search
search

Press Releases

DATE2023.06.20 #Press Releases

Observations of High-Mass Star Seeds Defy Models

 

Overview of the press release

The team has revealed an unprecedented number of stellar seeds concealed within environments where high-mass stars (stars with masses eight times more than the Sun) are expected to form. This statistically significant sample allows the team to shed light on a difficult-to-explore area of astrophysics, offering valuable insights into the initial phases of high-mass star and cluster formation. By scrutinizing the most extensive sample to date, the research provides fascinating information regarding the mass, density, and distribution of these stellar seeds within clouds, thereby advancing our comprehension of high-mass star formation.

 

Image : An artist’s view on the internal structure of an infrared dark cloud revealed by  ALMA. The raw material for star formation consists of gas and dust. Here, the densest regions are represented in white and lower densities in blue-ish colors. Some protostars just formed eject gas in outflows, represented by the pink color. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), K. Morii et al.

 

These observation results were published as Kaho Morii et al. “The ALMA Survey of 70μm Dark High-mass Clumps in Early Stages (ASHES). IX. Physical Properties and Spatial Distribution of Cores in IRDCs” in the Astrophysical Journal on June 20, 2023 (doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/acccea.).

 

Kaho Morii, (Ph.D. student : Department of Astronomy, School of Science, The University of Tokyo) have contributed to this research.

 

To read the full press release, please visit the website of National Astronomical Observatory of Japan and The ALMA Project.

 

Publication details


 Journal The Astrophysical Journal
Title The ALMA Survey of 70μm Dark High-mass Clumps in Early Stages (ASHES). IX. Physical Properties and Spatial Distribution of Cores in IRDCs”.