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Bringing the Visible Universe into Focus with Robo-AO
Published on: February 12, 2013
Windows through the dusty disks surrounding the youngest low-mass protostellar objects
J Cernicharo1, A Noriega-Crespo, D Cesarsky
1Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Instituto de Estructura de la Materia, Departamento Física Molecular, Serrano 121, 28006 Madrid, Spain. cerni@astro.iem.csic.es
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|April 28, 2000
Summary
We detected mid-infrared (mid-IR) emission from the young protostar VLA1 using the Infrared Space Observatory. This reveals the innermost regions of protostars, previously hidden by obscuring disks.
Area of Science:
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Stellar Evolution
- Infrared Astronomy
Background:
- Young low-mass star formation involves accretion and mass loss in circumstellar disks.
- Class 0 protostars are heavily obscured at optical and infrared wavelengths, hindering observation.
- Radio interferometry was the primary method for detecting these obscured early-stage protostars.
Purpose of the Study:
- To detect mid-infrared (mid-IR) emission from the class 0 protostar VLA1.
- To investigate the innermost regions of young protostars previously hidden by circumstellar disks.
- To utilize specific mid-IR wavelength windows with minimal absorption by ices and silicates.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) for mid-infrared observations.
- Focused on wavelength windows (5.3, 6.6, and 7.5 micrometers) with low interstellar absorption.
- Analyzed emission from the HH1-HH2 region in the Orion Nebula.
Main Results:
- Successfully detected mid-infrared emission from the class 0 protostar VLA1.
- The emission originates from a compact central source (approx. 4 AU diameter) with a temperature of ~700 K.
- The protostar is deeply embedded within a region of high visual extinction (80-100 magnitudes).
Conclusions:
- Mid-infrared observations can probe the obscured inner regions of young protostars.
- The detected emission provides insights into the physical conditions of the innermost protostellar system.
- This method opens new avenues for studying early stellar evolution stages previously inaccessible.
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