The circumstellar environment around the embedded protostar EC 53

TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution ALMA observations to analyze the circumstellar environment of the embedded protostar EC 53, revealing a disk with grain growth, complex molecular line emissions, and evidence of past outburst events affecting the snow line.

Contribution

First detailed ALMA analysis of EC 53's environment, showing disk properties, molecular line tracing, and implications of past outbursts on snow line extension.

Findings

Disk mass estimated at 0.075 Msun with grain growth to centimeter sizes.

Protostellar mass lower limit of 0.3 Msun from rotation profile.

Extended water snow line suggests past outburst activity.

Abstract

EC53 is an embedded protostar with quasi-periodic emission in the near-IR and sub-mm. We use ALMA high-resolution observations of continuum and molecular line emission to describe the circumstellar environment of EC 53. The continuum image reveals a disk with a flux that suggests a mass of 0.075 Msun, much less than the estimated mass in the envelope, and an in-band spectral index that indicates grain growth to centimeter sizes. Molecular lines trace the outflow cavity walls, infalling and rotating envelope, and/or the Keplerian disk. The rotation profile of the C17O 3-2 line emission cannot isolate the Keplerian motion clearly although the lower limit of the protostellar mass can be calculated as 0.3 +- 0.1 Msun if the Keplerian motion is adopted. The weak CH3OH emission, which is anti-correlated with the HCO+ 4-3 line emission, indicates that the water snow line is more extended than what expected from the current luminosity, attesting to bygone outburst events. The extended snow line may persist for longer at the disk surface because the lower density increases the freeze-out timescale of methanol and water.