Ciriaco Goddi (Joint Institute for VLBI in Europe)

Orion BN/KL: A laboratory for high-mass star formation -- Ciriaco Goddi Colloquium

Abstract

The details of how massive stars form are poorly known. Orion BN/KL is the closest known region with ongoing massive star formation, and hence offers unique chances for a detailed study and an excellent laboratory to test competing theories. Despite being considered an archetype, it is still poorly understood. I will review recent work which has resolved long-standing debates on this enigmatic region. In particular, I will describe:
1) a beautiful example of disk-mediated accretion and (magnetic) outflow recollimation in a high-mass protostar;
2) a dynamical model to explain the famous "explosive" BN/KL flow;
3) a new hypothesis for the excitation of the eponymous Orion Hot Core;
4) the effects of the complex (clustered) environment on an actively accreting massive protostar (and viceversa).
This detailed study has enabled us not only to achieve a better understanding of Orion BN/KL but also to significantly advance our understanding of high-mass star formation.