M. Benedettini

National Institute of Astrophysics | INAF

Context. Investigating the flow of material along filamentary structures towards the central core can help provide insights into high-mass star formation and evolution. Aims. Our main motivation is to answer the question of what the properties of accretion flows are in star-forming clusters. We used data from the ALMA Evolutionary Study of High Mas...

We use data from the ALMA Evolutionary Study of High Mass Protocluster Formation in the Galaxy (ALMAGAL) survey to study 100 ALMAGAL regions at $\sim$ 1\arcsec~ resolution located between $\sim$ 2 and 6~kpc distance. Using ALMAGAL $\sim$ 1.3mm line and continuum data we estimate flow rates onto individual cores. We focus specifically on flow rates...

We present a catalogue of dense cores and filaments in a $3.8^\circ \times 2.4^\circ$ field around the TMC1 region of the Taurus molecular cloud. The catalogue was created using photometric data from the Herschel SPIRE and PACS instruments in the 70, 160, 250, 350, and 500 μm continuum bands. Extended structure in the region was reconstructed from...

Many experimental quantities show a power-law distribution p(x) ∝ x−α. In astrophysics, examples are: size distribution of dust grains or luminosity function of galaxies. Such distributions are characterized by the exponent α and by the extremes xminxmax where the distribution extends. There are no mathematical tools that derive the three unknowns...

Many experimental quantities show a power-law distribution $p(x)\propto x^{-\alpha}$. In astrophysics, examples are: size distribution of dust grains or luminosity function of galaxies. Such distributions are characterized by the exponent $\alpha$ and by the extremes $x_\text{min}$ $x_\text{max}$ where the distribution extends. There are no mathema...

We present a study of the three-dimensional (3D) distribution of interstellar dust derived from stellar extinction observations toward the Taurus molecular cloud (MC) and its relation with the neutral atomic hydrogen (H I ) emission at 21 cm wavelength and the carbon monoxide ¹² CO and ¹³ CO emission in the J = 1 → 0 transition. We used the histogr...

We present a study of the three-dimensional (3D) distribution of interstellar dust derived from stellar extinction observations toward the Taurus molecular cloud (MC) and its relation with the neutral atomic hydrogen (HI) emission at 21 cm wavelength and the carbon monoxide $^{12}$CO and $^{13}$CO emission in the $J=1\rightarrow0$ transition. We us...

The formation mechanism of the most massive stars is far from completely understood. It is still unclear if the formation is core-fed or clump-fed, i.e. if the process is an extension of what happens in low-mass stars, or if the process is more dynamical such as a continuous, multi-scale accretion from the gas at parsec (or even larger) scales. In...

The formation mechanism of the most massive stars is far from completely understood. It is still unclear if the formation is core-fed or clump-fed, i.e. if the process is an extension of what happens in low-mass stars, or if the process is more dynamical such as a continuous, multi-scale accretion from the gas at parsec (or even larger) scales. In...

We present a new derivation of the Milky Way’s current star formation rate (SFR) based on the data of the Herschel InfraRed Galactic Plane Survey (Hi-GAL). We estimate the distribution of the SFR across the Galactic plane from the star-forming clumps identified in the Hi-GAL survey and calculate the total SFR from the sum of their contributions. Th...

We present a new derivation of the Milky Way's current star formation rate (SFR) based on the data of the Hi-GAL Galactic plane survey. We estimate the distribution of the SFR across the Galactic plane from the star-forming clumps identified in the Hi-GAL survey and calculate the total SFR from the sum of their contributions. The estimate of the gl...

Innovative developments in data processing, archiving, analysis, and visualization are nowadays unavoidable to deal with the data deluge expected in next-generation facilities for radio astronomy, such as the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and its precursors. In this context, the integration of source extraction and analysis algorithms into data visu...

Innovative developments in data processing, archiving, analysis, and visualization are nowadays unavoidable to deal with the data deluge expected in next-generation facilities for radio astronomy, such as the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) and its precursors. In this context, the integration of source extraction and analysis algorithms into data visu...

New-generation spectroscopic surveys of the Milky Way plane have been revealing the structure of the interstellar medium, allowing the simultaneous study of dense structures from single star-forming objects or systems to entire spiral arms. We present the catalogue of molecular clouds extracted from the $^{13}$CO(1-0) data cubes of the Forgotten Qu...

Context. New-generation spectroscopic surveys of the Milky Way plane have been revealing the structure of the interstellar medium, allowing the simultaneous study of dense structures from single star-forming objects or systems to entire spiral arms. Aims. The good sensitivity of the new surveys and the development of dedicated algorithms now enable...

