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Context. Due to the high visual extinction and lack of sensitive mid-infrared (MIR) telescopes, the origin and properties of outflows and jets from embedded Class 0 protostars are still poorly constrained. Aims. We aim to characterise the physical, kinematic, and dynamical properties of the HH 211 jet and outflow, one of the youngest protostellar flows. Methods. We used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and its Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) in the 5–28 µm range to study the embedded HH 211 flow. We mapped a 0′.95 × 0′.22 region, covering the full extent of the blueshifted lobe, the central protostellar region, and a small portion of the redshifted lobe. We extracted spectra along the jet and outflow and constructed line and excitation maps of both atomic and molecular lines. Additional JWST NIRCam H2 narrow-band images (at 2.122 and 3.235 µm) provide a visualextinction map of the whole flow, and are used to deredden our data. Results. The jet-driving source is not detected even at the longest MIR wavelengths. The overall morphology of the flow consists of a highly collimated jet, which is mostly molecular (H2, HD) with an inner atomic ([Fe I], [Fe II], [S I], [Ni II]) structure. The jet shocks the ambient medium, producing several large bow shocks (BSs) that are rich in forbidden atomic ([Fe II], [S I], [Ni II], [Cl I], [Cl II], [Ar II], [Co II], [Ne II], [S III]) and molecular lines (H2, HD, CO, OH, H2O, CO2, HCO+), and is driving an H2 molecular outflow that is mostly traced by low- J, v = 0 transitions. Moreover, H2 0-0 S(1) uncollimated emission is also detected down to 2″-3″ (~650–1000 au) from the source, tracing a cold (T=200–400 K), less dense, and poorly collimated molecular wind. Two H2 components (warm, T =300–1000 K, and hot, T =1000–3500 K) are detected along the jet and outflow. The atomic jet ([Fe II] at 26 µm) is detected down to ~130 au from the source, whereas the lack of H2 emission (at 17 µm) close to the source is likely due to the large visual extinction (AV > 80 mag). Dust-continuum emission is detected at the terminal BSs and in the blue- and redshifted jet, and is likely attributable to dust lifted from the disc. Conclusions. The jet shows an onion-like structure, with layers of different size, velocity, temperature, and chemical composition. Moreover, moving from the inner jet to the outer BSs, different physical, kinematic, and excitation conditions for both molecular and atomic gas are observed. The mass-flux rate and momentum of the jet, as well as the momentum flux of the warm H2 component, are up to one order of magnitude higher than those inferred from the atomic jet component. Our findings indicate that the warm H2 red component is the main driver of the outflow, that is to say it is the most significant dynamical component of the jet, in contrast to jets from more evolved YSOs, where the atomic component is dominant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. A rich inventory of complex organic molecules (COMs) has been observed in high abundances in the gas phase toward Class 0 protostars. It has been suggested that these molecules are formed in ices and sublimate in the warm inner envelope close to the protostar. However, only the most abundant COM, methanol (CH3OH), had been firmly detected in ices before the era of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Now, it is possible to detect the interstellar ices of other COMs and constrain their ice column densities quantitatively. Aims. We aim to determine the column densities of several oxygen-bearing COMs (O-COMs) in both gas and ice for two low-mass protostellar sources, NGC 1333 IRAS 2A (hereafter IRAS 2A) and B1-c, as case studies in our JWST Observations of Young proto-Stars (JOYS+) program. By comparing the column density ratios with respect to CH3OH between both phases measured in the same sources, we can probe the evolution of COMs from ice to gas in the early stages of star formation. Methods. The column densities of COMs in gas and ice were derived by fitting the spectra observed by the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the JWST/Mid-InfraRed Instrument-Medium Resolution Spectroscopy (MIRI-MRS), respectively. The gas-phase emission lines were fit using local thermal equilibrium models, and the ice absorption bands were fit by matching the infrared spectra measured in laboratories. The column density ratios of four O-COMs (CH3CHO, C2H5OH, CH3OCH3, and CH3OCHO) with respect to CH3OH were compared between ice and gas in IRAS 2A and B1-c. Results. We were able to fit the fingerprint range of COM ices between 6.8 and 8.8 μm in the JWST/MIRI-MRS spectra of B1-c using similar components to the ones recently used for NGC 1333 IRAS 2A. We claim detection of CH4, OCN−, HCOO−, HCOOH, CH3CHO, C2H5OH, CH3OCH3, CH3OCHO, and CH3COCH3 in B1-c, and upper limits have been estimated for SO2, CH3COOH, and CH3CN. The total abundance of O-COM ices is constrained to be 15% with respect to H2O ice, 80% of which is dominated by CH3OH. The comparison of O-COM ratios with respect to