Star Formation in the Taurus filament L 1495: from Dense Cores to Stars

 Title: Star Formation in the Taurus filament L 1495: from Dense Cores to Stars Author: Schmalzl, Markus; Kainulainen, Jouni; Launhardt, Ralf; Henning, Thomas; Quanz, Sascha P.; Alves, João; Román-Zúñiga, Carlos G.; Goodman, Alyssa A.; Pineda, Jaime E. Note: Order does not necessarily reflect citation order of authors. Citation: Schmalzl, Markus, Jouni Kainulainen, Sascha P. Quanz, João Alves, Alyssa A. Goodman, Thomas Henning, Ralf Launhardt, Jaime E. Pineda, and Carlos G. Román-Zúñiga. 2010. Star formation in the Taurus filament L 1495: from dense cores to stars. The Astrophysical Journal 725(1): 1327-1336. Full Text & Related Files: 67450222.pdf (3.214Mb; PDF) Abstract: We present a study of dense structures in the L1495 filament in the Taurus Molecular Cloud and examine its star-forming properties. In particular we construct a dust extinction map of the filament using deep near-infrared observations, exposing its small-scale structure in unprecedented detail. The filament shows highly fragmented substructures and a high mass-per-length value of $$M_{line} = 17 M \odot \ pc^{-1}$$, reflecting star-forming potential in all parts of it. However, a part of the filament, namely B211, is remarkably devoid of young stellar objects. We argue that in this region the initial filament collapse and fragmentation is still taking place and star formation is yet to occur. In the star-forming part of the filament, we identify 39 cores with masses from $$0.4 to 10 M \odot$$ and preferred separations in agreement with the local Jeans length. Most of these cores exceed the Bonnor-Ebert critical mass, and are therefore likely to collapse and form stars. The Dense Core Mass Function follows a power law with exponent $$\lceil = 1.2 \pm 0.2$$, a form commonly observed in star-forming regions. Published Version: doi:10.1088/0004-637X/725/1/1327 Other Sources: http://arxiv.org/abs/1010.2755v1 Terms of Use: This article is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Open Access Policy Articles, as set forth at http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of-use#OAP Citable link to this page: http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:4817724 Downloads of this work: