Chandra Study of Young Stellar Objects in the NGC 1333 Star-forming Cloud

K.V. Getman, E.D. Feigelson, and L.K. Townsley (Pennsylvania State University)

Abstract

NGC 1333 is a reflection nebula surrounded by a double cluster of approximately 150 low- and intermediate-mass young stars with mean absorption A_v=7. About half have IR excesses from circumstellar disks, the other half are presumably weak-line T-Tauri stars. These stars have produced an astonishing profusion of outflows with at least 17 YSOs producing Herbig-Haro objects, H2 shocks and/or CO flows. The kinetic energy of these outflows dominates the dynamics of the cloud. The large population of short-lived outflows, together with the K luminosity function, indicates that the cluster is extremely young with a star formation rate around $1 \times 10^{-4}$ stars/yr over the past 1-2 Myr. The population includes several far-IR YSOs including at least two Class 0 protostars.

We present the first high-spatial-resolution X-ray images of NGC 1333 obtained in a 39-ksec observation with the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer aboard the Chandra X-ray Observatory in July 2000. The field is resolved at the arcsecond level into about 100 sources, including all sources seen by ROSAT. Most are T Tauri stars but several protostars are present. We also find evidence for extended emission around LkH$\alpha$ 270.

Support for this effort was provided by the Chandra X-ray Observatory GO2 grant GO0-1092X.

CATEGORY: NORMAL STARS AND WHITE DWARFS