Erratum: “The Formation of Massive Stars by Accretion through Trapped Hypercompact H ii Regions” (ApJ, 599, 1196 [2003])

Abstract

The formation of massive stars may take place at relatively low accretion rates over a long period of time if the accretion can continue past the onset of core hydrogen ignition. The accretion may continue despite the formation of an ionized H ii region around the star if the H ii region is small enough that the gravitational attraction of the star dominates the thermal pressure of the H ii region. The accretion may continue despite radiation pressure acting against dust grains in the molecular gas if the momentum of the accretion flow is sufficient to push the dust grains through a narrow zone of high dust opacity at the ionization boundary and into the H ii region where the dust is sublimated. This model of massive star formation by continuing accretion predicts a new class of gravitationally trapped, long-lived, hypercompact H ii regions. The observational characteristics of the trapped hypercompact H ii regions can be predicted for comparison with observations.