Measuring the Physical Properties of Protostellar Outflows from Intermediate-Mass Stars in Feedback-Dominated Regions

TL;DRAbstract

We present new spectroscopy and Hubble Space Telescope imaging of protostellar jets discovered in an Hαsurvey of the Carina Nebula. Near-IR [Fe II] emission from these jets traces dense gas that is self-shielded from Lyman continuum photons from nearby O-type stars, but is excited by non-ionizing FUV photons that penetrate the ionization front within the jet. New near-IR [Fe II] images reveal a substantial mass of dense, neutral gas that is not seen in Hαemission from these jets. In some cases, [Fe II] emission traces the jet inside its natal dust pillar, connecting the larger Hαoutflow to the embedded IR source that drives it. New proper motion measurements reveal tangential velocities similar to those typically measured in lower-luminosity sources (100−200 km/s⁻¹). Combining high jet densities and fast outflow speeds leads to mass-loss rate estimates an order of magnitude higher than those derived from the Hαemission measure alone. Higher jet mass-loss rates require higher accretion

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