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At least 307 records · Page 17

THE FIRST DETECTION OF THE 232 GHz VIBRATIONALLY EXCITED H{sub 2}O MASER IN ORION KL WITH ALMA

We investigated the ALMA science verification data of Orion KL and found a spectral signature of the vibrationally excited H{sub 2}O maser line at 232.68670 GHz ({nu}{sub 2} = 1, 5{sub 5,0}-6{sub 4,3}). This line has been detected previously in circumstellar envelopes of late-type stars but not in young stellar objects such as Orion KL. Thus, this is the first detection of the 232 GHz vibrationally excited H{sub 2}O maser in star-forming regions. The distribution of the 232 GHz maser is concentrated at the position of the radio Source I, which is remarkably different from other molecular lines. The spectrum shows a double-peak structure at the peak velocities of -2.1 and 13.3 km s{sup -1}. It appears to be consistent with the 22 GHz H{sub 2}O masers and 43 GHz SiO masers observed around Source I. Thus, the 232 GHz H{sub 2}O maser around Source I would be excited by the internal heating by an embedded protostar, being associated with either the root of the outflows/jets or the circumstellar disk around Source I, as traced by the 22 GHz H{sub 2}O masers or 43 GHz SiO masers, respectively.

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THE FIRST CIRCUMSTELLAR DISK IMAGED IN SILHOUETTE AT VISIBLE WAVELENGTHS WITH ADAPTIVE OPTICS: MagAO IMAGING OF ORION 218-354

We present high-resolution adaptive optics (AO) corrected images of the silhouette disk Orion 218-354 taken with Magellan AO (MagAO) and its visible light camera, VisAO, in simultaneous differential imaging mode at Hα. This is the first image of a circumstellar disk seen in silhouette with AO and is among the first visible light AO results in the literature. We derive the disk extent, geometry, intensity, and extinction profiles and find, in contrast with previous work, that the disk is likely optically thin at Hα. Our data provide an estimate of the column density in primitive, ISM-like grains as a function of radius in the disk. We estimate that only ∼10% of the total submillimeter derived disk mass lies in primitive, unprocessed grains. We use our data, Monte Carlo radiative transfer modeling, and previous results from the literature to make the first self-consistent multiwavelength model of Orion 218-354. We find that we are able to reproduce the 1-1000 μm spectral energy distribution with a ∼2-540 AU disk of the size, geometry, small versus large grain proportion, and radial mass profile indicated by our data. This inner radius is a factor of ∼15 larger than the sublimation radius of the disk, suggesting that it is likely cleared in the very interior.

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HOPS 383: AN OUTBURSTING CLASS 0 PROTOSTAR IN ORION

We report the dramatic mid-infrared brightening between 2004 and 2006 of Herschel Orion Protostar Survey (HOPS) 383, a deeply embedded protostar adjacent to NGC 1977 in Orion. By 2008, the source became a factor of 35 brighter at 24 μm with a brightness increase also apparent at 4.5 μm. The outburst is also detected in the submillimeter by comparing APEX/SABOCA to SCUBA data, and a scattered-light nebula appeared in NEWFIRM K{sub s} imaging. The post-outburst spectral energy distribution indicates a Class 0 source with a dense envelope and a luminosity between 6 and 14 L{sub ⊙}. Post-outburst time-series mid- and far-infrared photometry show no long-term fading and variability at the 18% level between 2009 and 2012. HOPS 383 is the first outbursting Class 0 object discovered, pointing to the importance of episodic accretion at early stages in the star formation process. Its dramatic rise and lack of fading over a 6 year period hint that it may be similar to FU Ori outbursts, although the luminosity appears to be significantly smaller than the canonical luminosities of such objects.

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SMART Deliverable 6.1.2a: Application of the ORION tool to the IBDP Carbon Storage Site

Forecasting and managing potential induced seismic activity is one of the challenges facing commercialscale geologic carbon sequestration (GCS), as well as other geologic energy extraction and byproduct disposal technologies. Historically, the process to develop robust, science-based forecasts of induced seismicity has required an integrated effort from experts in seismology, geomechanics, and reservoir engineering to manage data, develop and evaluate models of subsurface processes, and to calibrate and interpret the results from a range of models to understand site behavior relative to prescribed standards and in the context of uncertainty in geologic characterization data, forecasting models, and operational scenario uncertainty. The Operational Forecasting of Induced Seismicity (ORION) toolkit is an open-source, observation-based forecasting toolkit that is being co-developed by two U.S. DOE-funded initiatives: the National Risk Assessment Partnership (NRAP) and the Scienceinformed Machine Learning for Accelerating Real Time Decisions in Subsurface Applications (SMART) Initiative. ORION is designed to provide functionality to support decision making about seismic hazard analysis and risk management for GCS stakeholders ranging from the public to site operators to expert seismologists. The tool, which is written as open-source code in the Python programming language, is composed of a desktop graphical user interface (GUI) and an underlying forecasting engine. The forecasting engine uses available reservoir properties, well and fluid injection scenario details, and observed seismic catalog data as inputs to produce a set of temporal and spatio-temporal seismic forecasts.

