The detection of complex organic molecules (COMs) toward dense, collapsing prestellar cores has sparked interest in the fields of astrochemistry and astrobiology, yet the mechanisms for COM formation are still debated. It was originally believed that COMs initially form in ices which are then irradiated by UV radiation from the surrounding interstellar radiation field as well as forming protostars and subsequently photodesorbed into the gas-phase. However, starless and prestellar cores do not have internal protostars to heat-up and sublimate the ices. Alternative models using chemical energy have been developed to explain the desorption of COMs, yet in order to test these models robust measurements of COM abundances are needed toward representative samples of cores. We've conducted a large-sample survey of 31 starless and prestellar cores in the Taurus Molecular Cloud, detecting methanol (CH 3 OH) in 100% of the cores targeted and acetaldehyde (CH 3 CHO) in 70%. At least two transition lines of each molecule were measured, allowing us to place tight constraints on excitation temperature, column density and abundance. Additional mapping of methanol revealed extended emission, detected down to A V as low as ∼ 3 mag. We find complex organic molecules are detectable in the gas-phase and are being formed early, at least hundreds of thousands of years prior to star and planet formation. The precursor molecule, CH 3 OH, may be chemically linked to the more complex CH 3 CHO, however higher spatial resolution maps are needed to further test chemical models.

We present the observation and analysis of newly discovered coherent structures in the L1688 region of Ophiuchus and the B18 region of Taurus. Using data from the Green Bank Ammonia Survey, we identify regions of high density and near-constant, almost-thermal velocity dispersion. We reveal 18 coherent structures are revealed, 12 in L1688 and 6 in B18, each of which shows a sharp “transition to coherence” in velocity dispersion around its periphery. The identification of these structures provides a chance to statistically study the coherent structures in molecular clouds. The identified coherent structures have a typical radius of 0.04 pc and a typical mass of 0.4 M ☉, generally smaller than previously known coherent cores identified by Goodman et al., Caselli et al., and Pineda et al. We call these structures “droplets.” We find that, unlike previously known coherent cores, these structures are not virially bound by self-gravity and are instead predominantly confined by ambient pressure. The droplets have density profiles shallower than a critical Bonnor–Ebert sphere, and they have a velocity (V LSR) distribution consistent with the dense gas motions traced by NH3 emission. These results point to a potential formation mechanism through pressure compression and turbulent processes in the dense gas. We present a comparison with a magnetohydrodynamic simulation of a star-forming region, and we speculate on the relationship of droplets with larger, gravitationally bound coherent cores, as well as on the role that droplets and other coherent structures play in the star formation process.

The well-studied carbon star, V Hya, showing evidence for high-speed, collimated outflows and dense equatorial structures, is a key object in the study of the poorly understood transition of AGB stars into aspherical planetary nebulae. Using the STIS instrument onboard HST, we have obtained high spatial-resolution long-slit optical spectra of V Hya that show high-velocity emission in [SII] and [FeII] lines. Our dataset, spanning three epochs spaced apart by a year during each of two periods (in 2002-2004 and 2011-2013), shows that V Hya ejects high-speed (∼ 200 − 250 km s −1 ) bullets once every ∼8.5 yr. The ejection axis flip-flops around a roughly eastern direction, both in and perpendicular to the sky-plane, and the radial velocities of the ejecta also vary in concert between low and high values. We propose a model in which the bullet ejection is associated with the periastron passage of a binary companion in an eccentric orbit around V Hya with an orbital period of ∼8.5 yr. The flip-flop phenomenon is likely the result of collimated ejection from an accretion disk (produced by gravitational capture of material from the primary) that is warped and precessing, and/or that has a magnetic field that is misaligned with that of the companion or the primary star. We show how a previously observed 17-year period in V Hya's light-cycle can also be explained in our model. Additionally, we describe how the model proposed here can be extended to account for multipolar nebulae.

Recent observations of global velocity gradients across and along molecular filaments have been interpreted as signs of gas accreting onto and along these filaments, potentially feeding star-forming cores and proto-clusters. The behaviour of velocity gradients in filaments, however, has not been studied in detail, particularly on small scales (< 0.1 pc). In this paper, we present MUFASA, an efficient, robust, and automatic method to fit ammonia lines with multiple velocity components, generalizable to other molecular species. We also present CRISPy, a Python package to identify filament spines in 3D images (e.g., position-position-velocity cubes), along with a complementary technique to sort fitted velocity components into velocity-coherent filaments. In NGC 1333, we find a wealth of velocity gradient structures on a beam-resolved scale of ∼ 0.05 pc. Interestingly, these local velocity gradients are not randomly oriented with respect to filament spines and their perpendicular, i.e., radial, component decreases in magnitude towards the spine for many filaments. Together with remarkably constant velocity gradients on larger scales along many filaments, these results suggest a scenario in which gas falling onto filaments is progressively damped and redirected to flow along these filaments.