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Variability of the NGC 1333 IRAS 4A Outflow: Molecular Hydrogen and Silicon Monoxide Images*

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Minho Choi1, Klaus W. Hodapp2, Masahiko Hayashi3, Kentaro Motohara3,4, Soojong Pak1,5 and Tae-Soo Pyo3

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The NGC 1333 region was observed in the H2 1-0 S(1) line. The H2 images cover a 5' × 7' region around IRAS 4. Numerous H2 emission features were detected. The northeast-southwest bipolar outflow driven by IRAS 4A was studied by combining the H2 images with SiO maps published previously. The SiO-H2 outflows are continuous on the southwestern side but show a gap on the northeastern side. The southwestern outflow lobe curves smoothly, and the position angle increases with the distance from the driving source. The base and the outer tip of the northeastern outflow lobe are located at positions opposite to the corresponding parts of the southwestern lobe. This point symmetry suggests that the outflow axis may be drifting or precessing clockwise in the plane of the sky and that the cause of the axis drift may be intrinsic to the outflow engine. The axis drift model is supported by the asymmetric lateral intensity profile of the SiO outflow. The axis drift rate is ~0fdg011 yr-1. The middle part of the northeastern outflow does not exactly follow the point symmetry because of the superposition of two different kinds of directional variability: the axis drift of the driving source and the deflection by a dense core. The axis drift model provides a good explanation for the large deflection angle of the northeastern outflow. Other H2 emission features around the IRAS 4 region are discussed briefly. Some of them are newly found outflows, and some are associated with outflows already known before.


Footnote
*  Based in part on data collected at Subaru Telescope, which is operated by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.
Subject headings

ISM: individual (NGC 1333 IRAS 4); ISM: jets and outflows; ISM: structure; stars: formation


Dates

Issue 2 (2006 August 1)

Received 2006 January 31, accepted for publication 2006 April 11



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