A rotating molecular jet from a Perseus protostar

TL;DR

This paper reports observations of a collimated outflow from a young protostar, revealing velocity asymmetries that suggest jet rotation possibly anchored to the disk, providing insights into early star formation processes.

Contribution

It presents evidence for jet rotation in a protostellar outflow and links magnetic field configurations to the disk structure, advancing understanding of jet launching mechanisms.

Findings

Velocity asymmetries of about 2 km/s over 1000 AU

Evidence supporting jet rotation hypothesis

Magnetic field lines possibly anchored to a 20 AU disk

Abstract

We present $^{12}$CO(2-1) line and 1.4 mm continuum archival observations, made with the Submillimeter Array, of the outflow HH 797 located in the IC 348 cluster in Perseus. The continuum emission is associated with a circumstellar disk surrounding the class 0 object IC 348-MMS/SMM2, a very young solar analog. The line emission, on the other hand, delineates a collimated outflow, and reveals velocity asymmetries about the flow axis over the entire length of the flow. The amplitude of velocity differences is of order 2 km s$^{-1}$ over distances of about 1000 AU, and we interpret them as evidence for jet rotation --although we also discuss alternative possibilities. A comparison with theoretical models suggests that the magnetic field lines threading the protostellar jet might be anchored to the disk of a radius of about 20 AU.