CH3OH between ice and gas shows two different cases. On the one hand, the column density ratios of CH3OCHO and CH3OCH3 match well between the two phases, which may be attributed to a direct inheritance from ice to gas or strong chemical links with CH3OH. On the other hand, the ice ratios of CH3CHO and C2H5OH with respect to CH3OH are higher than the gas ratios by 1–2 orders of magnitude. This difference can be explained by gas-phase reprocessing following sublimation, or different spatial distributions of COMs in the envelope, which is an observational effect resulting from ALMA and JWST tracing different components in a protostellar system. Conclusions. The firm detection of COM ices other than CH3OH is reported in another well-studied low-mass protostar, B1-c, following the recent detection in NGC 1333 IRAS 2A. The column density ratios of four O-COMs with respect to CH3OH show both similarities and differences between gas and ice. Although the straightforward explanations would be the direct inheritance from ice to gas and the gas-phase reprocessing, respectively, other possibilities such as different spatial distributions of molecules cannot be excluded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "JOYS: Disentangling the warm and cold material in the high-mass IRAS 23385+6053 cluster." The article focuses on topics such as star formation, individual objects in the ISM (Interstellar Medium), stars with jets, and massive stars. The full text of the article is not available in HTML format. The authors of the article are listed as C. Gieser, H. Beuther, E. F. van Dishoeck, L. Francis, M. L. van Gelder, L. Tychoniec, P. J. Kavanagh, G. Perotti, A. Caratti o Garatti, T. P. Ray, P. Klaassen, K. Justtanont, H. Linnartz, W. R. M. Rocha, K. Slavicinska, L. Colina, M. Güdel, Th. Henning, P.-O. Lagage, G. Östlin, B. Vandenbussche, C. Waelkens, and G. Wright. [Extracted from the article]

Context. Space-based mid-infrared (IR) spectroscopy is a powerful tool for the characterization of important star formation tracers of warm gas which are unobservable from the ground. The previous mid-IR spectra of bright high-mass protostars with the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) in the hot-core phase typically show strong absorption features from molecules such as CO2, C2H2, and HCN. However, little is known about their fainter counterparts at earlier stages. Aims. We aim to characterize the gas-phase molecular features in James Webb Space Telescope Mid-Infrared Instrument Medium Resolution Spectrometer (MIRI/MRS) spectra of the young and clustered high-mass star-forming region IRAS 23385+6053. Methods. Spectra were extracted from several locations in the MIRI/MRS field of view, targeting two mid-IR sources tracing embedded massive protostars as well as three H2 bright outflow knots at distances of >8000 au from the multiple. Molecular features in the spectra were fit with local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) slab models, with their caveats discussed in detail. Results. Rich molecular spectra with emission from CO, H2, HD, H2O, C2H2, HCN, CO2, and OH are detected towards the two mid-IR sources. However, only CO and OH are seen towards the brightest H2 knot positions, suggesting that the majority of the observed species are associated with disks or hot core regions rather than outflows or shocks. The LTE model fits to 12CO2, C2H2, HCN emission suggest warm 120–200 K emission arising from a disk surface around one or both protostars. The abundances of CO2 and C2H2 of ~10−7 are consistent with previous observations of high-mass protostars. Weak ~500 K H2O emission at ~6–7 µm is detected towards one mid-IR source, whereas 250–1050 K H2O absorption is found in the other. The H2O absorption may occur in the disk atmosphere due to strong accretion-heating of the midplane, or in a disk wind viewed at an ideal angle for absorption. CO emission may originate in the hot inner disk or outflow shocks, but NIRSpec data covering the 4.6 µm band head are required to determine the physical conditions of the CO gas, as the high temperatures seen in the MIRI data may be due to optical depth. OH emission is detected towards both mid-IR source positions and one of the shocks, and is likely excited by water photodissociation or chemical formation pumping in a highly non-LTE manner. Conclusions. The observed molecular spectra are consistent with disks having already formed around two protostars in the young IRAS 23385+6054 system. Molecular features mostly appear in emission from a variety of species, in contrast to the more evolved hot core phase protostars which typically show only absorption; however, further observations of young high-mass protostars are needed to disentangle geometry and viewing angle effects from evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. The fragmentation of high-mass star-forming regions depends on a variety of physical parameters, including density, the magnetic field, and turbulent gas properties. Aims. We evaluate the importance of the density and magnetic field structures in relation to the fragmentation properties during high-mass