Dense molecular gas in a young cluster around MWC 1080: Rule of the massive star

We present CS J= 2 → 1, ¹³CO J = 1 → 0, and C ¹⁸O J = 1 → 0, observations with the 10 element Berkeley Illinois Maryland Association (BIMA) array toward the young cluster around the Be star MWC 1080. These observations reveal a biconical outflow cavity with size ∼0.3 and 0.05 pc for the semimajor and semiminor axis and ∼45° position angle. These transitions trace the dense gas, which is likely the swept-up gas of the outflow cavity, rather than the remaining natal gas or the outflow gas. The gas is clumpy; 32 clumps are identified. The identified clumps are approximately gravitationally bound and consistent with a standard isothermal sphere density, which suggests that they are likely collapsing protostellar cores. The gas kinematics suggests that velocity gradients exist that imply effects from the inclination of the cavity and MWC 1080. The kinematics of dense gas has also been affected by either outflows or stellar winds from MWC 1080, and lower mass clumps are possibly under stronger effects from MWC 1080 than higher mass clumps. In addition, low-mass cluster members tend to be formed in the denser and more turbulent cores, compared to isolated low-mass star-forming cores. This results from the contributions of nearby forming massive stars, such as outflows or stellar winds. Therefore, we conclude that in clusters like the MWC 1080 system, effects from massive stars dominate the star-forming environment in both the kinematics and dynamics of the natal cloud and the formation of low-mass cluster members. This study provides insights into the effects of MWC 1080 on its natal cloud, and suggests a different low-mass star-forming environment in clusters compared to isolated star formation.