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1. An imaging line survey of OMC-1 to OMC-3: Averaged spectra of template regions

   https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201936885  

   Brinkmann, N. ; Wyrowski, F. ; Kauffmann, J. ; Colombo, D. ; Menten, K. M. ; Tang, X. D. ; Güsten, R. ( April 2020 , Astronomy & Astrophysics)

   Context.Recently, sensitive wide-bandwidth receivers in the millimetre regime have enabled us to combine large spatial and spectral coverage for observations of molecular clouds. The resulting capability to map the distributions of lines from many molecules simultaneously yields unbiased coverage of the various environments within star-forming regions.

   Aims.Our aim is to identify the dominant molecular cooling lines and characteristic emission features in the 1.3 mm window of distinct regions in the northern part of the Orion A molecular cloud. By defining and analysing template regions, we also intend to help with the interpretation of observations from more distant sources which cannot be easily spatially resolved.

   Methods.We analyse an imaging line survey covering the area of OMC-1 to OMC-3 from 200.2 to 281.8 GHz obtained with the PI230 receiver at the APEX telescope. Masks are used to define regions with distinct properties (e.g. column density or temperature ranges) from which we obtain averaged spectra. Lines of 29 molecular species (55 isotopologues) are fitted for each region to obtain the respective total intensity.

   Results.We find that strong sources like Orion KL have a clear impact on the emission on larger scales. Although not spatially extended, their line emission contributes substantially to spectra averaged over large regions. Conversely, the emission signatures of dense, cold regions like OMC-2 and OMC-3 (e.g. enhanced N₂H⁺emission and low HCN/HNC ratio) seem to be difficult to pick up on larger scales, where they are eclipsed by signatures of stronger sources. In all regions, HCO⁺appears to contribute between 3 and 6% to the total intensity, the most stable value for all bright species. N₂H⁺shows the strongest correlation with column density, but not with typical high-density tracers like HCN, HCO⁺, H₂CO, or HNC. Common line ratios associated with UV illumination, CN/HNC and CN/HCO⁺, show ambiguous results on larger scales, suggesting that the identification of UV illuminated material may be more challenging. The HCN/HNC ratio may be related to temperature over varying scales.

    

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2. Large-scale magnetic field in the Monoceros OB 1 east molecular cloud

   https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202039065  

   Alina, D. ; Montillaud, J. ; Hu, Y. ; Lazarian, A. ; Ristorcelli, I. ; Abdikamalov, E. ; Sagynbayeva, S. ; Juvela, M. ; Liu, T. ; Carrière, J.-S. ( February 2022 , Astronomy & Astrophysics)

   Context. The role of large-scale magnetic fields in the evolution of star-forming regions remains elusive. Its investigation requires the observational characterization of well-constrained molecular clouds. The Monoceros OB 1 molecular cloud is a large complex containing several structures that have been shown to be engaged in an active interaction and to have a rich star formation history. However, the magnetic fields in this region have only been studied on small scales. Aims. We study the large-scale magnetic field structure and its interplay with the gas dynamics in the Monoceros OB 1 east molecular cloud. Methods. We combined observations of dust polarized emission from the Planck telescope and CO molecular line emission observations from the Taeduk Radio Astronomy Observatory 14-metre telescope. We calculated the strength of the plane-of-sky magnetic field using a modified Chandrasekhar-Fermi method and estimated the mass-over-flux ratios in different regions of the cloud. We used the comparison of the velocity and intensity gradients of the molecular line observations with the polarimetric observations to trace dynamically active regions. Results. The molecular complex shows an ordered large-scale plane-of-sky magnetic field structure. In the northern part, it is mostly orientated along the filamentary structures, while the southern part shows at least two regions with distinct magnetic field orientations. Our analysis reveals a shock region in the northern part right between two filamentary clouds that, in previous studies, were suggested to be involved in a collision. The magnetic properties of the north-main and north-eastern filaments suggest that these filaments once formed a single one, and that the magnetic field evolved together with the material and did not undergo major changes during the evolution of the cloud. In the southern part, we find that either the magnetic field guides the accretion of interstellar matter towards the cloud or it is dragged by the matter falling towards the main cloud. Conclusions. The large-scale magnetic field in the Monoceros OB 1 east molecular cloud is tightly connected to the global structure of the complex. In the northern part, it seems to serve a dynamically important role by possibly providing support against gravity in the direction perpendicular to the field and to the filament. In the southern part, it is probably the most influential factor governing the morphological structure by guiding possible gas inflow. A study of the whole Monoceros OB 1 molecular complex at large scales is necessary to form a global picture of the formation and evolution of the Monoceros OB 1 east cloud and the role of the magnetic field in this process. 