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ALMA observation of the 658 GHz vibrationally excited H{sub 2}O maser in Orion KL source I

We present an observational study of the vibrationally excited H{sub 2}O line at 658 GHz (ν{sub 2} = 1, 1{sub 1,0}-1{sub 0,1}) toward Orion KL using the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA). This line is clearly detected at the position of the massive protostar candidate, Source I. The spatial structure is compact, with a size of about 100 AU, and is elongated along the northeast–southwest low-velocity (18 km {sup −1}) bipolar outflow traced by 22 GHz H{sub 2}O masers, SiO masers, and thermal SiO lines. A velocity gradient can be seen perpendicular to the bipolar outflow. The overall spatial and velocity structure seems to be analogous to that of the 321 GHz H{sub 2}O maser line previously detected with ALMA and vibrationally excited SiO maser emission. The brightness temperature of the 658 GHz H{sub 2}O line is estimated to be higher than 2 × 10{sup 4} K, implying that it is emitted via maser action. Our results suggest that the 658 GHz H{sub 2}O maser line is emitted from the base of the outflow from a rotating and expanding accretion disk as observed for the SiO masers and the 321 GHz H{sub 2}O maser. We also search for two other H{sub 2}O lines at 646 GHz (9{sub 7,3}-8{sub 8,0} and 9{sub 7,2}-8{sub 8,1}), but they are not detected in Orion KL.

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An HST survey for 100–1000 au companions around young stellar objects in the Orion molecular clouds: Evidence for environmentally dependent multiplicity

We present a near-infrared survey for the visual multiples in the Orion molecular clouds region at separations between 100 and 1000 au. These data were acquired at 1.6 μm with the NICMOS and WFC3 cameras on the Hubble Space Telescope. Additional photometry was obtained for some of the sources at 2.05 μm with NICMOS and in the L′ band with NSFCAM2 on NASA’s InfraRed Telescope Facility. Toward 129 protostars and 197 pre-main-sequence stars with disks observed with WFC3, we detect 21 and 28 candidate companions between the projected separations of 100–1000 au, of which less than 5 and 8, respectively, are chance line-of-sight coincidences. The resulting companion fraction (CF) after the correction for the line-of-sight contamination is 14.4{sub −1.3}{sup +1.1}% for protostars and 12.5{sub −0.8}{sup +1.2}% for the pre-main-sequence stars. These values are similar to those found for main-sequence stars, suggesting that there is little variation in the CF with evolution, although several observational biases may mask a decrease in the CF from protostars to the main-sequence stars. After segregating the sample into two populations based on the surrounding surface density of young stellar objects, we find that the CF in the high stellar density regions (Σ{sub YSO} > 45 pc{sup −2}) is approximately 50% higher than that found in the low stellar density regions (Σ{sub YSO} < 45 pc{sup −2}). We interpret this as evidence for the elevated formation of companions at 100–1000 au in the denser environments of Orion. We discuss possible reasons for this elevated formation.

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PROTOPLANETARY DISKS IN THE ORION OMC1 REGION IMAGED WITH ALMA

We present ALMA observations of the Orion Nebula that cover the OMC1 outflow region. Our focus in this paper is on compact emission from protoplanetary disks. We mosaicked a field containing ∼600 near-IR-identified young stars, around which we can search for sub-millimeter emission tracing dusty disks. Approximately 100 sources are known proplyds identified with the Hubble Space Telescope . We detect continuum emission at 1 mm wavelengths toward ∼20% of the proplyd sample, and ∼8% of the larger sample of near-IR objects. The noise in our maps allows 4 σ detection of objects brighter than ∼1.5 mJy, corresponding to protoplanetary disk masses larger than 1.5 M {sub J} (using standard assumptions about dust opacities and gas-to-dust ratios). None of these disks are detected in contemporaneous CO(2-1) or C{sup 18}O(2-1) observations, suggesting that the gas-to-dust ratios may be substantially smaller than the canonical value of 100. Furthermore, since dust grains may already be sequestered in large bodies in Orion Nebula cluster (ONC) disks, the inferred masses of disk solids may be underestimated. Our results suggest that the distribution of disk masses in this region is compatible with the detection rate of massive planets around M dwarfs, which are the dominant stellar constituent in the ONC.

