Quick search Find article
Quick search
Find article

Hubble Space Telescope Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph Observations of the Bipolar Jet from RW Aurigae: Tracing Outflow Asymmetries Close to the Source*

FREE

Jens Woitas1, Thomas P. Ray2, Francesca Bacciotti3, Christopher J. Davis4 and Jochen Eislöffel1

Show affiliations


We have observed the bipolar jet from RW Aur A with STIS on board the Hubble Space Telescope. After continuum subtraction, morphological and kinematic properties of this outflow can be traced to within 0farcs1 from the source in forbidden emission lines. The jet appears well collimated, with typical FWHMs of 20-30 AU in the first 2'' and, surprisingly, does not show a separate low-velocity component, in contrast to earlier observations. The systemic radial outflow velocity of the blueshifted lobe is typically 50% larger than that of the redshifted one with a velocity difference of about 65 km s-1. Although such asymmetries have been seen before on larger scales, our high spatial resolution observations suggest that they are intrinsic to the "central engine" rather than effects of the star's immediate environment. Temporal variations of the bipolar jet's outflow velocities appear to occur on timescales of a few years. They have combined to produce a 55% increase in the velocity asymmetry between the two lobes over the past decade. In the red lobe, estimated mass flux (img1.gifj) and momentum flux (img2.gifj) values are around one-half and one-third of those for the blue lobe, respectively. The mass outflow to mass accretion rate is 0.05, the former being measured at a distance of 0farcs35 from the source.


Footnote
*  Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555.
Subject headings

ISM: Herbig-Haro objects; ISM: jets and outflows; stars: formation; stars: individual (RW Aurigae); stars: pre-main sequence


Dates

Issue 1 (2002 November 20)

Received 2002 April 18, accepted for publication 2002 July 25



  1. Hubble Space Telescope Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph Observations of the Bipolar Jet from RW Aurigae: Tracing Outflow Asymmetries Close to the Source

    Jens Woitas et al. 2002 ApJ 580 336

  2. A transfer matrix approach to the enumeration of plane meanders

    Iwan Jensen 2000 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 33 5953

  3. The cosmic snap parameter in f(R) gravity

    Nikodem J Popławski 2007 Class. Quantum Grav. 24 3013

  4. Angular momentum and Heisenberg's correspondence principle

    S C McFarlane 1992 J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 25 4045

  5. Eigenvalue spacings for quantized cat maps

    Alex Gamburd et al 2003 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 36 3487

  6. Ultrasound-based transient elastography compared to magnetic resonance elastography in soft tissue-mimicking gels

    Jennifer Oudry et al 2009 Phys. Med. Biol. 54 6979

  7. Resolution of an apparent inconsistency in the electromagnetic Casimir effect

    H Alnes et al 2007 J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 40 F315

  8. Coherent states for the q-deformed quantum mechanics on a circle

    K Kowalski and J Rembieliński 2004 J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. 37 11447

  9. Characterizing the Cluster Lens Population

    Joseph F. Hennawi et al. 2007 ApJ 654 714

  10. Core polarization effects in the decay of 1s →np (n = 2-6) resonantly excited beryllium

    J Jiménez-Mier et al 2001 J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 34 L693

Users also read

What's this?
This innovative new feature generates a list of articles 'also read' by other users based on them reading the original article. Article abstracts citations and references are all considered and weighted accordingly. We hope that this will help you find relevant papers for your research.

  1. Adaptive Optics Echelle Spectroscopy of [Fe II] 1.644 μm in the RW Aur Jet: A Narrow Slice Down the Axis of the Flow

View by subject




Export








Please login to access our web services, or create an account if you don't yet have one.

You must have cookies enabled in your web browser to be able to login.

Username
Password

Forgotten your password? Get a new one here.