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Investigating Protostellar Accretion-driven Outflows across the Mass Spectrum: JWST NIRSpec Integral Field Unit 3–5 μm Spectral Mapping of Five Young Protostars

The Astrophysical Journal, vol. 966, pp. 41

Abstract

Abstract Investigating Protostellar Accretion is a Cycle 1 JWST program using the NIRSpec+MIRI integral field units to obtain 2.9–28 μm spectral cubes of five young protostars with luminosities of 0.2–10,000 L ⊙ in their primary accretion phase. This paper introduces the NIRSpec 2.9–5.3 μm data of the inner 840–9000 au with spatial resolutions from 28 to 300 au. The spectra show rising continuum emission; deep ice absorption; emission from H2, H i, and [Fe ii]; and the CO fundamental series in emission and absorption. Maps of the continuum emission show scattered light cavities for all five protostars. In the cavities, collimated jets are detected in [Fe ii] for the four <320 L ⊙ protostars, two of which are additionally traced in Brα. Knots of [Fe ii] emission are detected toward the most luminous protostar, and knots of [Fe ii] emission with dynamical times of <30 yr are found in the jets of the others. While only one jet is traced in H2, knots of H2 and CO are detected in the jets of four protostars. H2 is seen extending through the cavities, showing that they are filled by warm molecular gas. Bright H2 emission is seen along the walls of a single cavity, while in three cavities narrow shells of H2 emission are found, one of which has an [Fe ii] knot at its apex. These data show cavities containing collimated jets traced in atomic/ionic gas surrounded by warm molecular gas in a wide-angle wind and/or gas accelerated by bow shocks in the jets.

Authors 39

  1. University of Toledo

    Affiliation as printed

    Ritter Astrophysical Research Center, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA

  2. University of Toledo

    Affiliation as printed

    Ritter Astrophysical Research Center, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA

  3. University of Rochester

    Affiliation as printed

    University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA

  4. University of Massachusetts Amherst

    Affiliation as printed

    University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA

  5. Tata Institute of Fundamental Research · Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica

    Affiliation as printed

    Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics Academia Sinica, Taiepei, Taiwan

    Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

  6. Tata Institute of Fundamental Research

    Affiliation as printed

    Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

  7. Tata Institute of Fundamental Research

    Affiliation as printed

    Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

  8. Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía

    Affiliation as printed

    Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, CSIC, Glorieta de la Astronomía s/n, E-18008 Granada, Spain

  9. University of Toledo

    Affiliation as printed

    Ritter Astrophysical Research Center, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA

  10. Max Planck Institute for Astronomy

    Affiliation as printed

    Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany

  11. SKA Observatory

    Affiliation as printed

    SKA Observatory, Jodrell Bank, Lower Withington, Macclesfield SK11 9FT, UK

  12. Leiden University · Leiden Observatory

    Affiliation as printed

    Leiden Observatory, Universiteit Leiden, Leiden, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands

  13. Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte · National Institute for Astrophysics

    Affiliation as printed

    INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte, Italy

  14. The University of Texas at Austin

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Astronomy, The University of Texas at Austin, 2515 Speedway, Stop C1400, Austin, TX 78712-1205, USA

  15. Space Telescope Science Institute

    Affiliation as printed

    Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA

  16. California Institute of Technology · Infrared Processing and Analysis Center

    Affiliation as printed

    Caltech/IPAC, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA

  17. Space Telescope Science Institute

    Affiliation as printed

    Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA

  18. Jet Propulsion Laboratory

    Affiliation as printed

    Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91011, USA

  19. University of Michigan

    Affiliation as printed

    University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA

  20. Space Science Institute · Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian

    Affiliation as printed

    Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA

    Space Science Institute, Boulder, CO 80301, USA

  21. UK Astronomy Technology Centre

    Affiliation as printed

    United Kingdom Astronomy Technology Centre, Edinburgh, UK

  22. Max Planck Institute for Astronomy · Friedrich Schiller University Jena

    Affiliation as printed

    AG Analytische Mineralogie, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, Jena,Thüringen, Germany

    Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany

  23. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · National Radio Astronomy Observatory

    Affiliation as printed

    Department of Astronomy, University of Illinois, 1002 West Green Street, Urbana, IL 61801, USA

    National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA

  24. Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía

    Affiliation as printed

    Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía, CSIC, Glorieta de la Astronomía s/n, E-18008 Granada, Spain

  25. Space Telescope Science Institute

    Affiliation as printed

    Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Martin Drive, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA

  26. Leiden University · Leiden Observatory

    Affiliation as printed

    Leiden Observatory, Universiteit Leiden, Leiden, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands

  27. University of Toledo

    Affiliation as printed

    Ritter Astrophysical Research Center, Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH 43606, USA

  28. International Gemini Observatory

    Affiliation as printed

    Gemini South Observatory, La Serena, Chile

  29. Leiden University · Leiden Observatory

    Affiliation as printed

    Laboratory for Astrophysics, Leiden Observatory, Universiteit Leiden, Leiden, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands

  30. Northwestern University

    Affiliation as printed

    Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA

  31. Leiden University · Leiden Observatory

    Affiliation as printed

    Leiden Observatory, Universiteit Leiden, Leiden, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands

  32. Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics

    Affiliation as printed

    Max-Planck Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik, Garching bei München, Germany

  33. University of Concepción

    Affiliation as printed

    Departamento de Astronomía, Universidad de Concepción, Casilla 160-C, Concepción, Chile

  34. National Radio Astronomy Observatory

    Affiliation as printed

    National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, VA 22903, USA

  35. Leiden University · Leiden Observatory

    Affiliation as printed

    Leiden Observatory, Universiteit Leiden, Leiden, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands

  36. Leiden University · Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics · Leiden Observatory

    Affiliation as printed

    Leiden Observatory, Universiteit Leiden, Leiden, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands

    Max-Planck Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik, Garching bei München, Germany

  37. University of Rochester

    Affiliation as printed

    University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA

  38. Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian

    Affiliation as printed

    Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA

  39. RIKEN

    Affiliation as printed

    Star and Planet Formation Laboratory, RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan

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References 127