Dynamics of cluster-forming hub-filament systems: The case of the high-mass star-forming complex Monoceros R2

TL;DR

This study examines the morphology, stability, and dynamics of the hub-filament system in Monoceros R2, revealing filament properties, accretion rates, and gas motions that inform high-mass star formation processes.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of filament stability, accretion flows, and gas dynamics in Monoceros R2, highlighting the role of filament interactions in high-mass star formation.

Findings

Main filaments are thermally super-critical and show signs of fragmentation.

Mass accretion rate into the hub is estimated at 10^{-4} to 10^{-3} Msun/pc.

The hub's mass-doubling time is about 2.5 million years, indicating a dynamically old region.

Abstract

High-mass stars and star clusters commonly form within hub-filament systems. Monoceros R2, harbors one of the closest such systems, making it an excellent target for case studies. We investigate the morphology, stability and dynamical properties of the hub-filament system on basis of 13CO and C18O observations obtained with the IRAM-30m telescope and H2 column density maps derived from Herschel dust emission observations. We identified the filamentary network and characterized the individual filaments as either main (converging into the hub) or secondary (converging to a main filament) filaments. The main filaments have line masses of 30-100 Msun/pc and show signs of fragmentation. The secondary filaments have line masses of 12-60 Msun/pc and show fragmentation only sporadically. In the context of Ostriker's hydrostatic filament model, the main filaments are thermally super-critical. If non-thermal motions are included, most of them are trans-critical. Most of the secondary filaments are roughly trans-critical regardless of whether non-thermal motions are included or not. From the main filaments, we estimate a mass accretion rate of 10(-4)-10(-3) Msun/pc into the hub. The secondary filaments accrete into the main filaments with a rate of 0.1-0.4x10(-4) Msun/pc. The main filaments extend into the hub. Their velocity gradients increase towards the hub, suggesting acceleration of the gas. We estimate that with the observed infall velocity, the mass-doubling time of the hub is ~2.5 Myr, ten times larger than the free-fall time, suggesting a dynamically old region. These timescales are comparable with the chemical age of the HII region. Inside the hub, the main filaments show a ring- or a spiral-like morphology that exhibits rotation and infall motions. One possible explanation for the morphology is that gas is falling into the central cluster following a spiral-like pattern.