The Role of Outflows, Radiation Pressure, and Magnetic Fields in Massive Star Formation

TL;DR

This study uses advanced 3D simulations to explore how outflows, radiation, and magnetic fields influence the formation and maximum mass of massive stars, highlighting outflows as a dominant feedback mechanism.

Contribution

It presents the first comprehensive 3D radiation-magnetohydrodynamic simulations including both radiative feedback and collimated outflows in massive star formation.

Findings

Outflows create holes in circumstellar gas, facilitating radiation escape.

Precession broadens outflows and entrains more material.

Outflows are more effective feedback than radiation pressure in massive star formation.

Abstract

Stellar feedback in the form of radiation pressure and magnetically-driven collimated outflows may limit the maximum mass that a star can achieve and affect the star-formation efficiency of massive pre-stellar cores. Here we present a series of 3D adaptive mesh refinement radiation-magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the collapse of initially turbulent, massive pre-stellar cores. Our simulations include radiative feedback from both the direct stellar and dust-reprocessed radiation fields, and collimated outflow feedback from the accreting stars. We find that protostellar outflows punches holes in the dusty circumstellar gas along the star's polar directions, thereby increasing the size of optically thin regions through which radiation can escape. Precession of the outflows as the star's spin axis changes due to the turbulent accretion flow further broadens the outflow, and causes more material to be entrained. Additionally, the presence of magnetic fields in the entrained material leads to broader entrained outflows that escape the core. We compare the injected and entrained outflow properties and find that the entrained outflow mass is a factor of $\sim$3 larger than the injected mass and the momentum and energy contained in the entrained material are $\sim$25% and $\sim$5% of the injected momentum and energy, respectively. As a result, we find that, when one includes both outflows and radiation pressure, the former are a much more effective and important feedback mechanism, even for massive stars with significant radiative outputs.