HCN and its isomer HNC play an important role in molecular cloud chemistry and the formation of more complex molecules. We investigate here the impact of protostellar shocks on the HCN and HNC abundances from high-sensitivity IRAM 30m observations of the prototypical shock region L1157-B1 and the envelope of the associated Class 0 protostar, as a p...

HCN and its isomer HNC play an important role in molecular cloud chemistry and the formation of more complex molecules. We investigate here the impact of protostellar shocks on the HCN and HNC abundances from high-sensitivity IRAM 30m observations of the prototypical shock region L1157-B1 and the envelope of the associated Class 0 protostar, as a p...

We present the 360° catalogue of physical properties of Hi-GAL compact sources, detected between 70 and 500 $\mu$m. This release not only completes the analogous catalogue previously produced by the Hi-GAL collaboration for −71° ≲ ℓ ≲ 67°, but also meaningfully improves it because of a new set of heliocentric distances, 120 808 in total. About a th...

We present the $360^\circ$ catalogue of physical properties of Hi-GAL compact sources, detected between 70 and 500 $\mu$m. This release not only completes the analogous catalogue previously produced by the Hi-GAL collaboration for $-71^\circ \lesssim \ell \lesssim 67^\circ$, but also meaningfully improves it thanks to a new set of heliocentric dist...

Context. Water is a key molecule in the physics and chemistry of star and planet formation, but it is difficult to observe from Earth. The Herschel Space Observatory provided unprecedented sensitivity as well as spatial and spectral resolution to study water. The Water In Star-forming regions with Herschel (WISH) key program was designed to observe...

Context. The isotopic ratio of nitrogen presents a wide range of values in the Solar System: from ~140 in meteorites and comets to 441 in the solar wind. In star-forming systems, we observe even a higher spread of ~150–1000. The origin of these differences is still unclear. Aims. Chemical reactions in the gas phase are one of the possible processes...

The isotopic ratio of nitrogen presents a wide range of values in the Solar System and in star forming system whose origin is still unclear. Chemical reactions in the gas phase are one of the possible processes that could modify the $^{14}$N/$^{15}$N ratio. We aim at investigating if and how the passage of a shock wave in the interstellar medium, c...

The complex of star-forming regions in Perseus is one of the most studied due to its proximity (about 300 pc). In addition, its regions show variation in star-formation activity and age, with formation of low-mass and intermediate-mass stars. In this paper, we present analyses of images taken with the Herschel ESA satellite from 70 μ m to 500 μ m....

The Herschel Gould Belt survey mapped the nearby (d < 500 pc) star-forming regions to understand better how the prestellar phase influences the star formation process. Here we report a complete census of dense cores in a ∼15 deg2 area of the Serpens star-forming region located between d ∼ 420 pc and 484 pc. The PACS and SPIRE cameras imaged this cl...

The Herschel Gould Belt survey mapped the nearby (d < 500 pc) star-forming regions to understand better how the prestellar phase influences the star formation process. Here we report a complete census of dense cores in a 15 deg2 area of the Serpens star-forming region located between d=420 pc and 484 pc. The PACS and SPIRE cameras imaged this cloud...

(Abridged) In this paper, we present analyses of images taken with the Herschel ESA satellite from 70mu to 500mu. We first constructed column density and dust temperature maps. Next, we identified compact cores in the maps, and characterize the cores using modified blackbody fits to their SEDs: we identified 684 starless cores, of which 199 are bou...

Context. Herschel observations of nearby clouds in the Gould Belt support a paradigm for low-mass star formation, starting with the generation of molecular filaments, followed by filament fragmentation, and the concentration of mass into self-gravitating prestellar cores. In the case of the Ophiuchus molecular complex, a rich star formation activit...

The recent data collected by Herschel have confirmed that interstellar structures with a filamentary shape are ubiquitously present in the Milky Way. Filaments are thought to be formed by several physical mechanisms acting from large Galactic scales down to subparsec fractions of molecular clouds, and they might represent a possible link between st...

The recent data collected by {\it Herschel} have confirmed that interstellar structures with filamentary shape are ubiquitously present in the Milky Way. Filaments are thought to be formed by several physical mechanisms acting from the large Galactic scales down to the sub-pc fractions of molecular clouds, and they might represent a possible link b...

