Bispectrum speckle interferometry of the massive protostellar outflow source AFGL 2591

We present bispectrum speckle interferometry of the massive protostellar object AFGL 2591 in the near-infrared K-band. Our reconstructed image of the outflow cavity of AFGL 2591 has a resolution of 170 mas, corresponding to physical scales of ~170 AU at the distance of the object, and shows the loops which extend from the bright, compact source in unprecedented detail. The central source is clearly resolved and has an uniform-disk diameter of ~40 mas (40 AU). We use 2D radiation transfer simulations to show that the resolved structure probably corresponds to the inner rim of a geometrically thick circumstellar disk or envelope at the dust sublimation radius. Our image also reveals a structure that might represent an edge-on circumstellar disk around one of the other young stellar objects near AFGL 2591.