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Stark broadening of high-order radio recombination lines toward the Orion nebula

We report the results of observations and analyses of 41 Δn=1,…,5 hydrogen radio recombination lines from the Orion nebula (M42) at 5.5 to 6.5 GHz, with a spectral sensitivity (channel-to-channel standard deviation) of ≈2 mJy. Observations were conducted at the Australia Telescope Compact Array. A 1 GHz bandwidth allowed simultaneous detection of up to 11 spectral lines of equal Δn that were stacked to enable accurate measurement of line widths. Collisional widths in the range of principal quantum numbers n from 100 to 179 are found to be consistent with predictions of electron impact Stark broadening theory. An Orion nebula model with density inhomogeneities (clumps) and gradients of temperature and density is consistent with our data. We reanalyze the data of Smirnov et al. and Bell et al. and find excellent agreement between all statistically significant measurements and theory. Our findings confirm the absence of line narrowing for n = 100...179.

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THE HERSCHEL ORION PROTOSTAR SURVEY: SPECTRAL ENERGY DISTRIBUTIONS AND FITS USING A GRID OF PROTOSTELLAR MODELS

We present key results from the Herschel Orion Protostar Survey: spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and model fits of 330 young stellar objects, predominantly protostars, in the Orion molecular clouds. This is the largest sample of protostars studied in a single, nearby star formation complex. With near-infrared photometry from 2MASS, mid- and far-infrared data from Spitzer and Herschel , and submillimeter photometry from APEX, our SEDs cover 1.2–870 μ m and sample the peak of the protostellar envelope emission at ∼100 μ m. Using mid-IR spectral indices and bolometric temperatures, we classify our sample into 92 Class 0 protostars, 125 Class I protostars, 102 flat-spectrum sources, and 11 Class II pre-main-sequence stars. We implement a simple protostellar model (including a disk in an infalling envelope with outflow cavities) to generate a grid of 30,400 model SEDs and use it to determine the best-fit model parameters for each protostar. We argue that far-IR data are essential for accurate constraints on protostellar envelope properties. We find that most protostars, and in particular the flat-spectrum sources, are well fit. The median envelope density and median inclination angle decrease from Class 0 to Class I to flat-spectrum protostars, despite the broad range in best-fit parameters in each of the three categories. We also discuss degeneracies in our model parameters. Our results confirm that the different protostellar classes generally correspond to an evolutionary sequence with a decreasing envelope infall rate, but the inclination angle also plays a role in the appearance, and thus interpretation, of the SEDs.

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CARMA λ = 1 cm Spectral Line Survey of Orion-KL

Orion-KL is a well-known high-mass star-forming region that has long been the target of spectral line surveys and searches for complex molecules. One spectral window where the region had never been surveyed is around wavelengths of λ = 1 cm. This is an important window to observe, due to the fundamental and low energy transitions of numerous complex molecules that indicate the maximum spatial extent of the molecular species; knowing the spatial distribution of a molecule aids in determining the formation mechanism(s) of that molecule. Additionally, there are fewer transitions in this window, reducing confusion caused by blended lines that can be very problematic at shorter wavelengths (λ<3 mm). In this work, we present the first spectral line survey at λ = 1 cm of the Orion-KL region. A total of 89 transitions were detected from 14 molecular species and isotopologues, and two atomic species. The observations were conducted with the Combined Array for Research in Millimeter-wave Astronomy in both interferometric and single dish modes.

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The CIDA Variability Survey of Orion OB1. II. Demographics of the Young, Low-mass Stellar Populations

We present results of our large-scale, optical, multi-epoch photometric survey across ∼180 square degrees in the Orion OB1 association, complemented with extensive follow-up spectroscopy. Our focus is mapping and characterizing the off-cloud, low-mass, pre-main-sequence (PMS) populations. We report 2062 K- and M-type confirmed T Tauri members; 59% are located in the OB1a subassociation, 27% in the OB1b subassociation, and the remaining 14% in the A and B molecular clouds. We characterize two new clusterings of T Tauri stars, the HD 35762 and HR 1833 groups, both located in OB1a not far from the 25 Ori cluster. We also identify two stellar overdensities in OB1b, containing 231 PMS stars, and find that the OB1b region is composed of two populations at different distances, possibly due to the OB1a subassociation overlapping with the front of OB1b. A ∼2 deg wide halo of young stars surrounds the Orion Nebula Cluster, corresponding in part to the low-mass populations of NGC 1977 and NGC 1980. We use the strength of Hα in emission, combined with the IR excess and optical variability, to define a new type of T Tauri star, the C/W class, stars we propose may be nearing the end of their accretion phase, in an evolutionary state between classical and weak-lined T Tauri stars. The evolution of the ensemble-wide equivalent width of Li i λ6707 indicates a Li depletion timescale of ∼8.5 Myr. Disk accretion declines with an e-folding timescale of ∼2 Myr, consistent with previous studies.

