Abstract
MOLECULAR outflow is an energetic mass-ejection phenomenon associated with very early stage of stellar evolution1,2. The large kinetic energy involved in the phenomenon indicates that outflow may play an essential role in the process of star formation, particularly by extracting angular momentum3. Most of the previous searches have been strongly biased toward optical or near-infrared signposts of star formation1. They are not able, therefore, to provide the complete database necessary for a statistical study of the evolutionary status of molecular outflow. To overcome this difficulty, it is of vital importance to make an unbiased search of single molecular clouds for molecular outflows; here we report the final result of such a survey of the Lynds 1641 dark cloud. We show that molecular outflows are characterized by a total luminosity significantly greater than that of T Tauri stars. This indicates that molecular outflow corresponds to the main accretion phase of protostellar evolution, in which the luminosity excess is due to the gravitational energy released by dynamical mass accretion onto the protostellar core4.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Lada, C. J. A. Rev. Astr. Astrophys. 23, 267–317 (1985).
Fukui, Y. in Proc. ESO Workshop on Low Mass Star Formation and Pre-main Sequence Objects (ed. Reipurth, B.) (European Southern Observatory, Garching, in the press).
Uchida, Y. & Shibata, K. Publs astr. Soc. Japan 37, 515–535 (1985).
Stahler, S. W., Shu, F. H. & Taam, R. E. Astrophys. J. 241, 637–654 (1980).
Takaba, H. et al. Astron. Astrophys. 166, 276–282 (1986).
Reipurth, B. & Bally, J. Nature 320, 336–338 (1986).
Bally, J., Langer, W. D., Stark, A. A. & Wilson, R. W. Astrophys. J. 312, L45–L49 (1987).
Fukui, Y. et al. Astrophys. J. 311, L85–L88 (1986).
Fukui, Y. Vistas Astr. 31, 217–226 (1988).
Fukui, Y., Takaba, H., Iwata, T. & Mizuno, A. Astrophys. J. 325, L13–L15 (1988).
Levreault, R. M. Astrophys. J. Suppl. 67, 283–371 (1988).
IRAS Catalogs & Atlases, Explanatory Suppl. (eds Beichman, C. A., Neugebauer, G., Habing, H. J., Clegg, P. E. & Chester, T. J.) (U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1984).
Snell, R. L., Loren, R. B. & Plambeck, R. L. Astrophys. J. 239, L17–L22 (1980).
Strom, K. M. et al. Astrophys. J. Suppl. 71, 183–217 (1989).
Harris, S. in Proc. ESO-IRAM-Onsala Workshop on (Sub)millimeter Astronomy (eds Shaver, P. A. & Kjär, K.) 527–532 (European Southern Observatory, Garching, 1985).
Beichman, C. A. et al. Astrophys. J. 307, 337–349 (1986).
Hayashi, C. Publs astr. Soc. Japan 13, 450–452 (1961).
Herbig, G. H. & Bell, K. R. University of California, Lick Observatory Bulletin No. 1111, (1988).
Cohen, M. & Kuhi, L. V. Astrophys. J. Suppl. 41, 743–843 (1979).
Rucinski, S. M. Astr. J. 90, 2321–2330 (1985).
Stahler, S. W. Astrophys. J. 274, 822–829 (1983).
Shu, F. H., Adams, F. C. & Lizano, S. A. Rev. Astr. Astrophys. 25, 23–81 (1987).
Strom, S. E., Strom, K. M. & Edwards, S. in Proc. NATO Advanced Study Institute on Galactic and Extragalactic Star Formation (eds Pudritz, R. E. & Fich, M.) 53–88 (Kluwer, Dordrecht, 1988).
Margulis, M. & Lada, C. J. Astrophys. J. 299, 925–938 (1985).
Iwata, T., Fukui, Y. & Ogawa, H. Astrophys. J. 325, 372–381 (1988).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fukui, Y., Iwata, T., Takaba, H. et al. Molecular outflows in protostellar evolution. Nature 342, 161–163 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1038/342161a0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/342161a0
This article is cited by
-
A blue ring nebula from a stellar merger several thousand years ago
Nature (2020)
-
Molecular cloud condensation as a tracer of low-mass star formation
Nature (1994)
-
Young bipolar nebulae
The Astronomy and Astrophysics Review (1993)
-
Evidence for a rotating helical filament in L1641, part of the Orion cloud complex
Nature (1991)
-
Nonrandom uses
Nature (1990)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.