star formation. Methods. Observing the large parsec-scale Stokes I millimeter dust continuum emission with the IRAM 30 m telescope and the intermediate-scale (<0.1 pc) polarized submillimeter dust emission with the Submillimeter Array toward a sample of 20 high-mass star-forming regions allows us to quantify the dependence of the fragmentation behavior of these regions on the density and magnetic field structures. Results. Based on the IRAM 30 m data, we infer density distributions n ∝ r−p of the regions with typical power-law slopes p around ~1.5. There is no obvious correlation between the power-law slopes of the density structures on larger clump scales (~1 pc) and the number of fragments on smaller core scales (<0.1 pc). Comparing the large-scale single-dish density profiles to those derived earlier from interferometric observations at smaller spatial scales, we find that the smaller-scale power-law slopes are steeper, typically around ~2.0. The flattening toward larger scales is consistent with the star-forming regions being embedded in larger cloud structures that do not decrease in density away from a particular core. The magnetic fields of several regions appear to be aligned with filamentary structures that lead toward the densest central cores. Furthermore, we find different polarization structures; some regions exhibit central polarization holes, whereas other regions show polarized emission also toward the central peak positions. Nevertheless, the polarized intensities are inversely related to the Stokes I intensities, following roughly a power-law slope of ∝ SI−0.62. We estimate magnetic field strengths between ~0.2 and ~4.5 mG, and we find no clear correlation between magnetic field strength and the fragmentation level of the regions. A comparison of the turbulent to magnetic energies shows that they are of roughly equal importance in this sample. The mass-to-flux ratios range between ~2 and ~7, consistent with collapsing star-forming regions. Conclusions. Finding no clear correlations between the present-day large-scale density structure, the magnetic field strength, and the smaller-scale fragmentation properties of the regions, indicates that the fragmentation of high-mass star-forming regions may not be affected strongly by the initial density profiles and magnetic field properties. However, considering the limited evolutionary range and spatial scales of the presented CORE analysis, future research directions should include density structure analysis of younger regions that better resemble the initial conditions, as well as connecting the observed intermediate-scale magnetic field structure with the larger-scale magnetic fields of the parental molecular clouds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. Thanks to the Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), our ability to observe the star formation process in the infrared has greatly improved. Due to its unprecedented spatial and spectral resolution and sensitivity in the mid-infrared, JWST/MIRI can see through highly extincted protostellar envelopes and probe the warm inner regions. An abundant molecule in these warm inner regions is SO2, which is a common tracer of both outflow and accretion shocks as well as hot core chemistry. Aims. This paper presents the first mid-infrared detection of gaseous SO2 emission in an embedded low-mass protostellar system rich in complex molecules and aims to determine the physical origin of the SO2 emission. Methods. JWST/MIRI observations taken with the Medium Resolution Spectrometer (MRS) of the low-mass protostellar binary NGC 1333 IRAS 2A in the JWST Observations of Young protoStars (JOYS+) program are presented. The observations reveal emission from the SO2v3 asymmetric stretching mode at 7.35 µm. Using simple slab models and assuming local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE), we derived the rotational temperature and total number of SO2 molecules. We then compared the results to those derived from high-angular-resolution SO2 data on the same scales (~50–100 au) obtained with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). Results. The SO2 emission from the v3 band is predominantly located on ~50–100 au scales around the mid-infrared continuum peak of the main component of the binary, IRAS 2A1. A rotational temperature of 92 ± 8 K is derived from the v3 lines. This is in good agreement with the rotational temperature derived from pure rotational lines in the vibrational ground state (i.e., v = 0) with ALMA (104 ± 5 K), which are extended over similar scales. However, the emission of the v3 lines in the MIRI-MRS spectrum is not in LTE given that the total number of molecules predicted by a LTE model is found to be a factor of 2 × 104 higher than what is derived for the v = 0 state from the ALMA data. This difference can be explained by a vibrational temperature that is ~100 K higher than the derived rotational temperature of the v = 0 state: Tvib ~ 200 K versus Trot = 104 ± 5 K. The brightness temperature derived from the continuum around the v3 band (~7.35 µm) of SO2 is ~180 K, which confirms that the v3 = 1 level is not