Structure and Fragmentation Scale of a Massive Star-forming Filament in NGC 6334: High-resolution Mid-infrared Absorption Imaging with JWST
Dense filaments are believed to be representative of the initial conditions of star formation in molecular clouds. We have used the MIRI instrument on JWST to image the massive filament NGC 6334M at d ∼ 1.3 kpc with unprecedented resolution and dynamic range at 7.7 and 25.5 μ m. Our observations re...
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2025-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/adc73d |
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| author | Philippe André Michael Mattern Doris Arzoumanian Yoshito Shimajiri Annie Zavagno Daisei Abe Delphine Russeil |
| author_facet | Philippe André Michael Mattern Doris Arzoumanian Yoshito Shimajiri Annie Zavagno Daisei Abe Delphine Russeil |
| author_sort | Philippe André |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Dense filaments are believed to be representative of the initial conditions of star formation in molecular clouds. We have used the MIRI instrument on JWST to image the massive filament NGC 6334M at d ∼ 1.3 kpc with unprecedented resolution and dynamic range at 7.7 and 25.5 μ m. Our observations reveal the fine structure of the filament in absorption against mid-infrared background emission. From the absorption data, we derive high-resolution column density maps and perform a detailed analysis of the structure of NGC 6334M. We find a median filament width of 0.12 ± 0.02 pc at both wavelengths, resolved by almost two orders of magnitude with MIRI, and consistent with the typical half-power width of Herschel filaments in nearby ( d < 500 pc) clouds. The JWST data also reveal the presence of a quasi-periodic series of side filaments with a similar projected spacing of 0.125 ± 0.015 pc. Combining our JWST results with Spitzer and APEX/Herschel data, we perform a study of cloud structure over four orders of magnitude in linear scale. A convergence test shows that our width estimates for NGC 6334M are robust and reflect the presence of a true characteristic scale. While there is evidence of a Kolmogorov-like spectrum of small-scale fluctuations down to the 1.6 × 10 ^−3 pc resolution of the JWST observations, we identify a break in the power spectrum of column density fluctuations at a scale ∼0.1–0.4 pc comparable to the width of NGC 6334M and its side filaments. This characteristic scale ∼0.1 pc has important implications for the origin of the star formation efficiency in dense gas and the initial mass function. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9c25e5b74ed04fadbe24a60a70542dd4 |
| institution | DOAJ |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
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| series | The Astrophysical Journal Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-9c25e5b74ed04fadbe24a60a70542dd42025-08-20T02:56:06ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal Letters2041-82052025-01-019842L5910.3847/2041-8213/adc73dStructure and Fragmentation Scale of a Massive Star-forming Filament in NGC 6334: High-resolution Mid-infrared Absorption Imaging with JWSTPhilippe André0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3413-2293Michael Mattern1https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9197-6483Doris Arzoumanian2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1959-7201Yoshito Shimajiri3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9368-3143Annie Zavagno4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9509-7316Daisei Abe5https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6891-2995Delphine Russeil6https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5400-7214Laboratoire d’Astrophysique (AIM) Université Paris-Saclay , Université Paris Cité, CEA, CNRS, AIM 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France ; pandre@cea.frLaboratoire d’Astrophysique (AIM) Université Paris-Saclay , Université Paris Cité, CEA, CNRS, AIM 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France ; pandre@cea.frThe Institute for Advanced Study , Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Faculty of Science, Kyushu University, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, JapanKyushu Kyoritsu University Jiyugaoka 1-8 , Yahatanishi-ku Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, 807-08585, JapanAix Marseille Univ , CNRS, CNES, LAM Marseille, FranceAstronomical Institute, Tohoku University Sendai , Miyagi 980-8578, JapanAix Marseille Univ , CNRS, CNES, LAM Marseille, FranceDense filaments are believed to be representative of the initial conditions of star formation in molecular clouds. We have used the MIRI instrument on JWST to image the massive filament NGC 6334M at d ∼ 1.3 kpc with unprecedented resolution and dynamic range at 7.7 and 25.5 μ m. Our observations reveal the fine structure of the filament in absorption against mid-infrared background emission. From the absorption data, we derive high-resolution column density maps and perform a detailed analysis of the structure of NGC 6334M. We find a median filament width of 0.12 ± 0.02 pc at both wavelengths, resolved by almost two orders of magnitude with MIRI, and consistent with the typical half-power width of Herschel filaments in nearby ( d < 500 pc) clouds. The JWST data also reveal the presence of a quasi-periodic series of side filaments with a similar projected spacing of 0.125 ± 0.015 pc. Combining our JWST results with Spitzer and APEX/Herschel data, we perform a study of cloud structure over four orders of magnitude in linear scale. A convergence test shows that our width estimates for NGC 6334M are robust and reflect the presence of a true characteristic scale. While there is evidence of a Kolmogorov-like spectrum of small-scale fluctuations down to the 1.6 × 10 ^−3 pc resolution of the JWST observations, we identify a break in the power spectrum of column density fluctuations at a scale ∼0.1–0.4 pc comparable to the width of NGC 6334M and its side filaments. This characteristic scale ∼0.1 pc has important implications for the origin of the star formation efficiency in dense gas and the initial mass function.https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/adc73dInfrared dark cloudsDark interstellar cloudsInterstellar filamentsStar formation |
| spellingShingle | Philippe André Michael Mattern Doris Arzoumanian Yoshito Shimajiri Annie Zavagno Daisei Abe Delphine Russeil Structure and Fragmentation Scale of a Massive Star-forming Filament in NGC 6334: High-resolution Mid-infrared Absorption Imaging with JWST The Astrophysical Journal Letters Infrared dark clouds Dark interstellar clouds Interstellar filaments Star formation |
| title | Structure and Fragmentation Scale of a Massive Star-forming Filament in NGC 6334: High-resolution Mid-infrared Absorption Imaging with JWST |
| title_full | Structure and Fragmentation Scale of a Massive Star-forming Filament in NGC 6334: High-resolution Mid-infrared Absorption Imaging with JWST |
| title_fullStr | Structure and Fragmentation Scale of a Massive Star-forming Filament in NGC 6334: High-resolution Mid-infrared Absorption Imaging with JWST |
| title_full_unstemmed | Structure and Fragmentation Scale of a Massive Star-forming Filament in NGC 6334: High-resolution Mid-infrared Absorption Imaging with JWST |
| title_short | Structure and Fragmentation Scale of a Massive Star-forming Filament in NGC 6334: High-resolution Mid-infrared Absorption Imaging with JWST |
| title_sort | structure and fragmentation scale of a massive star forming filament in ngc 6334 high resolution mid infrared absorption imaging with jwst |
| topic | Infrared dark clouds Dark interstellar clouds Interstellar filaments Star formation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/adc73d |
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