Giant Herbig-Haro Flows

Abstract

We present the discovery of a number of Herbig-Haro flows which extend over parsec-scale distances. The largest of these is the well known HH 111 jet complex, which is shown, through CCD images and a proper motion study, to have an angular extent of almost one degree on the sky, corresponding to 7.7 pc, making it the largest known HH flow. In our imaging survey we also found that T Tauri is at the center of a huge bipolar HH flow, HH 355, with a total extent of 38 arcmin, corresponding to 1.55 pc, and aligned with the axis of the tiny HH 255 flow surrounding the infrared companion T Tau S. We additionally have found a number of other giant HH flow candidates, including HH 315 at PV Cep, HH 41/295 at Haro 5a/6a, HH 300 in Bl8w, HH 354 in Li 165, HH 376 in Li 152, and HH 114/115 and HH 243/244/245/179 in the X Orionis molecular ring. It thus appears that it is common for HH flows to attain parsec-scale dimensions. The ubiquity of parsec-scale HH flows profoundly alters our view of the impact of young stars on their environment. Giant flows have dynamical ages comparable to the duration of the accretion phase of the sources, and provide a fossil record of their mass loss and accretion history. Multiple internal working surfaces and their S-shaped point symmetry provide evidence for variability of ejection velocity and orientation of the source jets. Giant HH flows are either longer or comparable in length to associated CO outflows, providing evidence for unified models in which HH flows power CO flows. Many giant flows have burst out of their source cloud cores and are dissociating molecules and injecting momentum and kinetic energy into the interclump medium of the host clouds. They contribute to the UV radiation field, and may produce C I and C ii in cloud interiors. Giant flows may contribute to the chemical rejuvenation of clouds, the generation of turbulent motions, and the self-regulation of star formation. The terminal working surfaces of giant flows may be used to probe the nature of the interclump medium of clouds.