Streamers: Funneling Material from Envelopes to the Youngest Planet-forming Disks

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This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). Dominique Segura-Cox is awarded an NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship to conduct a program of research and education at the University of Texas. Segura-Cox will observationally explore the properties of “streamers” – long, thin funnels connecting material between the natal envelopes and disks of young protostars – and compare the observations with simulations of mass accretion in protostars. Results from this study will allow astronomers to understand how material is accreted onto protostars and what role streamers play in the early stages of star and planet formation. For the education component of this project, Segura-Cox will develop an astronomy-themed seminar series for middle school and high school teachers in rural and socioeconomically disadvantaged communities.This project will conduct radio interferometric observations of asymmetric streamers to study their chemical composition, occurrence, and from how far away they accrete material into planet-forming disks. By measuring the chemical composition of the streamers and comparing it to exoplanet compositions, the likelihood of streamer material being directly incorporated into planets will be assessed. Using ongoing surveys, the proportion of protostars with streamers will be systematically determined to assess whether streamers are a common mass-accretion pathway for planet-forming disks. Using follow-up observations, the full extent of streamers from clouds to disks will be determined. Comparing observations with simulations will permit determination of mass infall rates, magnetic field strengths, and streamer chemical evolution with time.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.