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We present a catalog of 315 protostellar outflow candidates detected in SiOJ= 5 − 4 in the ALMA-IMF Large Program, observed with ∼2000 au spatial resolution, 0.339 km s⁻¹velocity resolution, and 2–12 mJy beam⁻¹(0.18–0.8 K) sensitivity. We find median outflow masses, momenta, and kinetic energies of ∼0.3M_⊙, 4M_⊙km s⁻¹, and 10⁴⁵erg, respectively. Median outflow lifetimes are 6000 yr, yielding median mass, momentum, and energy rates of$\dot{M}$= 10^−4.4M_⊙yr⁻¹,$\dot{P}$= 10^−3.2M_⊙km s⁻¹yr⁻¹, and$\dot{E}$= 1L_⊙. We analyze these outflow properties in the aggregate in each field. We find correlations between field-aggregated SiO outflow properties and total mass in cores (∼3σ–5σ), and no correlations above 3σwith clump mass, clump luminosity, or clump luminosity-to-mass ratio. We perform a linear regression analysis and find that the correlation between field-aggregated outflow mass and total clump mass—which has been previously described in the literature—may actually be mediated by the relationship between outflow mass and total mass in cores. We also find that the most massive SiO outflow in each field is typically responsible for only 15%–30% of the total outflow mass (60% upper limit). Our data agree well with the established mechanical force−bolometric luminosity relationship in the literature, and our data extend this relationship up toL≥ 10⁶L_⊙and$\dot{P}$≥ 1M_⊙km s⁻¹yr⁻¹. Our lack of correlation with clumpL/Mis inconsistent with models of protocluster formation in which all protostars start forming at the same time.

 

ALMA-IMF is an Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) Large Program designed to measure the core mass function (CMF) of 15 protoclusters chosen to span their early evolutionary stages. It further aims to understand their kinematics, chemistry, and the impact of gas inflow, accretion, and dynamics on the CMF. We present here the first release of the ALMA-IMF line data cubes (DR1), produced from the combination of two ALMA 12 m-array configurations. The data include 12 spectral windows, with eight at 1.3 mm and four at 3 mm. The broad spectral coverage of ALMA-IMF (∼6.7 GHz bandwidth coverage per field) hosts a wealth of simple atomic, molecular, ionised, and complex organic molecular lines. We describe the line cube calibration done by ALMA and the subsequent calibration and imaging we performed. We discuss our choice of calibration parameters and optimisation of the cleaning parameters, and we demonstrate the utility and necessity of additional processing compared to the ALMA archive pipeline. As a demonstration of the scientific potential of these data, we present a first analysis of the DCN (3–2) line. We find that DCN (3–2) traces a diversity of morphologies and complex velocity structures, which tend to be more filamentary and widespread in evolved regions and are more compact in the young and intermediate-stage protoclusters. Furthermore, we used the DCN (3–2) emission as a tracer of the gas associated with 595 continuum cores across the 15 protoclusters, providing the first estimates of the core systemic velocities and linewidths within the sample. We find that DCN (3–2) is detected towards a higher percentage of cores in evolved regions than the young and intermediate-stage protoclusters and is likely a more complete tracer of the core population in more evolved protoclusters. The full ALMA 12m-array cubes for the ALMA-IMF Large Program are provided with this DR1 release.

 

Context. The origin of the stellar initial mass function (IMF) and its relation with the core mass function (CMF) are actively debated issues with important implications in astrophysics. Recent observations in the W43 molecular complex of top-heavy CMFs, with an excess of high-mass cores compared to the canonical mass distribution, raise questions about our understanding of the star formation processes and their evolution in space and time. Aims. We aim to compare populations of protostellar and prestellar cores in three regions imaged in the ALMA-IMF Large Program. Methods. We created an homogeneous core catalogue in W43, combining a new core extraction in W43-MM1 with the catalogue of W43-MM2&MM3 presented in a previous work. Our detailed search for protostellar outflows enabled us to identify between 23 and 30 protostellar cores out of 127 cores in W43-MM1 and between 42 and 51 protostellar cores out of 205 cores in W43-MM2&MM3. Cores with neither outflows nor hot core emission are classified as prestellar candidates. Results. We found a similar fraction of cores which are protostellar in the two regions, about 35%. This fraction strongly varies in mass, from f pro ≃ 15–20% at low mass, between 0.8 and 3 M ⊙ up to f pro ≃ 80% above 16 M ⊙ . Protostellar cores are found to be, on average, more massive and smaller in size than prestellar cores. Our analysis also revealed that the high-mass slope of the prestellar CMF in W43, α = -1.46 -0.19 +0.12 , is consistent with the Salpeter slope, and thus the top-heavy form measured for the global CMF, α = −0.96 ± 0.09, is due to the protostellar core population. Conclusions. Our results could be explained by ‘clump-fed’ models in which cores grow in mass, especially during the protostellar phase, through inflow from their environment. The difference between the slopes of the prestellar and protostellar CMFs moreover implies that high-mass cores grow more in mass than low-mass cores. 

