrated near the protostar and a ridge component separated from the protostar by 4\arcsec\ ($\sim 500$ au). The former component is found to be abundant in SO and SO$_2$ but deficient in CS. The abundance ratio SO/CS is as high as $3^{+13}_{-2} \times 10^2$ at the protostar, which is even higher than that in the outflow-shocked region of L1157 B1. However, organic molecules (HCOOCH$_3$,…
We present the Spitzer Space Telescope Infrared Spectrograph spectrum of the Orion A protostar HOPS-68. The mid-infrared spectrum reveals crystalline substructure at 11.1, 16.1, 18.8, 23.6, 27.9, and 33.6 microns superimposed on the broad 9.7 and 18 micron amorphous silicate features; the substructure is well matched by the presence of the olivine end-member forsterite. Crystalline silicates are often observed as infrared emission features around the circumstellar disks of Herbig Ae/Be stars and T Tauri stars. However, this is the first unambiguous detection of crystalline silicate absorption …
Protostars likely accrete material at a highly time variable rate, however, measurements of accretion variability from the youngest protostars are rare, as they are still deeply embedded within their envelopes. Sub-mm/mm observations can trace the thermal response of dust in the envelope to accretion luminosity changes, allowing variations in the accretion rate to be quantified. In this paper, we present contemporaneous sub-mm/mm light curves of variable protostars in Serpens Main, as observed by the ALMA ACA, SMA, and JCMT. The most recent outburst of EC 53 (V371 Ser), an $\sim 18$ month peri…
We present observations of the Class 0 protostar L1157-mm using the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy (CARMA) in 3 mm dust continuum and N2H+ line emission. In the N2H+ line, we detect a large-scale envelope extended over a linear size of ~20,000AU flattened in the direction perpendicular to the outflow. This N2H+ feature coincides with the outer envelope seen in the 8 micron extinction by Looney et al. Meanwhile, the dust continuum traces the compact, nearly spherical structure of the inner envelope, where N2H+ becomes depleted. This highly flattened N2H+ envelope also …
During the formation of stars, the accretion of the surrounding material toward the central object is thought to undergo strong luminosity outbursts, followed by long periods of relative quiescence, even at the early stages of star formation when the protostar is still embedded in a large envelope. We investigated the gas phase formation and the recondensation of the complex organic molecules (COMs) di-methyl ether and methyl formate, induced by sudden ice evaporation processes occurring during luminosity outbursts of different amplitudes in protostellar envelopes. For this purpose, we updated…
Resolving physical and chemical structures in the vicinity of a protostar is of fundamental importance for elucidating their evolution to a planetary system. In this context, we have conducted 1.2 mm observations toward the low-mass protostellar source B335 at a resolution of 0."03 with ALMA. More than 20 molecular species including HCOOH, NH2 CHO, HNCO, CH3 OH, CH2 DOH, CHD2 OH, and CH3 OD are detected within a few 10 au around the continuum peak. We find a systematic chemical differentiation between oxygen-bearing and nitrogen-bearing organic molecules by using the principal component analys…
We present Herschel/HIFI observations (WISH KP) of 14 water lines in a small sample of galactic massive protostellar objects: NGC6334I(N), DR21(OH), IRAS16272-4837, and IRAS05358+3543. We analyze the gas dynamics from the line profiles. Through modeling of the observations using RATRAN, we estimate outflow, infall, turbulent velocities, molecular abundances, and investigate any correlation with the evolutionary status of each source. The molecular line profiles exhibit a broad component coming from the shocks along the cavity walls associated with the protostars, and an infalling (or expansion…
With the advent of ALMA, it is now possible to observationally constrain how disks form around deeply embedded protostars. In particular, the recent ALMA C3H2 line observations of the nearby protostar L1527 have been interpreted as evidence for the so-called "centrifugal barrier," where the protostellar envelope infall is gradually decelerated to a stop by the centrifugal force in a region of super-Keplerian rotation. To test the concept of centrifugal barrier, which was originally based on angular momentum conserving-collapse of a rotating test particle around a fixed point mass, we carry out…
We numerically model the collapse of magnetic rotating protostellar clouds with mass of 10 $M_{sun}$. The simulations are carried out with the help of 2D MHD code Enlil. The structure of the cloud at the isothermal stage of the collapse is investigated for the cases of weak, moderate, and strong initial magnetic field. Simulations reveal the universal hierarchical structure of collapsing protostellar clouds, consisting of flattened envelope with the qausi-magnetostatc disk inside and the first core in its center. The size of the primary disk increases with the initial magnetic energy of the cl…
