Kavli Affiliate: Robert A. Simcoe
| First 5 Authors: Danielle Frostig, Danielle Frostig, , ,
| Summary:
Episodic mass accretion is the dominant mechanism for mass assembly in the
proto-stellar phase. Although prior optical time-domain searches have allowed
detailed studies of individual outbursts, these searches remain insensitive to
the earliest stages of star formation. In this paper, we present the
characterization of two FU Orionis (FUor) outbursts identified using the
combination of the ground-based, near-infrared Wide-field Infrared Transient
Explorer (WINTER) and the space-based, mid-infrared NEOWISE survey.
Supplemented with near-infrared spectroscopic follow-up, we show that both
objects are bona fide FUor type outbursts based on i) their proximity to
star-forming regions, ii) large amplitude (2-4 magnitudes) infrared brightening
over the last decade, iii) progenitor colors consistent with embedded (Class I)
protostars, and iv) "mixed-temperature" infrared spectra exhibiting
characteristic signatures of cool outer envelopes and a hot inner disk with a
wind. While one source, WNTR24-cua, is a known FUor which we independently
recover; the second source, WNTR24-egv, is a newly confirmed object. Neither
source is detected in contemporaneous ground-based optical imaging, despite
flux limits $gtrsim 100times$ fainter than their infrared brightness,
demonstrating the capabilities of WINTER to identify heavily obscured young
stellar object (YSO) outbursts. We highlight the capabilities of the Galactic
Plane survey of the recently commissioned WINTER observatory in addressing the
poorly understood FUor population with its unique combination of real-time
detection capabilities, multi-color sensitivity, weekly cadence, and wide area
coverage.
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