The discovery based on GLIMPSE data of a protostar driving a bipolar outflow

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of a massive protostar with a bipolar outflow using GLIMPSE data, indicating an early stage of star formation with a luminous, Class I protostar exhibiting infrared excesses.

Contribution

First detection of a bipolar outflow associated with a protostar using GLIMPSE infrared data, providing insights into early massive star formation stages.

Findings

Bipolar outflow resembles an hourglass shape in infrared images.

Total luminosity of the system is approximately 5507 solar luminosities.

Spectral energy distribution suggests the source is a Class I protostar.

Abstract

We report the discovery based on GLIMPSE data of a proto-stellar system driving a bipolar outflow . The bipolar outflow closely resembles the shape of an hourglass in the infrared. The total luminosity of L_total=5507 L_sun, derived from IRAS fluxes, indicates the ongoing formation of a massive star in this region. The spectral energy distribution (SED) of the driving source is fitted with an online SED fitting tool, which results in a spectral index of about 1.2. This, along with the presence of a bipolar outflow, suggests the detection of a Class I protostar. The driving source indicates prominent infrared excesses in color-color diagrams based on archived 2MASS and GLIMPSE data, which is in line with an early evolutionary stage of the system.