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The Morphology of M17-UC1 - A Disk Candidate Surrounding a Hypercompact HII Region

M. Nielbock, R. Chini, V. H. Hoffmeister, C. M. Scheyda, J. Steinacker, D. Nuernberger, R. Siebenmorgen

astro-pharXiv:astro-ph/0610559

Abstract

We investigate the morphology and the evolutionary stage of the hypercompact HII region M17-UC1 using observations at infrared wavelengths and NIR radiative transfer modeling. For the first time, this region is resolved into two emission areas separated by a dark lane reminiscent of an obscuring silhouette of a circumstellar disk. So far, the observational data as well as model calculations suggest that M17-UC1 is surrounded by a disk of cool dust. This direct direct detection of a circumstellar disk candidate around a hypercompact HII region is in agreement with the expectations of the disk accretion model for high-mass star formation.

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