JWST-ALMA Study of a Hub-Filament System in the Nascent Phase

TL;DR

This study uses JWST and ALMA observations to confirm a nascent hub-filament system in a high-mass star-forming region, revealing gravity-driven flows and complex filamentary morphology crucial for understanding early high-mass star formation.

Contribution

First combined JWST and ALMA analysis confirming a nascent hub-filament system with detailed kinematic and morphological insights into early high-mass star formation.

Findings

Confirmed the presence of a small-scale, nascent hub-filament system.

Identified gravity-driven gas flows along filaments.

Revealed a funnel-shaped, wiggled morphology indicating complex mass transport.

Abstract

Star clusters, including high-mass stars, form within hub-filament systems (HFSs). Observations of HFSs that remain unaffected by feedback from embedded stars are rare yet crucial for understanding the mass inflow process in high-mass star formation. Using the JWST NIRCAM images, Dewangan et al. 2024, reported that the high-mass protostar G11P1 is embedded in a candidate HFS (G11P1-HFS; $<0.6$ pc). Utilizing ALMA N$_{2}$H$^{+}$(1-0) data, we confirm the presence of G11P1-HFS and study the dense gas kinematics. We analyzed the position-position-velocity (PPV) map and estimated on-sky velocity gradient ($V_g$) and gravity ($\mathcal{F}_{g}$) vectors. The spatial distribution of gas velocity and H$_2$ column density was examined. The steep $V_g$ of 5 km s$^{-1}$ pc$^{-1}$ and $-$7 km s$^{-1}$ pc$^{-1}$ toward either side of G11P1-hub, and the decreasing $V_g$ toward the hub, identify G11P1-HFS as a small-scale HFS in its nascent phase. $V_g$ and $\mathcal{F}_{g}$ align along the filaments, indicating gravity-driven flows. This work highlights the wiggled, funnel-shaped morphology of a HFS in PPV space, suggesting the importance of subfilaments or transverse gas flows in mass transportation to the hub.