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Stellar Proper Motions in the Orion Nebula Cluster

The Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) is the nearest site of ongoing massive star formation, which allows us to study the kinematics and dynamics of the region in detail and constrain star formation theories. Using HST ACS/WFPC2/WFC3IR and Keck II NIRC2 data, we have measured the proper motions of 701 stars within an ∼6′ × 6′ field of view around the center of the ONC. We have found more than 10 escaping star candidates, concentrated predominantly at the core of the cluster. The proper motions of the bound stars are consistent with a normal distribution, albeit elongated north–south along the Orion filament, with proper-motion dispersions of (σ{sub μ,α{sup ∗}},σ{sub μ,δ})=(0.83±0.02,1.12±0.03) mas yr{sup −1} or intrinsic velocity dispersions of (σ{sub v,α{sup ∗}},σ{sub v,δ})=(1.57±0.04,2.12±0.06) km s{sup −1} assuming a distance of 400 pc to the ONC. The cluster shows no evidence for tangential-to-radial anisotropy. Our velocity dispersion profile agrees with the prediction from the observed stellar + gas density profile from Da Rio et al., indicating that the ONC is in virial equilibrium. This finding suggests that the cluster was formed with a low star formation efficiency per dynamical timescale based on comparisons with current star formation theories. Our survey also recovered high-velocity IR sources BN, x and n in the BN/KL region. The estimated location of the first two sources ∼500 yr ago agrees with that of the radio source I, consistent with their proposed common origin from a multistellar disintegration. However, source n appears to have a small proper motion and is unlikely to have been involved in the event.

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Statistics of Wide Pre-main-sequence Binaries in the Orion OB1 Association

Statistics of low-mass pre-main-sequence binaries in the Orion OB1 association with separations ranging from 0."6 to 20" (220 to 7400 au at 370 pc) are studied using images from the VISTA Orion mini survey and astrometry from Gaia. The input sample based on the CVSO catalog contains 1137 stars of K and M spectral types (masses between 0.3 and 0.9 M ⊙ ), 1021 of which are considered to be association members. There are 135 physical binary companions to these stars with mass ratios above ~0.13. The average companion fraction is 0.09 ± 0.01 over 1.2 decades in separation, slightly less than, but still consistent with, the field. We found a difference between the Ori OB1a and OB1b groups, the latter being richer in binaries by a factor of 1.6 ± 0.3. No overall dependence of the wide-binary frequency on the observed underlying stellar density is found, although in the Ori OB1a off-cloud population, these binaries seem to avoid dense clusters. The multiplicity rates in Ori OB1 and in sparse regions like Taurus differ significantly, hinting that binaries in the field may originate from a mixture of diverse populations.

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THE JCMT GOULD BELT SURVEY: DENSE CORE CLUSTERS IN ORION A

The Orion A molecular cloud is one of the most well-studied nearby star-forming regions, and includes regions of both highly clustered and more dispersed star formation across its full extent. Here, we analyze dense, star-forming cores identified in the 850 and 450 μ m SCUBA-2 maps from the JCMT Gould Belt Legacy Survey. We identify dense cores in a uniform manner across the Orion A cloud and analyze their clustering properties. Using two independent lines of analysis, we find evidence that clusters of dense cores tend to be mass segregated, suggesting that stellar clusters may have some amount of primordial mass segregation already imprinted in them at an early stage. We also demonstrate that the dense core clusters have a tendency to be elongated, perhaps indicating a formation mechanism linked to the filamentary structure within molecular clouds.

