ALMA Reveals an Explosive Outflow Candidate in IRAS 16119–5048

Abstract We present a multiwavelength study of the massive star formation region IRAS 16119–5048 (I16119) using ALMA ATOMS Band 3 and QUARKS Band 6 observations, complemented by archival ATCA radio continuum and Spitzer mid-infrared data.The CO (2–1) emission reveals a system of high-velocity streamer-like structures around the central region. Using a dendrogram analysis of velocity-channel maps followed by linking in position–position–velocity space, we identify 16 streamers that are approximately radially distributed and whose projected trajectories converge toward a common central region. We found that the kinetic energy of the outflows is at least an order of magnitude lower than those of most known explosive outflows, but the mass entrainment rate and momentum rate are high compared with typical protostellar outflows, suggesting that I16119 may represent a low-energy explosive outflow candidate. Dense-gas and photodissociation-region tracers reveal shell-like structures associated with the 8 μm emission, indicating that feedback from the H ii region may influence the streamer morphology. The 1.3 mm continuum emission resolves 27 dense cores along a fragmented filamentary structure. Their separations are consistent with thermal Jeans or thermal cylindrical fragmentation, while the collect and collapse scenario is unsupported. The dense cores also show evidence of mass segregation, with the most massive cores concentrated near the inferred explosive center. We therefore suggest that I16119 is a plausible low-energy explosive outflow candidate, possibly triggered by dynamical interactions among centrally concentrated massive cores. However, the complex velocity structure and possible contamination from individual core-driven outflows prevent a definitive classification. More sensitive, higher-angular-resolution, and dedicated observations are required to confirm the nature of the outflow in this region.

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Journal
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Published
2026-08-14
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stag1514
Primary Topic
Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies
Type
article
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0.00

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article

ALMA Reveals an Explosive Outflow Candidate in IRAS 16119–5048

Prasanta Gorai, M. Juvela, Siju Zhang, Yingxiu Ma et al.
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies
article

ALMA Reveals an Explosive Outflow Candidate in IRAS 16119–5048

Prasanta Gorai, M. Juvela, Siju Zhang, Yingxiu Ma, Toktarkhan Komesh, Jianjun Zhou, Sami Dib, Jiasheng Li, Dongdong Zhou, Delin Meng, Yongquan Luo, Kee-Tae Kim, Jarken Esimbek, Weiguang Ji, Guido Garay, Yuxin He, Fengwei Xu, Patricio Sanhueza, Chang Won Lee, Tie Liu, Tapas Baug, Dalei Li, Jihye Hwang, Leonardo Bronfman, Xindi Tang, Gang Wu, L Viktor Tóth
article en

Abstract

Abstract We present a multiwavelength study of the massive star formation region IRAS 16119–5048 (I16119) using ALMA ATOMS Band 3 and QUARKS Band 6 observations, complemented by archival ATCA radio continuum and Spitzer mid-infrared data.The CO (2–1) emission reveals a system of high-velocity streamer-like structures around the central region. Using a dendrogram analysis of velocity-channel maps followed by linking in position–position–velocity space, we identify 16 streamers that are approximately radially distributed and whose projected trajectories converge toward a common central region. We found that the kinetic energy of the outflows is at least an order of magnitude lower than those of most known explosive outflows, but the mass entrainment rate and momentum rate are high compared with typical protostellar outflows, suggesting that I16119 may represent a low-energy explosive outflow candidate. Dense-gas and photodissociation-region tracers reveal shell-like structures associated with the 8 μm emission, indicating that feedback from the H ii region may influence the streamer morphology. The 1.3 mm continuum emission resolves 27 dense cores along a fragmented filamentary structure. Their separations are consistent with thermal Jeans or thermal cylindrical fragmentation, while the collect and collapse scenario is unsupported. The dense cores also show evidence of mass segregation, with the most massive cores concentrated near the inferred explosive center. We therefore suggest that I16119 is a plausible low-energy explosive outflow candidate, possibly triggered by dynamical interactions among centrally concentrated massive cores. However, the complex velocity structure and possible contamination from individual core-driven outflows prevent a definitive classification. More sensitive, higher-angular-resolution, and dedicated observations are required to confirm the nature of the outflow in this region.

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Eötvös Loránd University (HU), Planetary Science Institute (US), University of Debrecen (HU), Kyushu University (JP), University of Oslo (NO), Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KZ), Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (CN), Helsinki Institute of Physics (FI), Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KR), Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory (CN), Institute for Advanced Study (US), Clínica Las Condes (CL), Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (DE), Institute for Advanced Study (DE), National Astronomical Observatories (CN), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Nazarbayev University (KZ), The University of Tokyo (JP), S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences (IN), Korea University of Science and Technology (KR), Xinjiang University (CN)
National Science Foundation, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute, Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Natural Science Foundation of Xinjiang, Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo, Alliance of International Science Organizations, National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Youth Innovation Promotion Association
Openalex Percentile: Top 10%
Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies
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