Tracing Evolution in Massive Protostellar Objects (TEMPO) -- I: Fragmentation and emission properties of massive star-forming clumps in a luminosity limited ALMA sample
Abstract
The role of massive ($\geq$ 8M$_{\odot}$) stars in defining the energy budget and chemical enrichment of the interstellar medium in their host galaxy is significant. In this first paper from the Tracing Evolution in Massive Protostellar Objects (TEMPO) project we introduce a colour-luminosity selected (L$_*$ $\sim$ 3$\times10^3$ to 1$\times10^5$ L$_{\odot}$) sample of 38 massive star forming regions observed with ALMA at 1.3mm and explore the fragmentation, clustering and flux density properties of the sample. The TEMPO sample fields are each found to contain multiple fragments (between 2-15 per field). The flux density budget is split evenly (53%-47%) between fields where emission is dominated by a single high flux density fragment and those in which the combined flux density of fainter objects dominates. The fragmentation scales observed in most fields are not comparable with the thermal Jeans length, $λ_J$, being larger in the majority of cases, suggestive of some non-thermal mechanism. A tentative evolutionary trend is seen between luminosity of the clump and the `spectral line richness' of the TEMPO fields; with 6.7GHz maser associated fields found to be lower luminosity and more line rich. This work also describes a method of line-free continuum channel selection within ALMA data and a generalised approach used to distinguishing sources which are potentially star-forming from those which are not, utilising interferometric visibility properties.
Authors 19
-
University of Manchester · Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute
Affiliation as printed
Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute , Radio Astronomy and Astrophysics Centre , Atomic-Haatso Road , Kwabenya , Accra , Greater Accra , Ghana
Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics , Department of Physics and Astronomy , School Of Natural Science , The University of Manchester , Manchester , M13 9PL , UK
-
Affiliation as printed
Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics , Department of Physics and Astronomy , School Of Natural Science , The University of Manchester , Manchester , M13 9PL , UK
-
Affiliation as printed
School of Physics and Astronomy , University of Leeds , Leeds LS2 9JT , UK
-
University of Cologne · University of Manchester
Affiliation as printed
I. Physikalisches Institut , University of Cologne , Zülpicher Str. 77 , 50937 Köln , Germany
Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics , Department of Physics and Astronomy , School Of Natural Science , The University of Manchester , Manchester , M13 9PL , UK
-
Affiliation as printed
School of Physics and Astronomy , Cardiff University , Queens Buildings , The Parade , Cardiff CF24 3AA , UK
-
Institute for Space Astrophysics and Planetology · National Institute for Astrophysics
Affiliation as printed
IAPS-INAF , Via Fosso del Cavaliere , 100 , 00133 Rome , Italy
-
Space Research Organisation Netherlands
Affiliation as printed
Kapteyn Astronomical Intsitute , University of Groningen , The Netherlands
SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research , Landleven 12 , 9747 AD Groningen , The Netherlands
-
Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics
Affiliation as printed
Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik , Giessenbachstrasse 1 , 85748 Garching , Germany
-
Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy
Affiliation as printed
Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie , Auf dem Hügel 69 , 53121 Bonn , Germany
-
Affiliation as printed
Centre for Astrophysics Research , Science and Technology Research Institute , University of Hertfordshire , College Lane , Hatfield , Hertfordshire AL10 9AB , UK
-
Affiliation as printed
School of Physics and Astronomy , University of Leeds , Leeds LS2 9JT , UK
-
Konkoly Observatory · HUN-REN Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences · Hungarian Research Network
Affiliation as printed
CSFK , MTA Centre of Excellence , Konkoly Thege Miklós út 15-17 , 1121 Budapest , Hungary
Konkoly Observatory , Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences , Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH) , Konkoly Thege Miklós út 15-17 , 1121 Budapest , Hungary
-
Affiliation as printed
Western Sydney University , Kingswood , Australia
-
Leiden University · Leiden Observatory · University College London
Affiliation as printed
Department of Physics and Astronomy , University College London , Gower Street , London , WC1E 6BT , United Kingdom
Leiden Observatory , Leiden University , PO Box 9513 , NL-2300 RA , Leiden , the Netherlands
-
Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory
Affiliation as printed
INAF-Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri , Largo E. Fermi 5 , 50125 Firenze , Italy
-
Affiliation as printed
I. Physikalisches Institut , University of Cologne , Zülpicher Str. 77 , 50937 Köln , Germany
Cited by 0 stored of 0
No patents citing this paper on Lens.org (checked 2026-10-11).