Forming an Early O-type Star Through Gas Accretion?

TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution observations to reveal infalling gas and high accretion rates in W51 North, supporting the formation of a massive star or cluster through gas accretion.

Contribution

First detailed high-resolution analysis of gas infall and accretion in W51 North, demonstrating high accretion rates in massive star formation.

Findings

Infall indicated by inverse P-Cygni profile in CN line.

High mass accretion rate between 4 and 7 x 10^-2 M_sun/yr.

Presence of a rotating molecular envelope around a massive protostar or cluster.

Abstract

We present high angular resolution ($\sim$ 3$''$) and sensitive 1.3 mm continuum, cyanogen (CN) and vinyl cyanide (C$_2$H$_3$CN) line observations made with the Submillimeter Array (SMA) toward one of most highly obscured objects of the W51 IRS2 region, W51 North. We find that the CN line exhibits a pronounced inverse P-Cygni profile indicating that the molecular gas is infalling inwards this object with a mass accretion rate between 4 and 7 $\times$ 10$^{-2}$ M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$. The C$_2$H$_3$CN traces an east-west rotating molecular envelope that surrounds either a single obscured (proto)star with a kinematic mass of 40 M$_{\odot}$ or a small central cluster of B-type stars and that is associated with a compact high velocity bipolar outflow traced by H$_2$O masers and SiO molecular emission. We thus confirm that the W51 North region is part of the growing list of young massive star forming regions that have been associated with infalling motions and with large mass accretion rates ($\sim$ 10$^{-2}$ -- 10$^{-4}$), strengthening the evidence for massive stars forming with very high accretion rates sufficient to quench the formation of an UCHII region.