Revealing the Structure of Lupine Darkness: from Cores to Clusters

TY - GEN

T1 - Revealing the Structure of Lupine Darkness

T2 - from Cores to Clusters

AU - Teixeira, Paula S.

AU - Lada, Charles J.

AU - Alves, João

PY - 2005/5/1

Y1 - 2005/5/1

N2 - We report in this paper results obtained from the analysis of deep near-infrared (NIR) observations of the densest region of the Lupus 3 cloud acquired from the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) New Technology Telescope (NTT) and Very Large Telescope (VLT). By constructing a dust extinction map (using the near-infrared color excess method) and examining the detailed internal structure of this prime example of a filamentary dark cloud, we have isolated 5 prominent embedded cores, a dense filament and a dense ring structure in this cloud. The cores have distinctive profiles, sizes, masses, some of them have on-going star formation while others are apparently starless. Building azimuthal density profiles and using Bonnor-Ebert and Jeans analysis, we are able to place these cores in an evolutionary sequence. We discuss the relation between the dense ring structure and the emerging cluster in the cloud. Assuming that the ring is the remnant of the disrupted core from which the small cluster originated, we calculate a corresponding star formation efficiency of ≈30% for the original core. Lupus 3 is a very interesting cloud for having so many different structures within - where we identify both starless, stellar cores as well as a cluster emerging from a disrupted core. A correlation between the density structures of the cores and its stability and star formation status is evident.

AB - We report in this paper results obtained from the analysis of deep near-infrared (NIR) observations of the densest region of the Lupus 3 cloud acquired from the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) New Technology Telescope (NTT) and Very Large Telescope (VLT). By constructing a dust extinction map (using the near-infrared color excess method) and examining the detailed internal structure of this prime example of a filamentary dark cloud, we have isolated 5 prominent embedded cores, a dense filament and a dense ring structure in this cloud. The cores have distinctive profiles, sizes, masses, some of them have on-going star formation while others are apparently starless. Building azimuthal density profiles and using Bonnor-Ebert and Jeans analysis, we are able to place these cores in an evolutionary sequence. We discuss the relation between the dense ring structure and the emerging cluster in the cloud. Assuming that the ring is the remnant of the disrupted core from which the small cluster originated, we calculate a corresponding star formation efficiency of ≈30% for the original core. Lupus 3 is a very interesting cloud for having so many different structures within - where we identify both starless, stellar cores as well as a cluster emerging from a disrupted core. A correlation between the density structures of the cores and its stability and star formation status is evident.

UR - https://research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/en/researchoutput/revealing-the-structure-of-lupine-darkness-from-cores-to-clusters(468beff7-3705-4e2e-afff-cba9cb6a3ddb).html

U2 - 10.1007/0-387-26357-8_15

DO - 10.1007/0-387-26357-8_15

M3 - Conference contribution

SN - 978-0-387-26322-9

SN - 978-1-4419-2088-1

T3 - Astrophysics and Space Science Library

SP - 191

EP - 196

BT - Cores to Clusters

A2 - Kumar, M. S. N.

A2 - Tafalla, M.

A2 - Caselli, P.

PB - Springer

ER -