Collisions in a system of conical jet/counterjet outflows

TL;DR

This paper models the likelihood of collisions between protostellar outflows in star clusters using a Monte Carlo approach, considering outflow collimation, length, and star separation.

Contribution

It introduces a probabilistic model and a predictive function for outflow interactions based on jet properties and cluster configuration.

Findings

Probability of outflow collisions increases with wider jet opening angles.

Derived a function to predict the number of outflow interactions in clusters.

Monte Carlo simulations effectively estimate interaction likelihoods.

Abstract

Stars predominantly form in compact, non-hierarchical clusters. The gas outflows ejected by protostars can intersect and interact with each other, resulting in complex interactions that affect the dynamics, morphology, and evolution of these outflows. Determining the probability of an encounter between them requires a Bayesian approach that considers the collimation, length (or age), and separation between young stellar objects in the clusters. In this study, we employ a Monte Carlo approach to estimate this probability as a function of the jet opening angle and the ratio between the jet length and the separation between stars. We propose a function that predicts the number of interactions within a cluster based on the opening angle of the gas outflows ejected by protostars.