High-velocity molecular outflows hear massive young stellar objects

By mapping the ¹²CO J = 1 - 0 lines in IRAS 05391-0217, 06114 + 1745 and 06291 + 0421, three new high-velocity bipolar molecular outflows are found. Parameters of these outflows are derived, which suggest that they are massive and energetic outflows with total kinetic energies of about 10³⁸ J and mass loss rates about 10^-5 M⊙/a. The driving sources are identified by analyzing the positions, intensities and color temperatures of the associated infrared sources. These outflows are most likely driven by single sources which correspond to massive young stellar objects. In these regions H₂O masers have been detected located near the embedded infrared sources, which indicates that their exciting mechanism may be correlated with that of the CO outflows. The relationship between the parameters of outflows and central sources shows that high-velocity outflow and thermal radiation of a star are two basic correlated but different features in the evolution of young stars.