Aims. We present the Forgotten Quadrant Survey (FQS), an ESO large project that used the 12 m antenna of the Arizona Radio Observatory to map the Galactic plane in the range 220° < l < 240° and −2.°5 < b < 0°, both in ¹² CO (1–0) and ¹³ CO (1–0), at a spectral resolution of 0.65 km s ⁻¹ and 0.26 km s ⁻¹ . Methods. We used the (1–0) transition of ca...

We present the Forgotten Quadrant Survey (FQS), an ESO large project that used the 12m antenna of the Arizona Radio Observatory to map the Galactic Plane in the range 220\deg$<l<$240\deg and -2.5\deg$<b<$0\deg, both in $^{12}$CO(1-0) and $^{13}$CO(1-0), at a spectral resolution of 0.65 km s$^{-1}$ and 0.26 km s$^{-1}$. Our dataset allows us to easi...

We present a detailed study of the Orion B molecular cloud complex ( d ~ 400 pc), which was imaged with the PACS and SPIRE photometric cameras at wavelengths from 70 to 500 μ m as part of the Herschel Gould Belt survey (HGBS). We release new high-resolution maps of column density and dust temperature for the whole complex, derived in the same consi...

We present a detailed study of the Orion B clouds (d~400 pc), imaged with the PACS/SPIRE cameras at 70-500 $\mu$m by the Herschel Gould Belt survey (HGBS). We release new high-res. maps of column density and dust temperature. In the filamentary sub-regions NGC2023/2024, NGC2068/2071, and L1622, 1768 starless dense cores were identified, ~28-45% of...

The main carrier of sulfur in dense clouds, where it is depleted from the gas phase, remains a mystery. Shock waves in young molecular outflows disrupt the ice mantles and allow us to directly probe the material that is ejected into the gas phase. A comprehensive study of sulfur-bearing species toward L1157-B1, a shocked region along a protostellar...

The main carrier of sulfur in dense clouds, where it is depleted from the gas phase, remains a mystery. Shock waves in young molecular outflows disrupt the ice mantles and allow us to directly probe the material that is ejected into the gas phase. A comprehensive study of sulfur-bearing species towards L1157-B1, a shocked region along a protostella...

Fluxes and information for the 23 massive dense cores (MDCs) found in NGC 6357. Information for 155 reliable sources. \\\\(4 data files).

Context. Molecular filaments have received special attention recently thanks to new observational results on their properties. In particular, our early analysis of filament properties from Herschel imaging data in three nearby molecular clouds revealed a narrow distribution of median inner widths centered at a characteristic value of about 0.1 pc....

[Abridged] Molecular filaments have received special attention recently, thanks to new observational results on their properties. In particular, our early analysis of filament properties revealed a narrow distribution of median widths centered at a value of about 0.1 pc. Here, we extend and complement our initial study with the analysis of the fila...

The Herschel Gould Belt Survey key project mapped the bulk of nearby star-forming molecular clouds in five far-infrared bands with the aim of compiling complete census of prestellar cores and young, embedded protostars. In this paper, we present the catalogue of the dense cores and YSOs/protostars extracted from the Herschel maps of the Lupus I, II...

Context. How the diffuse medium of molecular clouds condenses in dense cores and how many of these cores will evolve in protostars is still a poorly understood step of the star formation process. Much progress is being made in this field, thanks to the extensive imaging of star-forming regions carried out with the Herschel Space Observatory. Aims....

We present a visual analytics tool, based on the VisIVO suite, to exploit a combination of all new-generation surveys of the Galactic Plane to study the star formation process of the Milky Way. The tool has been developed within the VIALACTEA project, founded by the 7th Framework Programme of the European Union, that creates a common forum for the...

We present a visual analytics tool, based on the VisIVO suite, to exploit a combination of all new-generation surveys of the Galactic Plane to study the star formation process of the Milky Way. The tool has been developed within the VIALACTEA project, founded by the 7th Framework Programme of the European Union, that creates a common forum for the...

We present a catalogue of prestellar and starless cores within the Corona Australis molecular cloud using photometric data from the Herschel Space Observatory. At a distance of d~130 pc, Corona Australis is one of the closest star-forming regions. Herschel has taken multi-wavelength data of Corona Australis with both the SPIRE and PACS photometric...

We present here a systematic search for cyanopolyynes in the shock region L1157-B1 and its associated protostar L1157-mm in the framework of the Large Program "Astrochemical Surveys At IRAM" (ASAI), dedicated to chemical surveys of solar-type star forming regions with the IRAM 30m telescope. Observations of the millimeter windows between 72 and 272...