Aims. We present high-sensitivity and high spectral-resolution NOEMA observations of the Class 0/I binary system SVS13A, composed of the low-mass protostars VLA4A and VLA4B, with a separation of ~90 au. VLA4A is undergoing an accretion burst that is enriching the chemistry of the surrounding gas, which provides an excellent opportunity to probe the chemical and physical conditions as well as the accretion process. Methods. We observe the (12 K –11 K ) lines of CH 3 CN and CH 3 13 CN, the DCN (3–2) line, and the C 18 O (2–1) line toward SVS13A using NOEMA. Results. We find complex line profiles at disk scales that cannot be explained by a single component or pure Keplerian motion. By adopting two velocity components to model the complex line profiles, we find that the temperatures and densities are significantly different among these two components. This suggests that the physical conditions of the emitting gas traced via CH 3 CN can change dramatically within the circumbinary disk. In addition, combining our observations of DCN (3–2) with previous ALMA observations at high angular resolution, we find that the binary system (or VLA4A) might be fed by an infalling streamer from envelope scales (~700 au). If this is the case, this streamer contributes to the accretion of material onto the system at a rate of at least 1.4 × 10 −6 M ⊙ yr −1 . Conclusions. We conclude that the CH 3 CN emission in SVS13A traces hot gas from a complex structure. This complexity might be affected by a streamer that is possibly infalling and funneling material into the central region. 

Context. Among the most central open questions regarding the initial mass function (IMF) of stars is the impact of environment on the shape of the core mass function (CMF) and thus potentially on the IMF. Aims. The ALMA-IMF Large Program aims to investigate the variations in the core distributions (CMF and mass segregation) with cloud characteristics, such as the density and kinematic of the gas, as diagnostic observables of the formation process and evolution of clouds. The present study focuses on the W43-MM2&MM3 mini-starburst, whose CMF has recently been found to be top-heavy with respect to the Salpeter slope of the canonical IMF. Methods. W43-MM2&MM3 is a useful test case for environmental studies because it harbors a rich cluster that contains a statistically significant number of cores (specifically, 205 cores), which was previously characterized in Paper III. We applied a multi-scale decomposition technique to the ALMA 1.3 mm and 3 mm continuum images of W43-MM2&MM3 to define six subregions, each 0.5–1 pc in size. For each subregion we characterized the probability distribution function of the high column density gas, η -PDF, using the 1.3 mm images. Using the core catalog, we investigate correlations between the CMF and cloud and core properties, such as the η -PDF and the core mass segregation. Results. We classify the W43-MM2&MM3 subregions into different stages of evolution, from quiescent to burst to post-burst, based on the surface number density of cores, number of outflows, and ultra-compact HII presence. The high-mass end (>1 M ⊙ ) of the subregion CMFs varies from close to the Salpeter slope (quiescent) to top-heavy (burst and post-burst). Moreover, the second tail of the η -PDF varies from steep (quiescent) to flat (burst and post-burst), as observed for high-mass star-forming clouds. We find that subregions with flat second η -PDF tails display top-heavy CMFs. Conclusions. In dynamical environments such as W43-MM2&MM3, the high-mass end of the CMF appears to be rooted in the cloud structure, which is at high column density and surrounds cores. This connection stems from the fact that cores and their immediate surroundings are both determined and shaped by the cloud formation process, the current evolutionary state of the cloud, and, more broadly, the star formation history. The CMF may evolve from Salpeter to top-heavy throughout the star formation process from the quiescent to the burst phase. This scenario raises the question of if the CMF might revert again to Salpeter as the cloud approaches the end of its star formation stage, a hypothesis that remains to be tested. 

