A MUSE Exploration of Edge Cases in Jet Launching

The evolution of stellar objects and the potential planetary systems that form around them are core preoccupations for astronomers. Common to many sun-like stars in their formative years is the presence of astrophysical jets. They are tightly linked to accretion processes and are believed to play a crucial role in stellar evolution by carrying away mass and angular momentum, but the process by which they are launched is not yet determined. The majority of our knowledge comes from the study of low-mass Classical T-Tauri stars, and advances in instrumentation – particularly in ground-based astronomy – have made it possible to observe jets closer to their region of launch. The goal of this thesis is to utilize high angular resolution integral field spectroscopy to explore less common jet launching sources in an effort to better understand jet behavior and its impact on stellar evolution. We present MUSE observations of the intermediate-mass Herbig Ae star HD 163296, the giant Orion proplyd 244-440, and the proto-brown dwarf candidate Mayrit 1082188, each of which features a unique outflow system and together constitute a rich data set spanning a range of age, mass, and environment. In our study of HD 163296 we observe a complex outflow system that is still active despite its age. We analyze the morphology of the proplyd jet system and find it is possibly driven by a smaller companion hidden within the photoevaporating disk. In our final study we discover a large cavity associated with Mayrit 1082188, which suggests a wind-driven process similar to standard outflow models. A key finding of this work is the evidence of commonality, and our results indicate that the outflow mechanism is efficient in its utilization of material, durable in its ability to launch under harsh conditions, and scalable in power to the mass of the driving source