collisionally populated but rather infrared-pumped by scattered radiation. This is also consistent with the non-detection of the v2 bending mode at 18–20 µm. The similar rotational temperature derived from the MIRI-MRS and ALMA data implies that they are in fact tracing the same molecular gas. The inferred abundance of SO2 , determined using the LTE fit to the lines of the vibrational ground state in the ALMA data, is 1.0 ± 0.3 × 10−8 with respect to H2, which is on the lower side compared to interstellar and cometary ices (10−8−10−7). Conclusions. Given the rotational temperature, the extent of the emission (~100 au in radius), and the narrow line widths in the ALMA data (~3.5 km s−1), the SO2 in IRAS 2A likely originates from ice sublimation in the central hot core around the protostar rather than from an accretion shock at the disk–envelope boundary. Furthermore, this paper shows the importance of radiative pumping and of combining JWST observations with those from millimeter interferometers such as ALMA to probe the physics on disk scales and to infer molecular abundances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. The fragmentation mode of high-mass molecular clumps and the accretion processes that form the most massive stars (M ≳ 8 M⊙) are still not well understood. A growing number of case studies have found massive young stellar objects (MYSOs) to harbour disk-like structures, painting a picture that the formation of high-mass stars may proceed through disk accretion, similar to that of lower-mass stars. However, the properties of such structures have yet to be uniformly and systematically characterised. Aims. The aim of this work is to uniformly study the kinematic properties of a large sample of MYSOs and characterise the stability of possible circumstellar disks against gravitational fragmentation. Methods. We have undertaken a large observational programme (CORE) making use of interferometric observations from the Northern Extended Millimetre Array (NOEMA) for a sample of 20 luminous (L > 104L⊙) protostellar objects in the 1.37 mm wavelength regime in both continuum and spectral line emission, reaching 0.4″ resolution (800 au at 2 kpc). Results. We present the gas kinematics of the full sample and detect dense gas emission surrounding 15 regions within the CORE sample. Using the dense gas tracer CH3CN, we find velocity gradients across 13 cores perpendicular to the directions of bipolar molecular outflows, making them excellent disk candidates. The extent of the CH3CN emission tracing the disk candidates varies from 1800 to 8500 au. Analysing the free-fall to rotational timescales, we find that the sources are rotationally supported. The rotation profiles of some disk candidates are well described by differential rotation while for others the profiles are poorly resolved. Fitting the velocity profiles with a Keplerian model, we find protostellar masses in the range of ~ 10–25 M⊙. Modelling the level population of CH3CN (12K–11K) K = 0–6 lines, we present temperature maps and find median temperature in the range 70–210 K with a diversity in distributions. Radial profiles of the specific angular momentum (j) for the best disk candidates span a range of 1–2 orders of magnitude, on average ~10−3 km s−1 pc, and they follow j ∝ r1.7, which is consistent with a poorly resolved rotating and infalling envelope-disk model. Studying the Toomre stability of the disk candidates, we find almost all (11 out of 13) disk candidates to be prone to fragmentation due to gravitational instabilities at the scales probed by our observations, as a result of their high disk to stellar mass ratio. In particular, disks with masses greater than ~ 10–20% of the mass of their host (proto)stars are Toomre unstable, and more luminous YSOs tend to have disks that are more massive compared to their host star and hence more prone to fragmentation. Conclusions. In this work, we show that most disk structures around high-mass YSOs are prone to disk fragmentation early in their formation due to their high disk to stellar mass ratio. This impacts the accretion evolution of high-mass protostars which will have significant implications for the formation of the most massive stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have studied the dust density, temperature, and velocity distributions of the archetypal massive young stellar object (MYSO) AFGL 2591. Given its high luminosity (⁠|$L=2\times 10^5\, \mbox{L$_{\odot}$}$|⁠) and distance (d  = 3.3 kpc), AFGL 2591 has one of the highest |$\sqrt{L}/d$| ratio, giving better resolved dust emission than any other MYSO. As such, this paper provides a template on how to use resolved multiwavelength data and radiative transfer to obtain a well-constrained 2D axisymmetric analytic rotating infall model. We show for the first time that the resolved dust continuum emission from Herschel 70-  μ m observations is extended along the outflow direction, whose origin is explained in part from warm dust in the outflow cavity walls. However, the model can only explain the kinematic features from CH3CN observations with unrealistically low stellar masses (<15 M⊙), indicating