ALMAGAL

Context . The fragmentation of massive molecular clumps into smaller, potentially star-forming cores plays a key role in the processes of high-mass star formation. The ALMAGAL project, using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), offers highr-esolution data to investigate these processes across various evolutionary stages in the Galactic plane. Aims . This study aims at correlating the fragmentation properties of massive clumps, obtained from ALMA observations, with their global physical parameters (e.g., mass, surface density, and temperature) and evolutionary indicators (e.g., luminosity-to-mass ratio and bolometric temperature) obtained from Herschel observations. It seeks to assess whether the cores evolve in number and mass in tandem with their host clumps and to determine the possible factors influencing the formation of massive cores ( M > 24 M ⊙ ). Methods . We analyzed the masses of 6348 fragments, estimated from 1.4 mm continuum data for 1007 ALMAGAL clumps. Leveraging this unprecedentedly large dataset, we evaluated statistical relationships between clump parameters, estimated over ~0.1 pc scales, and fragment properties, corresponding to scales of a few thousand astronomical units, while accounting for potential biases related to distance and observational resolution. Our results were further compared with predictions from numerical simulations. Results . The fragmentation level correlates preferentially with clump surface density, supporting a scenario of density-driven fragmentation; however, it does not show any clear dependence on total clump mass. Both the mass of the most massive core and the core formation efficiency exhibit a broad range and increase, on average, by an order of magnitude across intervals defined by evolutionary indicators such as clump-dust temperature and the luminosity-to-mass ratio. This suggests that core growth continues throughout clump evolution, favoring clump-fed over core-fed theoretical scenarios. However, significant scatter in these relationships indicates that multiple factors, including magnetic fields, turbulence, and stellar feedback, not quantifiable with continuum data, influence fragmentation, as also suggested by comparison with numerical simulations.

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Publication Details

Journal
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Published
2025-12-02
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202554764
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.15
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article

ALMAGAL

L. Bronfman, P. Schilke, A. Avison, A. Coletta et al.
1 citations
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies
1.15
article

ALMAGAL

L. Bronfman, P. Schilke, A. Avison, A. Coletta, V.-M. Pelkonen, T. Möller, Manuel Merello, Patricio Sanhueza, A. Nucara, G. A. Fuller, S. Molinari, Paul T. P. Ho, Tong Zhang, C. Battersby, Qiqian Zhang, K. L. J. Rygl, A. J. Rigby, S.J Liu, Patrick M. Koch, S.-Y. Liu, Y. Maruccia, F. Fontani, Pamela Klaassen, C. Mininni, S. Walch, G. Stroud, D. C. Lis, S. Pezzuto, H. Zinnecker, C. L. Brogan, K. Johnston, Chi-Yan Law, M. T. Beltrán, Stéphanie Clarke, H. Beuther, T. R. Hunter, M. Benedettini, B. Jones, U. Lebreuilly, M.R.A. Wells, D. Elia, Yung-Chau Su, L. Moscadelli, R.S. Klessen, A. Ahmadi, F. van der Tak, E. Schisano, A. Traficante, T. Liu, R. Kuiper, F. De Angelis, J. D. Soler, Ya‐Wen Tang, P. Hennebelle, L. Testi, A. Sánchez-Monge, J. Allande
article en
1 citations

Abstract

Context . The fragmentation of massive molecular clumps into smaller, potentially star-forming cores plays a key role in the processes of high-mass star formation. The ALMAGAL project, using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), offers highr-esolution data to investigate these processes across various evolutionary stages in the Galactic plane. Aims . This study aims at correlating the fragmentation properties of massive clumps, obtained from ALMA observations, with their global physical parameters (e.g., mass, surface density, and temperature) and evolutionary indicators (e.g., luminosity-to-mass ratio and bolometric temperature) obtained from Herschel observations. It seeks to assess whether the cores evolve in number and mass in tandem with their host clumps and to determine the possible factors influencing the formation of massive cores ( M > 24 M ⊙ ). Methods . We analyzed the masses of 6348 fragments, estimated from 1.4 mm continuum data for 1007 ALMAGAL clumps. Leveraging this unprecedentedly large dataset, we evaluated statistical relationships between clump parameters, estimated over ~0.1 pc scales, and fragment properties, corresponding to scales of a few thousand astronomical units, while accounting for potential biases related to distance and observational resolution. Our results were further compared with predictions from numerical simulations. Results . The fragmentation level correlates preferentially with clump surface density, supporting a scenario of density-driven fragmentation; however, it does not show any clear dependence on total clump mass. Both the mass of the most massive core and the core formation efficiency exhibit a broad range and increase, on average, by an order of magnitude across intervals defined by evolutionary indicators such as clump-dust temperature and the luminosity-to-mass ratio. This suggests that core growth continues throughout clump evolution, favoring clump-fed over core-fed theoretical scenarios. However, significant scatter in these relationships indicates that multiple factors, including magnetic fields, turbulence, and stellar feedback, not quantifiable with continuum data, influence fragmentation, as also suggested by comparison with numerical simulations.

Astronomy and AstrophysicsVol. 705
University of Rome Tor Vergata (IT), Leiden University (NL), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), University of Leeds (GB), Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica (TW), Jet Propulsion Laboratory (US), University of Connecticut (US), Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (CL), University of Groningen (NL), University of Cologne (DE), Université Paris Cité (FR), Heidelberg University (DE), National Radio Astronomy Observatory (US), Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (FR), Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (FR), Université Paris-Saclay (FR), Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (CN), Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory (IT), Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte (IT), John Radcliffe Hospital (GB), University of Manchester (GB), Universidad Autónoma de Chile (CL), Sorbonne Université (FR), Astrophysique, Instrumentation et Modélisation (FR), Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (DE), Institut d'Estudis Espacials de Catalunya (ES), Royal Observatory (GB), SKA Observatory (GB), Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (DE), Institute of Space Sciences (ES), Istituto di Radioastronomia di Bologna (IT), East Asian Observatory (US), Zhejiang Lab (CN), Forschungsstätte der Evangelischen Studiengemeinschaft (DE), Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian (US), CEA Paris-Saclay (FR), Astronomical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SK), Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (DE), Istituto Nazionale per la Fisica della Materia (IT), University of Florence (IT), Space Research Organisation Netherlands (NL), UK Astronomy Technology Centre (GB), University of Lincoln (GB), University of Duisburg-Essen (DE), University of Chile (CL), The University of Tokyo (JP), Sapienza University of Rome (IT), National Institute for Astrophysics (IT), University of Bologna (IT)
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Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies
1.15
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