2021/03/16 by Kei Tanaka, Yichen Zhang, Tanaka, Kei E. I. +3
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA) #FOS: Physical sciences #Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae #Solar and Stellar Astrophysics (astro-ph.SR) #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2103.08859
openalex publication_date 2021/03/16 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
The Next Generation Very Large Array (ngVLA) has excellent capabilities to unveil various dynamical and chemical processes in massive star formation at the unexplored innermost regions. Based on the recent observations of ALMA/VLA as well as theoretical predictions, we propose several intriguing topics in massive star formation from the perspective of the ngVLA. In the disk scale of \lesssim 100 au around massive protostars, dust grains are expected to be destructed/sublimated because the physical conditions of temperature, shocks, and radiation are much more intense than those in the envelopes, which are typically observed as hot cores. The high sensitivity and resolution of the ngVLA will enable us to detect the gaseous refractories released by dust destruction, e.g., SiO, NaCl, and AlO, which trace disk kinematics and give new insights into the metallic elements in star-forming regions, i.e., astromineralogy. The multi-epoch survey by the ngVLA will provide demographics of forming massive multiples with separations of \lesssim 10 au with their proper motion. Combining with observations of refractory molecular lines and hydrogen recombination lines, we can reproduce the three-dimensional orbital motions of massive proto-binaries. Moreover, the 1-mas resolution of the ngVLA could possibly take the first-ever picture of the photospheric surface of an accreting protostar, if it is bloated to the au scale by the high accretion rates of mass and thermal energy.