The discovery of previously-unseen binary companions to a pair of very young protostars has led researchers to unravel new clues about binary star formation, according to a recent National Radio Astronomy Observatory study.
For a very long time now, researchers have been unsuccessful in determining the exact mechanism behind how double star systems form. Though there are many competing explanations for binary star formation, astronomers are still debating on which is the most appropriate one.
"The only way to resolve the debate is to observe very young stellar systems and catch them in the act of formation," said John Tobin, of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in a press statement. "That's what we've done with the stars we observed, and we got valuable new clues from them."
Using the upgraded Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), scientists have discovered previously-unseen binary companions to a pair of very young protostars that has helped experts discover crucial intel on binary star formation.
These clues provide insight on how double star systems form when one disk of gas and dust whirls around a young star fragments and forms another new star in orbit with the first. Young stars that are still gathering matter from their surroundings form disks and jet-like outflows that rapidly propel material in narrow beams at 90 degrees to the disk.
While studying gas-enshrouded young stars that are roughly 1,000 light-years from Earth, Tobin and his team found that two stars had previously-unseen companions in the plane where their disks would form. "One of the systems also had a disk surrounding both young stars", according to the release.
"This fits the theoretical model of companions forming from fragmentation in the disk," Tobin said. "This configuration would not be required by alternative explanations."
"Our new findings, combined with the earlier data, make disk fragmentation the strongest explanation for how close multiple star systems are formed," said Leslie Looney of NRAO and the University of Illinois.
"The increased sensitivity of the VLA, produced by a decade-long upgrade project completed in 2012, made the new discovery possible," Claire Chandler of NRAO said.
