The earliest phases of high-mass star formation: a 3 square degree millimeter continuum mapping of Cygnus X

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dc.creatorMotte, Frédérique
dc.creatorBontemps, S.
dc.creatorSchilke, P.
dc.creatorSchneider, N.
dc.creatorMenten, K. M.
dc.creatorBroguière, D.
dc.date2007-08-21
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T08:53:24Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T08:53:24Z
dc.descriptionWe have made an extensive 1.2mm continuum mosaicing study of the Cygnus X molecular cloud complex using the MAMBO cameras at the IRAM 30 m telescope. We then compared our mm maps with mid-IR images, and have made SiO(2-1) follow-up observations of the best candidate progenitors of high-mass stars. Our complete study of Cygnus X provides, for the first time, an unbiased census of massive young stellar objects. We discover 129 massive dense cores, among which 42 are probable precursors of high-mass stars. Our study qualifies 17 cores as good candidates for hosting massive IR-quiet protostars, while up to 25 cores potentially host high-luminosity IR protostars. We fail to discover the high-mass analogs of pre-stellar dense cores in CygnusX, but find several massive starless clumps that might be gravitationally bound. Since our sample is derived from a single molecular complex and covers every embedded phase of high-mass star formation, it gives the first statistical estimates of their lifetime. In contrast to what is found for low-mass class 0 and class I phases, the IR-quiet protostellar phase of high-mass stars may last as long as their better-known high-luminosity IR phase. The statistical lifetimes of high-mass protostars and pre-stellar cores (~ 3 x 10^4 yr and < 10^3 yr) in Cygnus X are one and two order(s) of magnitude smaller, respectively, than what is found in nearby, low-mass star-forming regions. We therefore propose that high-mass pre-stellar and protostellar cores are in a highly dynamic state, as expected in a molecular cloud where turbulent processes dominate.
dc.description32 pages, 62 figures to be published in Astronomy & Astrophysics journal
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/0708.2774
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/0708.2774
dc.identifierAstronomy and Astrophysics 476 (2007) 1243-1260
dc.identifierdoi:10.1051/0004-6361:20077843
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/145609
dc.subjectAstrophysics
dc.titleThe earliest phases of high-mass star formation: a 3 square degree millimeter continuum mapping of Cygnus X
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