A Multi - wavelength Study of the Massive Star - forming Region S 87

This article presents a multi-wavelength study towards the massive starforming region S87, based on a dataset of submillimeter/far-/mid-infrared (submm/FIR/MIR) images and molecular line maps. The sub-mm continuum emission measured with JCMT/SCUBA reveals three individual clumps, namely, SMM1, SMM2, and SMM3. The MIR/FIR images obtained by the Spitzer Space Telescope indicate that both SMM1 and SMM3 harbor point sources. The J =1– 0 transitions of CO, CO, CO, and HCO, measured with the 13.7m telescope of the Purple Mountain Observatory, exhibit asymmetric line profiles. Our analysis of spectral energy distributions (SEDs) shows that all of the three sub-mm clumps are massive (110—210M⊙), with average dust temperatures in the range ∼ 20—40K. A multi-wavelength comparison convinces us that the asymmetric profiles of molecular lines should result from two clouds at slightly different velocities, and it further confirms that the star-forming activity in SMM1 is stimulated by a cloud-cloud collision. The stellar contents and SEDs suggest that SMM1 and SMM3 are high-mass and intermediate-mass star-forming sites respectively. However, SMM2 has no counterpart downwards 70μm, which is likely to be a cold high-mass starless core. These results, as mentioned above, expose multiple phases of star formation in S87. Subject headings: submillimeter — infrared: ISM — ISM: individual (S87) — ISM: molecules — stars: formation Department of Astronomy, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China Current address: National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012, China