Chandra observations of the massive star-forming region S106

X-ray emission from the embedded massive protostellar object IRS 4

¹ Astrophysics Division – Research and Science Support Department of ESA, ESTEC, Postbus 299, 2200 AG Noordwijk, The Netherlands e-mail: Giovanna.Giardino@rssd.esa.int
² INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Palermo, Piazza del Parlamento 1, 90134 Palermo, Italy

Received: 1 March 2004
Accepted: 4 June 2004

Abstract

We present Chandra observations of the massive star-forming region S106, a prominent H ii region in Cygnus, associated with an extended molecular cloud and a young cluster. The nebula is excited by a single young massive star located at the center of the molecular cloud and the embedded cluster. The prominence of the cluster in the Chandra observation presented here confirms its youth and allows some of its members to be studied in more detail. We detect X-ray emission from the young massive central source S106 IRS 4, the deeply embedded central object which drives the bipolar nebula with a mass loss rate approximately 1–2 orders of magnitude higher than main sequence stars of comparable luminosity. Still, on the basis of its wind momentum flux the X-ray luminosity of S106 IRS 4 is comparable to the values observed in more evolved (main sequence and giant) massive stars, suggesting that the same process which is responsible for the observed X-ray emission from older massive stars is already at work at these early stages.