AKARI infrared imaging of reflection nebulae IC4954 and IC4955

TL;DR

This study uses AKARI infrared observations to analyze reflection nebulae IC4954 and IC4955, revealing detailed structures, star-formation activity, and a large-scale hollow region indicating multiple generations of star formation.

Contribution

First high-resolution, multi-band infrared imaging of IC4954/4955, identifying new star-forming regions and large-scale structures with implications for star formation history.

Findings

Resolved two nebulae in far-infrared for the first time.

Detected five new young stellar object candidates.

Estimated total infrared luminosity as one-sixth of stellar energy output.

Abstract

We present the observations of the reflection nebulae IC4954 and IC4955 region with the Infrared Camera (IRC) and the Far-Infrared Surveyor (FIS) on board the infrared astronomical satellite AKARI during its performance verification phase. We obtained 7 band images from 7 to 160um with higher spatial resolution and higher sensitivities than previous observations. The mid-infrared color of the S9W (9um) and L18W (18um) bands shows a systematic variation around the exciting sources. The spatial variation in the mid-infrared color suggests that the star-formation in IC4954/4955 is progressing from south-west to north-east. The FIS data also clearly resolve two nebulae for the first time in the far-infrared. The FIS 4-band data from 65um to 160um allow us to correctly estimate the total infrared luminosity from the region, which is about one sixth of the energy emitted from the existing stellar sources. Five candidates for young stellar objects have been detected as point sources for the first time in the 11um image. They are located in the red S9W to L18W color regions, suggesting that current star-formation has been triggered by previous star-formation activities. A wide area map of the size of about 1 x 1 (deg^2) around the IC4954/4955 region was created from the AKARI mid-infrared all-sky survey data. Together with the HI 21cm data, it suggests a large hollow structure of a degree scale, on whose edge the IC4954/4955 region has been created, indicating star formation over three generations in largely different spatial scales.