A global research team has discovered triplets of protostars reaching for a feast. Astronomers have observed and analyzed the spiral arms that feed young stars in a developing triplet star system, providing new insights into how stars and planets form.
As we continue to explore the universe, an international team of researchers, including Jaehan Bae, a professor of astronomy at the University of California, has made significant progress in understanding the complexities of star formation and planet formation.
During the course of the study, the researchers made a major discovery, that is, in the forming triple star system, there are three large spiral arms distributed on the early stars (or protostars). The researchers confirmed that these spiral arms act as "streamlines" that provide material for young stars, which grow by absorbing gas. The findings, published in The Astrophysical Journal, provide valuable insights into the origin of previously unknown flags.
While most stars in the Milky Way formed in multiples, unlike our Sun, understanding the formation of multi-star systems is a challenging task. "There are different theoretical models to explain the formation of multiple star systems, but exactly how stars form multiple star systems is not fully understood," Pei said.
A global team led by Professor Jeong-Eun Lee of Seoul National University used an array of radio telescopes called the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to study the forming system. As a theorist, Pei played a key role in interpreting observational data, linking the data to theoretical models to infer possible formation mechanisms.
Simulation of multiple star formation by the supercomputer "ATERUI". The film shows that multiple protostars are born in filamentous turbulent gas clouds, which excite spiral arms and disturb the surrounding gas as they move. Source: Tomaki Matsumoto, Takaaki Takeda, 4D2U Project, NAOJ
The research team, led by Hosei University Professor Tomoaki Matsumoto, conducted computer simulations to support the observational data. According to Bae, they found that the simulations matched the observations very well, suggesting that their proposed theoretical framework is likely to work as intended.
"The best way to test a theoretical model is to observe multiples being formed," Bae said. Looking ahead, the team has submitted a proposal for a systematic observation program of forming star systems. The program aims to identify signs of dynamic interactions between a forming star and its environment. "Through this study, I hope we can observe other multi-star systems being formed and see whether this star system is an anomaly or the norm."
The researchers hope to determine whether their observations are an anomaly or if systems generally form through similar processes, providing important constraints on our understanding of star formation. By successfully observing and simulating the early stages of multiple star formation, their work opens new avenues for the study of star and planet formation.