Radiation Transfer of Models of Massive Star Formation. I. Dependence on Basic Core Properties

TL;DR

This paper presents detailed radiative transfer models of massive star formation based on the Turbulent Core Model, incorporating complex structures like disks and outflows, and explores how core properties influence observable spectral energy distributions and images.

Contribution

It introduces the first self-consistent inclusion of an optically thick inner gas disk inside dust destruction fronts in massive star formation models.

Findings

Inner gas disk increases optical flux but reduces IR emission.

Outflow cavities and inclination significantly affect SEDs and images.

Lower surface pressure cores show less extinction and different IR features.

Abstract

Radiative transfer calculations of massive star formation are presented. These are based on the Turbulent Core Model of McKee & Tan and self-consistently included a hydrostatic core, an inside-out expansion wave, a zone of free-falling rotating collapse, wide-angle dust-free outflow cavities, an active accretion disk, and a massive protostar. For the first time for such models, an optically thick inner gas disk extends inside the dust destruction front. This is important to conserve the accretion energy naturally and for its shielding effect on the outer region of the disk and envelope. The simulation of radiation transfer is performed with the Monte Carlo code of Whitney, yielding spectral energy distributions (SEDs) for the model series, from the simplest spherical model to the fiducial one, with the above components each added step-by-step. Images are also presented in different wavebands of various telescope cameras, including Spitzer IRAC and MIPS, SOFIA FORCAST and Herschel PACS and SPIRE. The existence of the optically thick inner disk produces higher optical wavelength fluxes but reduces near- and mid-IR emission. The presence of outflow cavities, the inclination angle to the line of sight, and the thickness of the disk all affect the SEDs and images significantly. For the high mass surface density cores considered here, the mid-IR emission can be dominated by the outflow cavity walls, as has been suggested by De Buizer. The effect of varying the pressure of the environment bounding the surface of the massive core is also studied. With lower surface pressures, the core is larger, has lower extinction and accretion rates, and the observed mid-IR flux from the disk can then be relatively high even though the accretion luminosity is lower. In this case the silicate absorption feature becomes prominent, in contrast to higher density cores forming under higher pressures.