We present here a systematic search for cyanopolyynes in the shock region L1157-B1 and its associated protostar L1157-mm in the framework of the Large Program "Astrochemical Surveys At IRAM" (ASAI), dedicated to chemical surveys of solar-type star forming regions with the IRAM 30m telescope. Observations of the millimeter windows between 72 and 272...

We present far-infrared observations of Monoceros R2 (a giant molecular cloud at approximately 830 pc distance, containing several sites of active star formation), as observed at 70 {\mu}m, 160 {\mu}m, 250 {\mu}m, 350 {\mu}m, and 500 {\mu}m by the Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS) and Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIR...

We present a catalogue of prestellar and starless cores within the Corona Australis molecular cloud using photometric data from the Herschel Space Observatory. At a distance of d~130 pc, Corona Australis is one of the closest star-forming regions. Herschel has taken multi-wavelength data of Corona Australis with both the SPIRE and PACS photometric...

Hi-GAL (Herschel InfraRed Galactic Plane Survey) is a large-scale survey of the Galactic plane, performed with Herschel in five infrared continuum bands between 70 and 500 μm. We present a band-merged catalogue of spatially matched sources and their properties derived from fits to the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and heliocentric distances,...

L1157-B1 is the brightest shocked region of the large scale molecular outflow, considered the prototype of chemically rich outflows, being the ideal laboratory to study how shocks affect the molecular gas. Several deuterated molecules have been previously detected with the IRAM 30m, most of them formed on grain mantles and then released into the ga...

L1157-B1 is the brightest shocked region of the large-scale molecular outflow, considered the prototype of chemically rich outflows, being the ideal laboratory to study how shocks affect the molecular gas. Several deuterated molecules have been previously detected with the IRAM 30m, most of them formed on grain mantles and then released into the ga...

Hi-GAL is a large-scale survey of the Galactic plane, performed with Herschel in five infrared continuum bands between 70 and 500 $\mu$m. We present a band-merged catalogue of spatially matched sources and their properties derived from fits to the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and heliocentric distances, based on the photometric catalogs pre...

Hi-GAL is a large-scale survey of the Galactic plane, performed with Herschel in five infrared continuum bands between 70 and 500 $\mu$m. We present a band-merged catalogue of spatially matched sources and their properties derived from fits to the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and heliocentric distances, based on the photometric catalogs pre...

We present a comprehensive statistical analysis of star-forming objects located in the vicinities of 1 360 bubble structures throughout the Galactic Plane and their local environments. The compilation of ~70 000 star-forming sources, found in the proximity of the ionized (Hii) regions and detected in both Hi-GAL and GLIMPSE surveys, provided a broa...

We present a comprehensive statistical analysis of star-forming objects located in the vicinities of 1 360 bubble structures throughout the Galactic Plane and their local environments. The compilation of ~70 000 star-forming sources, found in the proximity of the ionized (Hii) regions and detected in both Hi-GAL and GLIMPSE surveys, provided a broa...

The shock L1157-B1 driven by the low-mass protostar L1157-mm is an unique environment to investigate the chemical enrichment due to molecules released from dust grains. IRAM-30m and Plateau de Bure Interferometer observations allow a census of Si-bearing molecules in L1157-B1. We detect SiO and its isotopologues and, for the first time in a shock,...

The shock L1157-B1 driven by the low-mass protostar L1157-mm is an unique environment to investigate the chemical enrichment due to molecules released from dust grains. IRAM-30m and Plateau de Bure Interferometer observations allow a census of Si-bearing molecules in L1157-B1. We detect SiO and its isotopologues and, for the first time in a shock,...

Context. Protostellar jets and outflows are key features of the star-formation process, and primary processes of the feedback of young stars on the interstellar medium. Understanding the underlying shocks is necessary to explain how jet and outflow systems are launched, and to quantify their chemical and energetic impacts on the surrounding medium....

Protostellar jets and outflows are key features of the star-formation process, and primary processes of the feedback of young stars on the interstellar medium. Understanding the underlying shocks is necessary to explain how jets and outflows are launched, and to quantify their chemical and energetic impacts on the surrounding medium. We performed a...

Aims. To constrain models of high-mass star formation, the Herschel -HOBYS key program aims at discovering massive dense cores (MDCs) able to host the high-mass analogs of low-mass prestellar cores, which have been searched for over the past decade. We here focus on NGC 6334, one of the best-studied HOBYS molecular cloud complexes. Methods. We used...

