EPoS Contribution
EPoS Contribution
Weighing a High Mass Protostellar Candidate: Physics and Kinematics of the M17 Disk and its associated H_2 Jet

Dieter E.A. Nürnberger
ESO Santiago & Paranal, Santiago, Chile
The formation of high mass stars is still a heavily debated subject, as it is the nature of the largest ever found accretion disk in M17. In my presentation I will focus on very recent results obtained from high angular resolution (AO supported) and high spectral resolution observations of the M17 disk, seen almost edge-on in silhouette against the diffuse background emission of the M17 HII region. New CRIRES data allow to investigate in so far unmatched detail the kinematics of gas and dust within the disk plane and, by comparison of the derived rotation curve to theoretical models, to constrain the mass of the central protostellar source. New SINFONI data complement our previous studies of a collimated SouthWest jet and allow to investigate the properties of a newly discovered NorthEast counter jet. From these data a new attempt is made to constrain the mass accretion rate onto the central source and thus to further quantify the formation of a high mass star via disk accretion.
Caption: In our new SINFONI data of the M17 disk and its associated H_2 jet about 15 [FeII] emission lines were detected in the J, H and K band. The figure shows images obtained in a couple of these [FeII] lines in direct comparison to the corresponding Br gamma image (displayed in the upper left panel) which depicts the silhouette disk itself. Thanks to these new SINFONI data the bi-polar nature of the jet is obvious, and a better quality can be reached in characterizing the M17 disk, the associated jet and the central protostellar source.
Collaborators:
A. Liermann, MPIfR Bonn, Germany
R. Chini, AIRUB Bochum, Germany
Suggested Session: Early Phases of Disks, Massive Stars