Search for protostellar jets with UWISH2 in the molecular cloud complexes Vulpecula and IRDC G53.2

Abstract

ABSTRACT Jets and outflows are the early signposts of stellar birth. Using the UKIRT Wide Field Infrared Survey for H2 (UWISH2) at 2.12 μm, 127 outflows are identified in molecular cloud complexes Vulpecula OB1 and IRDC G53.2 covering 12 square degrees of the Galactic plane. Using multiwavelength data sets, from 1.2 to 70 μm, 79 young stellar objects (YSOs) are proposed as potential driving sources, where ∼79  per cent are likely Class 0/I protostars, 17  per cent are Class II YSOs, and the remaining 4 per cent are Class III YSOs. The outflows are characterized in terms of their length, flux, luminosity, and knot-spacing. The identified outflows have a median lobe length of 0.22 and 0.17 pc for outflows in Vulpecula OB1 and IRDC G53.2, respectively. Our analysis, from the knot spacing, reveals a typical ejection frequency of ∼1.2 kyr suggesting an intermediate type between the FU-Ori and EX-Ori type of eruptions in both cloud complexes. Furthermore, the physical parameters of the driving sources are obtained by performing radiative transfer modelling to the observed spectral energy distributions, which suggest that the outflows are driven by intermediate mass stars. Various observed trends between the outflow properties and the corresponding driving sources, and various interesting outflows and star forming sites, including sites of triggered star formation and protocluster forming clump with clusters of jets, are discussed. The obtained results and the identified jet-bearing protostellar sample will pave the way to understand many aspects of outflows with future high-resolution observations.