ROTATION OF THE NGC 1333 IRAS 4A2 PROTOSTELLAR JET

Journal Article · Sun Feb 20 04:00:00 EST 2011 · Astrophysical Journal Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/2041-8205/728/2/L34· OSTI ID:21560483

Choi, Minho; Kang, Miju ^[1]; Tatematsu, Ken'ichi ^[2]

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1. International Center for Astrophysics, Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Daedeokdaero 776, Yuseong, Daejeon 305-348 (Korea, Republic of)
2. National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588 (Japan)

The bipolar jet of the NGC 1333 IRAS 4A2 protostar shows a velocity gradient in the direction perpendicular to the jet axis. This lateral velocity gradient can be seen throughout the jet imaged in a silicon monoxide line, 2500-8700 AU from the driving source, and is consistent with the rotation of the accretion disk. If this gradient is caused by the rotation of the jet around its axis, the average specific angular momentum is about 1.5 x 10{sup 21} cm{sup 2} s{sup -1}. Comparison of the kinematics between the jet and the disk suggests that the jet-launching region on the disk has a radius of about 2 AU, which supports the disk-wind models. The angular momentum transported away by the jet seems to be large enough for the protostar to accrete matter from the disk, confirming the crucial role of jets in the early phase of the star formation process.

• OSTI ID: 21560483
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal Letters, Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal Letters Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 728; ISSN 2041-8205
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
ACCRETION DISKS
ANGULAR MOMENTUM
CHALCOGENIDES
EVOLUTION
JETS
MOTION
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PROTOSTARS
ROTATION
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SILICON OXIDES
STAR EVOLUTION
VELOCITY