that additional physical processes may be playing a role in slowing down the envelope rotation. As part of our three-step continuum and line fitting, we have identified model parameters that can be further constrained by specific observations. High-resolution mm visibilities were fitted to obtain the disc mass (6 M⊙) and radius (2200 au). A combination of SED and near-infrared observations were used to estimate the luminosity and envelope mass together with the outflow cavity inclination and opening angles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. This study is part of the CORE project, an IRAM/NOEMA large program consisting of observations of the millimeter continuum and molecular line emission towards 20 selected high-mass star-forming regions. The goal of the program is to search for circumstellar accretion disks, study the fragmentation process of molecular clumps, and investigate the chemical composition of the gas in these regions. Aims. We focus on IRAS 23385+6053, which is believed to be the least-evolved source of the CORE sample. This object is characterized by a compact molecular clump that is IR-dark shortward of 24 μm and is surrounded by a stellar cluster detected in the near-IR. Our aim is to study the structure and velocity field of the clump. Methods. Observations were performed at ~1.4 mm and employed three configurations of NOEMA and additional single-dish maps, merged with the interferometric data to recover the extended emission. Our correlator setup covered a number of lines from well-known hot core tracers and a few outflow tracers. The angular (~0′′.45–0′′.9) and spectral (0.5 km s−1) resolutions were sufficient to resolve the clump in IRAS 23385+6053 and investigate the existence of large-scale motions due to rotation, infall, or expansion. Results. We find that the clump splits into six distinct cores when observed at sub-arcsecond resolution. These are identified through their 1.4 mm continuum and molecular line emission. We produce maps of the velocity, line width, and rotational temperature from the methanol and methyl cyanide lines, which allow us to investigate the cores and reveal a velocity and temperature gradient in the most massive core. We also find evidence of a bipolar outflow, possibly powered by a low-mass star. Conclusions. We present the tentative detection of a circumstellar self-gravitating disk lying in the most massive core and powering a large-scale outflow previously known in the literature. In our scenario, the star powering the flow is responsible for most of the luminosity of IRAS 23385+6053 (~3000 L⊙). The other cores, albeit with masses below the corresponding virial masses, appear to be accreting material from their molecular surroundings and are possibly collapsing or on the verge of collapse. We conclude that we are observing a sample of star-forming cores that is bound to turn into a cluster of massive stars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context. High-mass stars form in clusters, but neither the early fragmentation processes nor the detailed physical processes leading to the most massive stars are well understood. Aims. We aim to understand the fragmentation, as well as the disk formation, outflow generation, and chemical processes during high-mass star formation on spatial scales of individual cores. Methods. Using the IRAM Northern Extended Millimeter Array (NOEMA) in combination with the 30 m telescope, we have observed in the IRAM large program CORE the 1.37 mm continuum and spectral line emission at high angular resolution (~0.4″) for a sample of 20 well-known high-mass star-forming regions with distances below 5.5 kpc and luminosities larger than 104L⊙. Results. We present the overall survey scope, the selected sample, the observational setup, and the main goals of CORE. Scientifically, we concentrated on the mm continuum emission on scales on the order of 1000 AU. We detect strong mm continuum emission from all regions, mostly due to the emission from cold dust. The fragmentation properties of the sample are diverse. We see extremes where some regions are dominated by a single high-mass core whereas others fragment into as many as 20 cores. A minimum-spanning-tree analysis finds fragmentation at scales on the order of the thermal Jeans length or smaller suggesting that turbulent fragmentation is less important than thermal gravitational fragmentation. The diversity of highly fragmented vs. singular regions can be explained by varying initial density structures and/or different initial magnetic field strengths. Conclusions. A large sample of high-mass star-forming regions at high spatial resolution allows us to study the fragmentation properties of young cluster-forming regions. The smallest observed separations between cores are found around the angular resolution limit which indicates that further fragmentation likely takes place on even smaller spatial scales. The CORE project with its numerous spectral line detections will address a diverse set of important physical and chemical questions in the field of high-mass star formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]