On the nature of the deeply embedded protostar OMC-2 FIR 4

We use mid-infrared to submillimeter data from the Spitzer, Herschel, and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment telescopes to study the bright submillimeter source OMC-2 FIR 4. We find a point source at 8, 24, and 70 μm, and a compact, but extended source at 160, 350, and 870 μm. The peak of the emission fr...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Furlan, Elise, Megeath, S. Thomas, Osorio, Mayra, Stutz, Amelia M., Fischer, William J., Ali, Basel, Stanke, Thomas, Manoj, P., Adams, J. D., Tobin, John J.
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2014
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/399785
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/399785
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Circumstellar matter
Infrared: stars
Stars: formation
Stars: individual (OMC-2 FIR 4)
Stars: protostars
Descripción
Sumario:We use mid-infrared to submillimeter data from the Spitzer, Herschel, and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment telescopes to study the bright submillimeter source OMC-2 FIR 4. We find a point source at 8, 24, and 70 μm, and a compact, but extended source at 160, 350, and 870 μm. The peak of the emission from 8 to 70 μm, attributed to the protostar associated with FIR 4, is displaced relative to the peak of the extended emission; the latter represents the large molecular core the protostar is embedded within. We determine that the protostar has a bolometric luminosity of 37 L ⊙, although including more extended emission surrounding the point source raises this value to 86 L ⊙. Radiative transfer models of the protostellar system fit the observed spectral energy distribution well and yield a total luminosity of most likely less than 100 L ⊙. Our models suggest that the bolometric luminosity of the protostar could be as low as 12-14 L ⊙, while the luminosity of the colder (~20 K) extended core could be around 100 L ⊙, with a mass of about 27 M ⊙. Our derived luminosities for the protostar OMC-2 FIR 4 are in direct contradiction with previous claims of a total luminosity of 1000 L ⊙. Furthermore, we find evidence from far-infrared molecular spectra and 3.6 cm emission that FIR 4 drives an outflow. The final stellar mass the protostar will ultimately achieve is uncertain due to its association with the large reservoir of mass found in the cold core. © 2014. The American Astronomical Society.