A multi-wavelength study of the star-forming core ahead of HH 80N

TL;DR

This study combines multi-wavelength observations and protostellar collapse models to characterize the embedded protostar HH 80N-IRS1 and its surrounding core, revealing a potential for multiple star formation within the core.

Contribution

It provides a detailed multi-wavelength analysis and modeling of the HH 80N core, identifying a young protostar and suggesting core fragmentation leading to multiple protostars.

Findings

HH 80N-IRS1 is a young protostar with a collapsing envelope and a circumstellar disk.

The core shows signs of fragmentation, indicating potential formation of multiple protostars.

Ammonia emission correlates with dust, unaffected by nearby Herbig Haro object.

Abstract

We present observations of continuum emission in the MIR to mm wavelength range, complemented with ammonia observations, of the dense core ahead of the radio Herbig Haro object HH 80N, found in the GGD 27 region. The continuum emission in all the observed bands peaks at the same position, consistent with the presence of an embedded object, HH 80N-IRS1, within the core. The distribution of the VLA ammonia emission is well correlated with that of the dust, suggesting that photochemical effects caused by the nearby Herbig Haro object do not play an important role in shaping this particular molecular emission. In order to unveil the nature of HH 80N-IRS1 we analyzed the continuum data of this source, using self-consistent models of protostellar collapse. We find that a young protostar surrounded by a slowly rotating collapsing envelope of radius $\sim$0.08 pc and 20 \msun\ plus a circumstellar disk of radius $\sim$300 AU and 0.6 \msun\ provide a good fit to the observed spectral energy distribution and to the maps at 350 \micron, 1.2 mm and 3.5 mm of HH 80N-IRS1. Besides, the APEX and PdBI continuum maps at 350 \micron\ and 3.5 mm, respectively, reveal additional clumps in the continuum emission. Given the modeling results and the observed morphology of the emission, we propose a scenario consisting of a central embedded Class 0 object, HH 80N-IRS1, with the rest of material of the HH 80N core possibly undergoing fragmentation that may lead to the formation of several protostars