The SOMA Atomic Outflow Survey. I. An Atomic OI and Highly Ionized OIII Outflow from Massive Protostar G11.94-00.62 (2509.20551v1)

Abstract: Massive stars regulate galaxy evolution and star formation through their powerful physical and chemical feedback, but their formation remains poorly understood. Accretion powered outflows can provide important diagnostics of massive star formation. We present first results from the SOMA Atomic Outflow Survey, a far-infrared massive star formation survey using the FIFI-LS spectrometer on SOFIA. We report detection of [OIII] $^3P_2\rightarrow^3P_1$ emission at 52 $\mu$m from the massive protostar G11.94-0.62, tracing highly ionized gas. We also detect [OI] $^3P_2\rightarrow^3P_1$ and $^3P_1\rightarrow^3P_0$ at 63 and 145 $\mu$m tracing atomic gas, as well as CO $J=14\rightarrow13$ at 186 $\mu$m from highly excited molecular gas. The [OIII] and [OI] lines exhibit large line widths ($\sim400$ and $\sim40-80$ km s$^{-1}$, respectively) and their morphologies are consistent with a wide-angle bipolar outflow. Molecular tracers ($^{12}$CO, $^{13}$CO, C$^{18}$O, H$2$CO, and CH$_3$OH) observed with ALMA also suggest a self-consistent outflow morphology. Ionized nebula/PDR modeling imply an ionized outflow mass flux of $\sim8\times10^{-5}:M\odot$ yr$^{-1}$ and an atomic outflow mass flux of $\sim5\times10^{-6}:M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$, while the molecular outflow traced by CO has an implied mass flux of $\sim3\times10^{-4}:M_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$. The mass and momentum flux in the ionized outflow is consistent with the main component of the primary disk wind, while the molecular component is mainly swept-up, secondary outflow gas. We also observe G11.94-0.62 with the LBT in the near-infrared, potentially tracing the base of wide-angle outflow cavities. SED modeling implies $m_\star = 22.4^{+21}{-11}:M\odot$, while the [OIII] emission implies $m_*\gtrsim30:M_\odot$ and that the protostar is in the final stages of its accretion.