Clustered star formation and outflows in AFGL 2591

TL;DR

This study investigates the complex star formation processes in AFGL 2591, revealing multiple spatial scales, jet-driven outflows, and interactions between young protostars and their surrounding medium through water maser kinematics.

Contribution

It provides detailed kinematic analysis of water masers and radio emission, unveiling multiple star formation scales and outflow mechanisms in AFGL 2591 for the first time.

Findings

Multiple star formation scales identified (0.1 pc and 2000 AU).

Water masers trace jet-driven outflows and bow shocks.

Ambient medium is swept up by high-velocity shocks (>66 km/s).

Abstract

We report on a detailed study of the water maser kinematics and radio continuum emission toward the most massive and young object in the star-forming region AFGL 2591. Our analysis shows at least two spatial scales of multiple star formation, one projected across 0.1 pc on the sky and another one at about 2000 AU from a ZAMS star of about 38 Solar masses. This young stellar object drives a powerful jet- and wind-driven outflow system with the water masers associated to the outflow walls, previously detected as a limb-brightened cavity in the NIR band. At about 1300 AU to the north of this object a younger protostar drives two bow shocks, outlined by arc-like water maser emission, at 200 AU either side of the source. We have traced the velocity profile of the gas that expands along these arc-like maser structures and compared it with the jet-driven outflow model. This analysis suggests that the ambient medium around the northern protostar is swept up by a jet-driven shock (>66 km/s) and perhaps a lower-velocity (~10 km/s) wind with an opening angle of about 20 degrees from the jet axis.