The Chandra X-ray view of the power sources in Cepheus A
Hamburger Sternwarte, Gojenbergsweg 112, 21029 Hamburg, Germany e-mail: [cschneider;hguenther;jschmitt]@hs.uni-hamburg.de
Received:
27
July
2009
Accepted:
2
September
2009
The central part of the massive star-forming region Cepheus A contains several radio sources which indicates multiple outflow phenomena, yet the driving sources of the individual outflows have not been identified. We present a high-resolution Chandra observation of this region that shows the presence of bright X-ray sources with luminosities of 
erg s-1, consistent with active pre-main sequence stars, while the strong absorption hampers the detection of less luminous objects. A new source has been discovered located on the line connecting H2 emission regions at the eastern and western parts of Cepheus A. This source could be the driving source of HH 168. We present a scenario relating the observed X-ray and radio emission.
Key words: stars: pre-main sequence / stars: winds, outflows / X-rays: stars / stars: individual: Cep A:HW 2 / ISM: individual objects: Cep A East
© ESO, 2009