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ALMA BAND 8 CONTINUUM EMISSION FROM ORION SOURCE I

We have measured continuum flux densities of a high-mass protostar candidate, a radio source I in the Orion KL region (Orion Source I) using the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) at band 8 with an angular resolution of 0.″1. The continuum emission at 430, 460, and 490 GHz associated with Source I shows an elongated structure along the northwest–southeast direction perpendicular to the so-called low-velocity bipolar outflow. The deconvolved size of the continuum source, 90 au × 20 au, is consistent with those reported previously at other millimeter/submillimeter wavelengths. The flux density can be well fitted to the optically thick blackbody spectral energy distribution, and the brightness temperature is evaluated to be 700–800 K. It is much lower than that in the case of proton–electron or H{sup −} free–free radiations. Our data are consistent with the latest ALMA results by Plambeck and Wright, in which the continuum emission was proposed to arise from the edge-on circumstellar disk via thermal dust emission, unless the continuum source consists of an unresolved structure with a smaller beam filling factor.

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Radio measurements of the stellar proper motions in the core of the orion nebula cluster

Using multi-epoch Very Large Array observations, covering a time baseline of 29.1 years, we have measured the proper motions of 88 young stars with compact radio emission in the core of the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) and the neighboring BN/KL region. Our work increases the number of young stars with measured proper motion at radio frequencies by a factor of 2.5 and enables us to perform a better statistical analysis of the kinematics of the region than was previously possible. Most stars (79 out of 88) have proper motions consistent with a Gaussian distribution centered on (μ{sub α}cos δ)-bar =1.07±0.09 mas yr{sup −1}, and (μ{sub δ})-bar =−0.84±0.16 mas yr{sup −1}, with velocity dispersions of σ{sub α}=1.08±0.07 mas yr{sup −1}, σ{sub δ}=1.27±0.15 mas yr{sup −1}. We looked for organized movements of these stars but found no clear indication of radial expansion/contraction or rotation. The remaining nine stars in our sample show peculiar proper motions that differ from the mean proper motions of the ONC by more than 3σ. One of these stars, V 1326 Ori, could have been expelled from the Orion Trapezium 7000 years ago. Two could be related to the multi-stellar disintegration in the BN/KL region, in addition to the previously known sources BN, I and n. The others either have high uncertainties (so their anomalous proper motions are not firmly established) or could be foreground objects.

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THE GOULD’S BELT DISTANCES SURVEY (GOBELINS). II. DISTANCES AND STRUCTURE TOWARD THE ORION MOLECULAR CLOUDS

We present the results of the Gould’s Belt Distances Survey of young star-forming regions toward the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. We detected 36 young stellar objects (YSOs) with the Very Large Baseline Array, 27 of which have been observed in at least three epochs over the course of two years. At least half of these YSOs belong to multiple systems. We obtained parallax and proper motions toward these stars to study the structure and kinematics of the Complex. We measured a distance of 388 ± 5 pc toward the Orion Nebula Cluster, 428 ± 10 pc toward the southern portion L1641, 388 ± 10 pc toward NGC 2068, and roughly ∼420 pc toward NGC 2024. Finally, we observed a strong degree of plasma radio scattering toward λ Ori.

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ALMA Observations of Vibrationally Excited HC{sub 3}N Lines Toward Orion KL

We present high spatial resolution ALMA observations of vibrational transitions of HC{sub 3}N toward Orion KL in the 214–247 GHz frequency band. 41 transitions of HC{sub 3}N in 7 vibrationally excited states, and 23 transitions of {sup 13}C isotopologues of HC{sub 3}N in 2 vibrational states are detected. The line images show that vibrationally excited HC{sub 3}N lines originate mainly from the hot core of Orion and IRc7. The images of HC{sub 3}N vibrationally excited lines show that the line emission peaks associated with the hot core move from south to northeast as E{sub u} increases. Based on multiple transitions of each vibrationally excited state, we performed local thermodynamic equilibrium calculations in the XCLASS suite toward the hot core and IRc7 positions. Generally, transitions in highly excited states have higher rotational temperatures and lower column densities. The rotational temperatures and column densities of the hot core range from 93 to 321 K, and from 1.0×10{sup 14} to 4.9×10{sup 16} cm{sup −2}, respectively. Lower rotational temperatures ranging from 88 to 186 K and column densities from 1.0×10{sup 14} to 3.2×10{sup 16} cm{sup −2} are obtained toward IRc7. The facts that the hot core emission peaks of vibrationally excited HC{sub 3}N lines move from south to northeast with increasing E{sub u}, and that higher-energy HC{sub 3}N lines have higher rotational temperatures and lower column densities, appear to support that the hot core is externally heated. The emission peaks are moving along the major axis of the SiO outflow, which may indicate that higher-energy HC{sub 3}N transitions are excited by interaction between pre-existing dense medium and shocks generated by SiO outflows.

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