Unveiling the collision between molecular outflows: observational evidence and hydrodynamic simulations

TL;DR

This study combines observational data and hydrodynamic simulations to provide evidence that the complex morphology and kinematics of the EGO G338.92+0.55 region are caused by a collision between two molecular outflows.

Contribution

It introduces a novel combined observational and simulation approach to identify outflow collisions as the cause of complex astrophysical structures.

Findings

Evidence of outflow collision in EGO G338 region

Hydrodynamic simulations support collision hypothesis

Synthetic CO images match observational data

Abstract

We present an unexplored scenario for interpreting the outflows in the EGO G338.92+0.55 (b) region (hereafter, EGO G338). Within this framework, we investigate the hypothesis that the interaction between two outflows is responsible for the observed morphology and kinematics of this astrophysical object. To explore this possibility, we reanalyse the region using observational molecular line data. We base our analysis on maps of moments 0, 1, and 2 of the CO emission associated with the molecular outflows. Additionally, we conduct three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations to examine the presence or absence of a collision between two jets. From our numerical results, we produce synthetic CO images to facilitate a direct comparison with observations. The findings of this study provide compelling evidence that the observed morphology and kinematics in the EGO G338 region are the result of a likely collision between two molecular outflows.