To constrain models of high-mass star formation, the Herschel/HOBYS KP aims at discovering massive dense cores (MDCs) able to host the high-mass analogs of low-mass prestellar cores, which have been searched for over the past decade. We here focus on NGC6334, one of the best-studied HOBYS molecular cloud complexes. We used Herschel PACS and SPIRE 7...

The degradation of spatial resolution in star-forming regions observed at large distances ($d\gtrsim1$ kpc) with Herschel,can lead to estimates of the physical parameters of the detected compact sources (clumps) which do not necessarily mirror the properties of the original population of cores. This paper aims at quantifying the bias introduced in...

The degradation of spatial resolution in star-forming regions observed at large distances ($d\gtrsim1$ kpc) with Herschel,can lead to estimates of the physical parameters of the detected compact sources (clumps) which do not necessarily mirror the properties of the original population of cores. This paper aims at quantifying the bias introduced in...

In the BHR71 region, two low-mass protostars drive two distinguishable outflows. They constitute an ideal laboratory to investigate the effects of shock chemistry and the mechanisms that led to their formation. We aim to define the morphology of the warm gas component of the BHR 71 outflow and at modelling its shocked component. We present the firs...

In the BHR71 region, two low-mass protostars drive two distinguishable outflows. They constitute an ideal laboratory to investigate the effects of shock chemistry and the mechanisms that led to their formation. We aim to define the morphology of the warm gas component of the BHR 71 outflow and at modelling its shocked component. We present the firs...

Sulfur-bearing molecules are highly reactive in the gas phase of the ISM. However, the form in which most of the sulfur is locked onto interstellar dust grains is unknown. By taking advantage of the short time-scales of shocks in young molecular outflows, one could track back the main form of sulfur in the ices. In this paper, six transitions of H$...

Sulfur-bearing molecules are highly reactive in the gas phase of the ISM. However, the form in which most of the sulfur is locked onto interstellar dust grains is unknown. By taking advantage of the short time-scales of shocks in young molecular outflows, one could track back the main form of sulfur in the ices. In this paper, six transitions of H$...

(Abridged) We present the first public release of high-quality data products (DR1) from Hi-GAL, the {\em Herschel} infrared Galactic Plane Survey. Hi-GAL is the keystone of a suite of continuum Galactic Plane surveys from the near-IR to the radio, and covers five wavebands at 70, 160, 250, 350 and 500 micron, encompassing the peak of the spectral e...

We present a catalogue of dense cores in a ∼4° × 2° field of the Taurus star-forming region, inclusive of the L1495 cloud, derived from Herschel SPIRE and PACS observations in the 70 μm, 160 μm, 250 μm, 350 μm, and 500 μm continuum bands. Estimates of mean dust temperature and total mass are derived using modified blackbody fits to the spectral ene...

We present a catalogue of dense cores in a $\sim 4^\circ\times2^\circ$ field of the Taurus star-forming region, inclusive of the L1495 cloud, derived from Herschel SPIRE and PACS observations in the 70 $\mu$m, 160 $\mu$m, 250 $\mu$m, 350 $\mu$m, and 500 $\mu$m continuum bands. Estimates of mean dust temperature and total mass are derived using modi...

We present an innovative method called FilExSeC (Filaments Extraction, Selection and Classification), a data mining tool developed to investigate the possibility to refine and optimize the shape reconstruction of filamentary structures detected with a consolidated method based on the flux derivative analysis, through the column-density maps compute...

We use the Herschel Hi-GAL survey data to study the spatial distribution in Galactic longitude and latitude of the interstellar medium and of dense, star-forming clumps in the inner Galaxy. The peak position and width of the latitude distribution of the dust column density as well as of number density of compact sources from the band-merged Hi-GAL...

Two major features of the prestellar CMF are: 1) a broad peak below 1 Msun, presumably corresponding to a mean gravitational fragmentation scale, and 2) a characteristic power-law slope, very similar to the Salpeter slope of the stellar initial mass function (IMF) at the high-mass end. While recent Herschel observations have shown that the peak of...

Context. Protostellar outflows are a crucial ingredient of the star-formation process. However, the physical conditions in the warm outflowing gas are still poorly known. Aims. We present a multi-transition, high spectral resolution CO study of the outflow of the intermediate-mass Class 0 protostar Cep E-mm. The goal is to determine the structure o...

We have studied the filaments extracted from the column density maps of the nearby Lupus 1, 3, and 4 molecular clouds, derived from photometric maps observed with the Herschel satellite. Filaments in the Lupus clouds have quite low column densities, with a median value of ∼1.5 × 1021 cm−2 and most have masses per unit length lower than the maximum...