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N.J. Cunningham (University of Colorado)
I examine outflows from star forming regions Cepheus A and Orion OMC-1, using narrowband H2 and [Fe II] images from the Near Infrared Camera and Fabry Perot Spectrograph (NIC-FPS). OMC-1 and Cepheus A contain the most massive stars forming within 1 kpc of the solar system, and provide laboratories for high spatial resolution studies of massive star formation and outflow generation. I have derived proper motions of the ``bullets'' in OMC-1 over a 12 year time baseline, and estimate the energetics and deceleration of the bullets to examine the link between their launch mechanism and the apparent interaction of multiple protostars in OMC-1 about 500 years ago. I trace bipolar morphologies in both regions to identify outflow sources, and I examine the case for the (widely believed) existence of an embedded protostar in Cepheus A West. I apply my results to current understanding of massive star formation, and I provide new constraints on formation mechanisms, including their relationship to the processes by which low-mass stars and associated outflows are understood to form.
This work was supported by a NASA GSRP grant, and is based on observations obtained with the Apache Point Observatory 3.5-meter telescope, which is owned and operated by the Astrophysical Research Consortium.
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 37 #4
© 2005. The American Astronomical Soceity.