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B. Whitney (Prism Computational Sciences, Inc.), K. Wood (Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory), M. Wolff (Space Science Institute)
The high-spatial resolution of the Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 and NICMOS cameras provides a valuable means to test theories of star formation; specifically, the density structures of disks and envelopes in nearby star forming regions. In addition to testing theoretical models of infall, these images provide the opportunity to see how the powerful outflows disrupt the envelopes near their source. We present radiation transfer calculations of HST imagery to try to test theoretical models for: collapse, disk structure, hydrodynamical models of outflows, and dust properties. In some cases, such as edge-on disks, the geometry is well-defined enough for us to constrain dust properties. In other cases, our axisymmetric models prove to be nice matches to the data. Still other cases clearly show 3-D structure, sometimes loop-like structures that are difficult to understand in the context of the idealized models. Some general features are not well-fit by the rotationally-flattened infall solution (Terebey, Shu, Cassen 1984), such as the brightness asymmetry between the near and far-sides of the lobes of tilted objects, even when grain properties are varied. We will explore other physically meaningful disk/envelope geometries to determine if they provide better fits to the data.
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