Context. In the past few years, there has been a rise in the detection of streamers, asymmetric flows of material directed toward the protostellar disk with material from outside a star’s natal core. It is unclear how they affect the process of mass accretion, in particular beyond the Class 0 phase. Aims. We investigate the gas kinematics around Per-emb-50, a Class I source in the crowded star-forming region NGC 1333. Our goal is to study how the mass infall proceeds from envelope to disk scales in this source. Methods. We use new NOEMA 1.3 mm observations, including C 18 O, H 2 CO, and SO, in the context of the PRODIGE MPG – IRAM program, to probe the core and envelope structures toward Per-emb-50. Results. We discover a streamer delivering material toward Per-emb-50 in H 2 CO and C 18 O emission. The streamer’s emission can be well described by the analytic solutions for an infalling parcel of gas along a streamline with conserved angular momentum, both in the image plane and along the line-of-sight velocities. The streamer has a mean infall rate of 1.3 × 10 −6 M ⊙ yr− 1 , five to ten times higher than the current accretion rate of the protostar. SO and SO 2 emission reveal asymmetric infall motions in the inner envelope, additional to the streamer around Per-emb-50. Furthermore, the presence of SO 2 could mark the impact zone of the infalling material. Conclusions. The streamer delivers sufficient mass to sustain the protostellar accretion rate and might produce an accretion burst, which would explain the protostar’s high luminosity with respect to other Class I sources. Our results highlight the importance of late infall for protostellar evolution: streamers might provide a significant amount of mass for stellar accretion after the Class 0 phase. 

Cisplatin, (NH 3 ) 2 PtCl 2 , has been known as a successful metal-based anticancer drug for more than half a century. Its analogue, Argplatin, arginine-linked cisplatin, (Arg)PtCl 2 , is being investigated because it exhibits reactivity towards DNA and RNA that differs from that of cisplatin. In order to understand the basis for its altered reactivity, the deprotonated and sodium cationized forms of Argplatin, [(Arg-H)PtCl 2 ] − and [(Arg)PtCl 2 + Na] + , are examined by infrared multiple photon dissociation (IRMPD) action spectroscopy in the IR fingerprint and hydrogen-stretching regions. Complementary electronic structure calculations are performed using density functional theory approaches to characterize the stable structures of these complexes and to predict their infrared spectra. Comparison of the theoretical IR spectra predicted for various stable conformations of these Argplatin complexes to their measured IRMPD spectra enables determination of the binding mode(s) of Arg to the Pt metal center to be identified. Arginine is found to bind to Pt in a bidentate fashion to the backbone amino nitrogen and carboxylate oxygen atoms in both the [(Arg-H)PtCl 2 ] − and [(Arg)PtCl 2 + Na] + complexes, the NO − binding mode. The neutral side chain of Arg also interacts with the Pt center to achieve additional stabilization in the [(Arg-H)PtCl 2 ] − complex. In contrast, Na + binds to both chlorido ligands in the [(Arg)PtCl 2 + Na] + complex and the protonated side chain of Arg is stabilized via hydrogen-bonding interactions with the carboxylate moiety. These findings are consistent with condensed-phase results, indicating that the NO − binding mode of arginine to Pt is preserved in the electrospray ionization process even under variable pH and ionic strength. 

We present the first data release of the ALMA-IMF Large Program, which covers the 12m-array continuum calibration and imaging. The ALMA-IMF Large Program is a survey of fifteen dense molecular cloud regions spanning a range of evolutionary stages that aims to measure the core mass function. We describe the data acquisition and calibration done by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observatory and the subsequent calibration and imaging we performed. The image products are combinations of multiple 12 m array configurations created from a selection of the observed bandwidth using multi-term, multi-frequency synthesis imaging and deconvolution. The data products are self-calibrated and exhibit substantial noise improvements over the images produced from the delivered data. We compare different choices of continuum selection, calibration parameters, and image weighting parameters, demonstrating the utility and necessity of our additional processing work. Two variants of continuum selection are used and will be distributed: the “best-sensitivity” ( bsens ) data, which include the full bandwidth, including bright emission lines that contaminate the continuum, and “cleanest” ( cleanest ), which select portions of the spectrum that are unaffected by line emission. We present a preliminary analysis of the spectral indices of the continuum data, showing that the ALMA products are able to clearly distinguish free-free emission from dust emission, and that in some cases we are able to identify optically thick emission sources. The data products are made public with this release.