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February 27, 20260 citations

The GUAPOS project. VII. Physical structure and molecular environment of the G31.41+0.31 HII region

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RCR. CesaroniMBM. T. BeltránVRV. M. Rivilla

Key Points

  • The study aims to determine the physical structure and molecular environment of the G31.41+0.31 HII region, focusing on density and temperature.
  • Utilized ALMA to image hydrogen recombination lines and molecular transitions.
  • Complemented with VLA continuum measurements at 1 cm and 7 mm.
  • Applied a model accounting for NLTE effects to derive density, temperature, and velocity field.
  • Electron temperature ranges from 5000 to 6000 K.
  • Density varies between 2500 and 7500 mc.
  • Findings suggest a cometary shaped region expanding toward the NW with infalling molecular gas.

Abstract

Ionised regions around OB-type stars, formed at an early stage of their evolution, are important in the investigation of the formation processes of these objects. Thus far, however, only a few observations of their physical structure and interaction with the parental molecular cloud have been carried out. The high resolution and high sensitivity of new instruments such as ALMA and the upgraded VLA allow us to fill in this knowledge gap. We investigate the well-known core-halo ultracompact region and the surrounding molecular clump to determine the density and temperature of both the ionised and neutral gas, and to possibly obtain a 3D picture of their spacial distribution. We took advantage of the full-band frequency coverage at 3 mm obtained with ALMA for the GUAPOS project to image the emission of a plethora of hydrogen recombination lines towards the ̋II region, as well as several molecular transitions that serve as tracers of medium-density (∼10⁴--10⁶ ̧mc) gas. The line data are complemented by continuum measurements obtained with the VLA at 1 cm and 7 mm. By fitting these lines with a model that takes into account non-local thermal equilibrium (NLTE) effects, we were able to investigate the density and temperature structure and the velocity field of the region. Our findings, based on a model fit accounting for NLTE effects, indicate that the electron temperature of the ̋II region mostly spans a range between 5000 and 6000 K, while the density varies between 2500 and 7500 ̧mc. All in all, the distribution of these parameters, along with the corresponding velocity field hint at a cometary shaped region expanding away from the observer to the NW. The molecular gas appears to be still infalling towards the peak of the region, while its density and temperature are consistent with pressure confinement of the ionised gas to the SE.

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Cite This Study

Cesaroni et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69a1352fed1d949a99abedd3https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202558285/pdf
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