Medium resolution near-infrared spectroscopy of Massive Young Stellar Objects

TL;DR

This study provides the largest medium-resolution near-infrared spectroscopic dataset of Massive Young Stellar Objects, revealing emission line characteristics, accretion processes, and wind structures, with implications for massive star formation theories.

Contribution

It is the first large sample study at this resolution for MYSOs, analyzing spectral features and accretion signatures to understand massive star formation mechanisms.

Findings

Most MYSOs show hydrogen emission lines and accretion diagnostics.

13% exhibit P Cygni profiles indicating outflows.

Accretion rates are consistent with scaled low-mass star formation models.

Abstract

We present medium-resolution (R~7000) near-infrared echelle spectroscopic data for 36 MYSOs drawn from the Red MSX Source (RMS) survey. This is the largest sample observed at this resolution at these wavelengths of MYSOs to date. The spectra are characterized mostly by emission from hydrogen recombination lines and accretion diagnostic lines. One MYSO shows photospheric HI absorption, a comparison with spectral standards indicates that the star is an A type star with a low surface gravity, implying that the MYSOs are probably swollen, as also suggested by evolutionary calculations. An investigation of the Br$\gamma$ line profiles shows that most are in pure emission, while 13$\pm$5 % display P Cygni profiles, indicative of outflow, while less than 8$\pm$4 % have inverse P Cygni profiles, indicative of infall. These values are comparable with investigations into the optically bright Herbig Be stars, but not with those of Herbig Ae and T Tauri stars, consistent with the notion that the more massive stars undergo accretion in a different fashion than lower mass objects which are undergoing magnetospheric accretion. Accretion luminosities and rates as derived from the Br$\gamma$ line luminosities agree with results for lower mass sources, providing tentative evidence for massive star formation theories based on scaling of low-mass scenarios. We present Br$\gamma$/Br12 line profile ratios exploiting the fact that optical depth effects can be traced as a function of Doppler shift across the lines. These show that the winds of MYSOs in this sample are nearly equally split between constant, accelerating, and decelerating velocity structures. There are no trends between the types of features we see and bolometric luminosities or near-infrared colours.