Measuring the ionisation fraction in a jet from a massive protostar
Journal article, 2019
It is important to determine if massive stars form via disc accretion, like their low-mass counterparts. Theory and observation indicate that protostellar jets are a natural consequence of accretion discs and are likely to be crucial for removing angular momentum during the collapse. However, massive protostars are typically rarer, more distant and more dust enshrouded, making observational studies of their jets more challenging. A fundamental question is whether the degree of ionisation in jets is similar across the mass spectrum. Here we determine an ionisation fraction of ~5–12% in the jet from the massive protostar G35.20-0.74N, based on spatially coincident infrared and radio emission. This is similar to the values found in jets from lower-mass young stars, implying a unified mechanism of shock ionisation applies in jets across most of the protostellar mass spectrum, up to at least ~10 solar masses.
Author
R. Fedriani
Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies
University College Dublin
A. Caratti o. Garatti
University College Dublin
Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies
S. J.D. Purser
Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies
A. Sanna
Max Planck Society
Jonathan Tan
Chalmers, Space, Earth and Environment, Astronomy and Plasmaphysics
University of Virginia
R. Garcia-Lopez
Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies
T. P. Ray
Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies
Deirdre Coffey
University College Dublin
Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies
B. Stecklum
Thüringer Landessternwarte Tautenburg
M. G. Hoare
University of Leeds
Nature Communications
2041-1723 (ISSN) 20411723 (eISSN)
Vol. 10 1 3630Subject Categories
Subatomic Physics
Astronomy, Astrophysics and Cosmology
Fusion, Plasma and Space Physics
DOI
10.1038/s41467-019-11595-x