Molecular inventory of a young eruptive star's environment -- Case study of the classical FU Orionis star V1057 Cyg

TL;DR

This study presents the first comprehensive millimeter spectral line survey of the FU Orionis star V1057 Cyg, revealing a rich molecular inventory and episodic outflow activity, which enhances understanding of star and planet formation processes.

Contribution

It provides the first wideband millimeter spectral line survey of a Class II FUor, identifying over 30 molecular species and analyzing outflow dynamics, thus filling a gap in molecular data for evolved eruptive stars.

Findings

Detected over 30 molecular species including complex organics

Evidence of episodic outburst activity from $^{12}$CO position-velocity diagram

Rich molecular chemistry compared to younger FUors

Abstract

Studying accretion-driven episodic outbursts in YSOs is key to understanding the later stages of star and planet formation. FU Orionis-type objects form a YSO subclass, distinguished by rapid, multi-magnitude increases in brightness at optical and near-infrared wavelengths. These outbursts may significantly impact the chemistry and molecular composition around eruptive stars. However, no comprehensive millimeter-wavelength line survey exists for more evolved (Class II) sources, unlike optical and near-infrared coverage. We conducted the first wideband millimeter spectral line survey of V1057 Cyg, a low-mass eruptive FUor with the highest observed peak accretion rate in its class. Using the IRAM 30-m telescope, we surveyed the 72-263 GHz range and complemented this with targeted spectra at 219, 227, 291, and 344 GHz with the APEX 12-m telescope. We conducted radiative transfer and population diagram analyses to get first estimates of the excitation temperatures and column densities. Several molecular species trace large-scale structures, and the position-velocity diagram of $^{12}$CO suggest episodic outburst activity, with outflow dynamical timescales on the order of tens of thousands of years. We identified simple molecules (C-, N-, O-, and S-bearing), deuterated species, molecular ions, and complex organic molecules. With over 30 molecular species (including isotopologues) detected, V1057 Cyg demonstrates rich chemistry for its evolutionary state, compared to other younger (Class 0/I) FUors. V1057 Cyg is a good candidate for future interferometric studies to resolve emission structures, to possibly constrain molecular freeze-out, and detect water and complex organic molecules. Our results highlight the importance of millimeter line surveys in complementing optical/near-infrared studies, improving statistics on molecular inventories in eruptive stars and their environments.