Testing the Evolutionary Sequence of High Mass Protostars with CARMA

TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution CARMA observations to investigate the properties and evolutionary stages of high mass protostellar objects, revealing correlations between continuum emission, masers, and HII regions that support an early star formation phase model.

Contribution

It provides new high-resolution observational evidence linking maser activity and continuum emission to early stages of high mass star formation.

Findings

Continuum emission detected in 7 out of 14 HMPOs.

Strong correlation between continuum emission and maser presence.

No continuum detected in ultracompact HII regions without masers.

Abstract

We present 1" resolution CARMA observations of the 3mm continuum and 95 GHz methanol masers toward 14 candidate high mass protostellar objects (HMPOs). Dust continuum emission is detected toward seven HMPOs, and methanol masers toward 5 sources. The 3mm continuum sources have diameters < 2x10^4 AU, masses between 21 and 1200 M_sun, and volume densities > 10^8 cm^-3. Most of the 3mm continuum sources are spatially coincident with compact HII regions and/or water masers, and are presumed to be formation sites of massive stars. A strong correlation exists between the presence of 3mm continuum emission, 22 GHz water masers, and 95 GHz methanol masers. However, no 3mm continuum emission is detected toward ultracompact HII regions lacking maser emission. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that 22 GHz water masers and methanol masers are signposts of an early phase in the evolution of an HMPO before an expanding HII region destroys the accretion disk.