G351.77–0.51: ridge formation caught in the act

¹ Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie, Auf dem Hügel 69, 53121 Bonn, Germany ;
² School of Physics, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
³ Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik, Giessenbachstrasse, 85741 Garching bei München, Germany
⁴ European Southern Observatory, Karl-Schwarzschild-Str. 2, 85748 Garching bei München, Germany
⁵ INAF-Osservatorio Astrofsico di Arcetri, Largo E. Fermi 5, 50125 Firenze, Italy

e-mail: sleurini@mpifr.de

Abstract

The initial steps of star formation are now believed to be tightly linked to the dynamical evolution of interstellar filaments. Mass accretion from large scales in the form of sub-filaments seems to play a key role for the formation of massive filaments with A_V > 100 mag, a criterion satisfied by ridges. In this contribution, we discuss the very close-by ridge G351.77–0.51, identified as the closest dense filament in the ATLASGAL survey of the inner Galactic plane. G351.77–0.51 is actively forming massive stars in at least two positions and other dust clumps have the potential to form intermediate to high-mass young stellar objects. It also exhibits a remarkable large-scale network of filamentary structures seen in extinction at 8 μm which extend over the whole length of the ridge. The sub-filaments have the same velocity as the ridge. Their mass shows that mass-replenishment is probably still on-going in the source.