Assessing molecular outflows and turbulence in the protostellar cluster Serpens South

Journal Article · Fri Apr 10 04:00:00 EDT 2015 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/803/1/22· OSTI ID:22883284

Plunkett, Adele L.; Arce, Héctor G. ^[1]; Corder, Stuartt A. ^[2]; Dunham, Michael M. ^[3]; Garay, Guido; Mardones, Diego ^[4]

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1. Department of Astronomy, Yale University, P.O. Box 208101, New Haven CT 06520 (United States)
2. Joint ALMA Observatory, Av. Alonso de Córdova 3107, Vitacura, Santiago (Chile)
3. Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, MS 78, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)
4. Departamento de Astronomía, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 36-D, Santiago (Chile)

Molecular outflows driven by protostellar cluster members likely impact their surroundings and contribute to turbulence, affecting subsequent star formation. The very young Serpens South cluster consists of a particularly high density and fraction of protostars, yielding a relevant case study for protostellar outflows and their impact on the cluster environment. We combined CO J=1−0 observations of this region using the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy and the Institut de Radioastronomie Millimétrique 30 m single-dish telescope. The combined map allows us to probe CO outflows within the central, most active region at size scales of 0.01–0.8 pc. We account for effects of line opacity and excitation temperature variations by incorporating {sup 12}CO and {sup 13}CO data for the J = 1 − 0 and J = 3 − 2 transitions (using Atacama Pathfinder Experiment and Caltech Submillimeter Observatory observations for the higher CO transitions), and we calculate mass, momentum, and energy of the molecular outflows in this region. The outflow mass-loss rate, force, and luminosity, compared with diagnostics of turbulence and gravity, suggest that outflows drive a sufficient amount of energy to sustain turbulence, but not enough energy to substantially counter the gravitational potential energy and disrupt the clump. Further, we compare Serpens South with the slightly more evolved cluster NGC 1333, and we propose an empirical scenario for outflow-cluster interaction at different evolutionary stages.

• OSTI ID: 22883284
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Journal Name: Astrophysical Journal Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 803; ISSN ASJOAB; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United Kingdom
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
ASTRONOMY
CARBON 12
CARBON 13
CARBON MONOXIDE
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COSMIC GASES
DENSITY
EXCITATION
GRAVITATION
LUMINOSITY
MASS TRANSFER
MOLECULES
PROTOSTARS
STAR EVOLUTION
STARS
STELLAR WINDS
TELESCOPES
TURBULENCE