We performed SMA observations in the C18O (2-1) emission line toward six Class 0 and I protostars, to study rotational motions of their surrounding envelopes and circumstellar material on 100 to 1000 AU scales. C18O (2-1) emission with intensity peaks located at the protostellar positions is detected toward all the six sources. The rotational velocities of the protostellar envelopes as a function of radius were measured from the Position-Velocity diagrams perpendicular to the outflow directions passing through the protostellar positions. Two Class 0 sources, B335 and NGC 1333 IRAS 4B, show no …
On the 3D time evolution of the dust size distribution in protostellar envelopes
Université Paris-Saclay（巴黎萨克雷大学）；Université Paris Cité（巴黎西岱大学）；CEA（法国原子能和替代能源委员会）；CNRS（法国国家科学研究中心）；AIM（天体物理研究所）；Institute of Space Sciences (ICE), CSIC（空间科学研究所（CSIC））；ICREA（加泰罗尼亚高级研究学院）
We have observed the three low-mass protostars, IRAS 15398$-$3359, L1527 IRS and TMC-1A, with the ALMA 12-m array, the ACA 7-m array, and the IRAM-30m and APEX telescopes in the C$^{18}$O $J=2$-1 emission. Overall, the C$^{18}$O emission shows clear velocity gradients at radii of $\sim$100-1000 au, which likely originate from rotation of envelopes, while velocity gradients are less clear and velocity structures are more perturbed on scales of $\sim$1000-10,000 au. IRAS 15398$-$3359 and L1527 IRS show a break at radii of $\sim$1200 and $\sim$1700 au in the radial profile of the peak velocity, r…
Efficient magnetic braking is a formidable obstacle to the formation of rotationally supported disks (RSDs) around protostars in magnetized dense cores. We have previously shown, through 2D (axisymmetric) non-ideal MHD simulations, that removing very small grains (VSGs: ~10 Å$~$to few 100 Å) can greatly enhance ambipolar diffusion and enable the formation of RSDs. Here we extend the simulations of disk formation enabled by VSG removal to 3D. We find that the key to this scenario of disk formation is that the drift velocity of the magnetic field almost cancels out the infall velocity of the neu…
Building on our previous hydrodynamic study of the angular momenta of cloud cores formed during gravitational collapse of star-forming molecular gas in our previous work, we now examine core properties assuming ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). Using the same sink-patch implementation for the \emph{Athena} MHD code, we characterize the statistical properties of cores, including the mass accretion rates, specific angular momenta, and alignments between the magnetic field and the spin axis of the core on the $0.1 \ \mathrm{pc}$ scale. Our simulations, which reproduce the observed relation betwee…
Through the magnetic braking and the launching of protostellar outflows, magnetic fields play a major role in the regulation of angular momentum in star formation, which directly impacts the formation and evolution of protoplanetary disks and binary systems. The aim of this paper is to quantify those phenomena in the presence of non-ideal magnetohydrodynamics effects, namely the Ohmic and ambipola r diffusion. We perform three-dimensional simulations of protostellar collapses varying the mass of the prestellar dense core, the thermal support (the $α$ ratio) and the dust grain size-distribu tio…
Recent water line observations toward several low-mass protostars suggest low water gas fractional abundances in the inner warm envelopes. Water destruction by X-rays has been proposed to influence the water abundances in these regions, but the detailed chemistry, including the nature of alternative oxygen carriers, is not yet understood. In this study, we aim to understand the impact of X-rays on the composition of low-mass protostellar envelopes, focusing specifically on water and related oxygen bearing species. We compute the chemical composition of two low-mass protostellar envelopes using…
We investigate collapse of magnetic protostellar clouds of mass $10$ and $1 M_{\odot}$. The collapse is simulated numerically using the two-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) code `Enlil'. The simulations show that protostellar clouds acquire a hierarchical structure by the end of the isothermal stage of collapse. Under the action of the electromagnetic force, the protostellar cloud takes the form of an oblate envelope with the half-thickness to radius ratio $Z/R \sim (0.20-0.95)$. A geometrically and optically thin primary disk with radius $0.2-0.7 R_0$ and $Z/R \sim (10^{-2}-10^{-1})$ for…
Snowlines are key ingredients for planet formation. Providing observational constraints on the locations of the major snowlines is therefore crucial for fully connecting planet compositions to their formation mechanism. Unfortunately, the most important snowline, that of water, is very difficult to observe directly in protoplanetary disks due to its close proximity to the central star. Based on chemical considerations, HCO$^+$ is predicted to be a good chemical tracer of the water snowline, because it is particularly abundant in dense clouds when water is frozen out. This work maps the optical…
Determining the locations of the major snowlines in protostellar environments is crucial to fully understand the planet formation process and its outcome. Despite being located far enough from the central star to be spatially resolved with ALMA, the CO snowline remains difficult to detect directly in protoplanetary disks. Instead, its location can be derived from N$_2$H$^+$ emission, when chemical effects like photodissociation of CO and N$_2$ are taken into account. The water snowline is even harder to observe than that for CO, because in disks it is located only a few AU from the protostar, …