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3. New evidences in IRDC G333.73 + 0.37: colliding filamentary clouds, hub-filament system, and embedded cores

   https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stac967  

   Dewangan, L. K. ( April 2022 , Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society)

   To unravel the star formation process, we present a multi-scale and multi-wavelength study of the filamentary infrared dark cloud (IRDC) G333.73 + 0.37, which hosts previously known two H ii regions located at its center. Each H ii region is associated with a mid-infrared source, and is excited by a massive OB star. Two filamentary structures and a hub-filament system (HFS) associated with one H ii region are investigated in absorption using the Spitzer 8.0 μm image. The 13CO(J = 2–1) and C18O(J = 2–1) line data reveal two velocity components (around −35.5 and −33.5 km s−1) toward the IRDC, favouring the presence of two filamentary clouds at different velocities. Non-thermal (or turbulent) motions are depicted in the IRDC using the C18O line data. The spatial distribution of young stellar objects (YSOs) identified using the VVV near-infrared data traces star formation activities in the IRDC. Low-mass cores are identified toward both the H ii regions using the ALMA 1.38 mm continuum map. The VLT/NACO adaptive-optics L′-band images show the presence of at least three point-like sources and the absence of small-scale features in the inner 4000 AU around YSOs NIR31 and MIR 16 located toward the H ii regions. The H ii regions and groups of YSO are observed toward the central part of the IRDC, where the two filamentary clouds intersect. A scenario of cloud–cloud collision or converging flows in the IRDC seems to be applicable, which may explain star formation activities including HFS and massive stars.

    

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4. Nobeyama 45 m Local Spur CO survey. I. Giant molecular filaments and cluster formation in the Vulpecula OB association

   https://doi.org/10.1093/pasj/psab107  

   Kohno, Mikito ; Nishimura, Atsushi ; Fujita, Shinji ; Tachihara, Kengo ; Onishi, Toshikazu ; Tokuda, Kazuki ; Fukui, Yasuo ; Miyamoto, Yusuke ; Ueda, Shota ; Kiridoshi, Ryosuke ; et al ( December 2021 , Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan)

   We have performed new large-scale 12CO, 13CO, and C18O J = 1–0 observations toward the Vulpecula OB association (l ∼ 60°) as part of the Nobeyama 45 m Local Spur CO survey project. Molecular clouds are distributed over ∼100 pc, with local peaks at the Sh 2-86, Sh 2-87, and Sh 2-88 high-mass star-forming regions in the Vulpecula complex. The molecular gas is associated with the Local Spur, which corresponds to the nearest inter-arm region located between the Local Arm and the Sagittarius Arm. We discovered new giant molecular filaments (GMFs) in Sh 2-86, with a length of ∼30 pc, width of ∼5 pc, and molecular mass of $\sim\!\! 4 \times 10^4\, M_{\odot }$. We also found that Sh 2-86 contains the three velocity components at 22, 27, and 33 km s−1. These clouds and GMFs are likely to be physically associated with Sh 2-86 because they have high 12CO J = 2–1 to J = 1–0 intensity ratios and coincide with the infrared dust emission. The open cluster NGC 6823 exists at the common intersection of these clouds. We argue that the multiple cloud interaction scenario, including GMFs, can explain cluster formation in the Vulpecula OB association.

    

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5. CARMA-NRO Orion Survey: Unbiased Survey of Dense Cores and Core Mass Functions in Orion A

   https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4365/aca4d4  

   Takemura, Hideaki ; Nakamura, Fumitaka ; Arce, Héctor G. ; Schneider, Nicola ; Ossenkopf-Okada, Volker ; Kong, Shuo ; Ishii, Shun ; Dobashi, Kazuhito ; Shimoikura, Tomomi ; Sanhueza, Patricio ; et al ( January 2023 , The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series)

   Abstract The mass distribution of dense cores is a potential key to understanding the process of star formation. Applying dendrogram analysis to the CARMA-NRO Orion C 18 O ( J = 1–0) data, we identify 2342 dense cores, about 22% of which have virial ratios smaller than 2 and can be classified as gravitationally bound cores. The derived core mass function (CMF) for bound starless cores that are not associate with protostars has a slope similar to Salpeter’s initial mass function (IMF) for the mass range above 1 M ⊙ , with a peak at ∼0.1 M ⊙ . We divide the cloud into four parts based on decl., OMC-1/2/3, OMC-4/5, L1641N/V380 Ori, and L1641C, and derive the CMFs in these regions. We find that starless cores with masses greater than 10 M ⊙ exist only in OMC-1/2/3, whereas the CMFs in OMC-4/5, L1641N, and L1641C are truncated at around 5–10 M ⊙ . From the number ratio of bound starless cores and Class II objects in each subregion, the lifetime of bound starless cores is estimated to be 5–30 freefall times, consistent with previous studies for other regions. In addition, we discuss core growth by mass accretion from the surrounding cloud material to explain the coincidence of peak masses between IMFs and CMFs. The mass accretion rate required for doubling the core mass within a core lifetime is larger than that of Bondi–Hoyle accretion by a factor of order 2. This implies that more dynamical accretion processes are required to grow cores. 

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