The ALMA Survey of 70 $μ$m Dark High-mass Clumps in Early Stages (ASHES). XII. Unanchored Forked Stream in the Propogating Path of a Protostellar Outflow

Abstract: Outflows are key indicators of ongoing star formation. We report the discovery of an unanchored forked stream within the propagating path of an extremely young protostellar outflow in the 70 $\mu$m-dark clump G34.74-0.12, based on ALMA 1.3 mm observations with an angular resolution of 1''.6 (~ 5000 au). This outflow originate from a 9.7 $M_{\odot}$ core, exhibits a fork-shaped stream structure in its red-shifted lobe, which is traced by CO (2-1), SiO (5-4), and H$<em>2$CO (3$</em>{0,3}$-2$<em>{0,2}$). It has a momentum of 13 $M</em>{\odot}$ km s$<sup>{-1}$, an energy of 107 $M_{\odot}$ km$<sup>{2}$ s$<sup>{-2}$, and a dynamical timescale of ~10$<sup>{4}$ yr. Significantly, the enhanced relative abundances of SiO, H$<em>2$CO, and CH$_3$OH with respect to CO, along with the increased temperature at the forked point, indicate a collisional origin. The forked point does not coincide with any dust continuum core > 0.1 $M</em>{\odot}$. Moreover, CO (2-1) emission also traces three other outflows in this region, characterized by their masses (0.40, 0.02 and 0.15 $M_{\odot}$) and momenta (5.2, 0.2, 1.8 $M_{\odot}$ km s$<sup>{-1}$), as part of the ALMA Survey of 70 $\mu$m dark High-mass clumps in Early Stages (ASHES) project. All the newly discovered morphological and kinematic features associated with these extremely young protostellar outflows (with timescales of 10$<sup>3$ - 10$<sup>4$ years) suggest that the initial stages of star formation are more complicated than previously understood.