New H2 Jets in Monoceros R2

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of 15 new H2 jets in the Mon R2 star forming region, linking them to star formation activity possibly triggered by a large CO outflow, supported by multi-wavelength imaging.

Contribution

It presents new wide-field H2 imaging data revealing numerous jets and their association with star formation in Mon R2, expanding understanding of outflow-triggered star formation.

Findings

Discovered 15 new H2 jets in Mon R2

Jets are aligned with outflow cavities, indicating triggered star formation

Localized reflection nebulae distribution matches Class I sources

Abstract

We are presenting a wide-field image of the Mon R2 star forming region obtained with WFCAM on UKIRT in the 2.12 micron filter centered on the H2 1--0 S(1) emission line. We report the discovery of 15 new H2 jets in Mon R2 and two in L 1646 and confirm most of these discoveries using archival Spitzer IRAC 4.5 and 8.0 micron images. We find that many of these protostellar jets are found in projection against the outflow cavities of the huge CO outflow in Mon R2, suggesting that the jets may be associated with an episode of star formation in Mon R2 triggered by this large, but now fossil, outflow. We also study the spatial distribution of small, localized reflection nebulae and find that these are distributed in the same way as photometrically identified Class I sources.