L1448-MM observations by the Herschel Key program, "Dust, Ice, and Gas In Time" (DIGIT)

TL;DR

This study presents Herschel/PACS observations of the Class 0 protostar L1448-MM, revealing diverse molecular emissions and suggesting multiple shock processes influence its outflow and surrounding environment.

Contribution

It provides detailed spatial and spectral analysis of molecular lines, proposing a multi-shock model and highlighting water as the dominant coolant in the region.

Findings

CO emission fits two temperature components (warm and hot).

H2O and CO lines likely originate from high-temperature shocks.

OH emission is localized and influenced by IR-pumping.

Abstract

We present Herschel/PACS observations of L1448-MM, a Class 0 protostar with a prominent outflow. Numerous emission lines are detected at 55 < lambda < 210 micrometer including CO, OH, H2O, and [O I]. We investigate the spatial distribution of each transition to find that lines from low energy levels tend to distribute along the outflow direction while lines from high energy levels peak at the central spatial pixel. Spatial maps reveal that OH emission lines are formed in a relatively small area, while [O I] emission is extended. According to the rotational diagram analysis, the CO emission can be fitted by two (warm and hot) temperature components. For H2O, the ortho-to-para ratio is close to 3. The non-LTE LVG calculations suggest that CO and H2O lines could instead be formed in a high kinetic temperature (T > 1000 K) environment, indicative of a shock origin. For OH, IR-pumping processes play an important role in the level population. The molecular emission in L1448-MM is better explained with a C-shock model, but the atomic emission of PACS [O I] and Spitzer/IRS [Si II] emission is not consistent with C-shocks, suggesting multiple shocks in this region. Water is the major line coolant of L1448-MM in the PACS wavelength range, and the best-fit LVG models predict that H2O and CO emit (50-80)% of their line luminosity in the PACS wavelength range.