Observations of high-order multiplicity in a high-mass stellar protocluster

Abstract:
        Abstract
        
          The dominant mechanism forming multiple stellar systems in the high-mass regime (
          M
          *
           ≳ 8 
          M
          ⊙
          ) remained unknown because direct imaging of multiple protostellar systems at early phases of high-mass star formation is very challenging. High-mass stars are expected to form in clustered environments containing binaries and higher-order multiplicity systems. So far only a few high-mass protobinary systems, and no definitive higher-order multiples, have been detected. Here we report the discovery of one quintuple, one quadruple, one triple and four binary protostellar systems simultaneously forming in a single high-mass protocluster, G333.23–0.06, using Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array high-resolution observations. We present a new example of a group of gravitationally bound binary and higher-order multiples during their early formation phases in a protocluster. This provides the clearest direct measurement of the initial configuration of primordial high-order multiple systems, with implications for the in situ multiplicity and its origin. We find that the binary and higher-order multiple systems, and their parent cores, show no obvious sign of disk-like kinematic structure. We conclude that the observed fragmentation into binary and higher-order multiple systems can be explained by core fragmentation, indicating its crucial role in establishing the multiplicity during high-mass star cluster formation.

SEEK ID: https://publications.h-its.org/publications/1771

DOI: 10.1038/s41550-023-02181-9

Research Groups: Stellar Evolution Theory

Publication type: Journal

Journal: Nature Astronomy

Citation: Nat Astron

Date Published: 15th Jan 2024

Registered Mode: by DOI

Authors: Shanghuo Li, Patricio Sanhueza, Henrik Beuther, Huei-Ru Vivien Chen, Rolf Kuiper, Fernando A. Olguin, Ralph E. Pudritz, Ian W. Stephens, Qizhou Zhang, Fumitaka Nakamura, Xing Lu, Rajika L. Kuruwita, Takeshi Sakai, Thomas Henning, Kotomi Taniguchi, Fei Li

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Li, S., Sanhueza, P., Beuther, H., Chen, H.-R. V., Kuiper, R., Olguin, F. A., Pudritz, R. E., Stephens, I. W., Zhang, Q., Nakamura, F., Lu, X., Kuruwita, R. L., Sakai, T., Henning, T., Taniguchi, K., & Li, F. (2024). Observations of high-order multiplicity in a high-mass stellar protocluster. In Nature Astronomy. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-023-02181-9
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Created: 16th Jan 2024 at 14:08

Last updated: 5th Mar 2024 at 21:25

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