IRAS 01202+6133 : A Possible Case of Protostellar Collapse Triggered by a Small HII Region

We present an analysis of HCO+ (J=3-2) and H13CO+ (J=3-2) observations of the massive (M ~ 20 Msun) submm/IR source IRAS 01202+6133 located on the periphery of the HII region KR 120 (Sh 2-187). The HCO+ line profile has a classic blue-asymmetric shape with the optically thin H13CO+ line peaking at the position expected if the HCO+ line arises from a combination of self-absorption and infall motion. We have modified existing analytic radiative transfer models to allow for the fitting of submm/mm line profiles that have both self-absorption features and optically thin wings and applied these models to our HCO+ spectrum of IRAS 01202+6133. We conclude that it is a young Class I YSO with a substantial envelope undergoing slow infall and having some outflow motions. The young age of the HII region rules out a "collect and collapse" scenario. While we cannot eliminate the possibility that IRAS 01202+6133 formed spontaneously at its current location, considering its early evolutionary state and its proximity to the HII region we think that the formation of IRAS 01202+6133 was triggered by the expansion of KR 120 (Sh 2-187).
Comment: 19 pages, 7 figures, Accepted for publication in ApJ