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The JCMT Gould Belt Survey: constraints on prestellar core properties in Orion A North

We employ SCUBA-2 (Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array 2) observations of the Orion A North molecular cloud to derive column density and temperature maps. We apply a novel, Hessian-based structural identification algorithm for detection of prestellar cores to these data, allowing for automated...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 2015-05, Vol.449 (2), p.1769-1781
Main Authors: Salji, C. J., Richer, J. S., Buckle, J. V., Hatchell, J., Kirk, H., Beaulieu, S. F., Berry, D. S., Broekhoven-Fiene, H., Currie, M. J., Fich, M., Jenness, T., Johnstone, D., Mottram, J. C., Nutter, D., Pattle, K., Pineda, J. E., Quinn, C., Tisi, S., Walker-Smith, S., Francesco, J. Di, Hogerheijde, M. R., Ward-Thompson, D., Bastien, P., Butner, H., Chen, M., Chrysostomou, A., Coude, S., Davis, C. J., Drabek-Maunder, E., Duarte-Cabral, A., Fiege, J., Friberg, P., Friesen, R., Fuller, G. A., Graves, S., Greaves, J., Gregson, J., Holland, W., Joncas, G., Kirk, J. M., Knee, L. B. G., Mairs, S., Marsh, K., Matthews, B. C., Moriarty-Schieven, G., Rawlings, J., Robertson, D., Rosolowsky, E., Rumble, D., Sadavoy, S., Thomas, H., Tothill, N., Viti, S., White, G. J., Wilson, C. D., Wouterloot, J., Yates, J., Zhu, M.
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Language:English
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Summary:We employ SCUBA-2 (Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array 2) observations of the Orion A North molecular cloud to derive column density and temperature maps. We apply a novel, Hessian-based structural identification algorithm for detection of prestellar cores to these data, allowing for automated generation of the prestellar mass function. The resulting mass function is observed to peak at $1.39^{+0.18}_{-0.19}$ M⊙, indicating a star-forming efficiency lower limit of ∼14 per cent when compared with the Orion nebula Cluster initial mass function (IMF) peak. Additionally, the prestellar mass function is observed to decay with a high-mass power-law exponent $\alpha =2.53^{+0.16}_{-0.14}$ , indicating approximate functional similarity with the Salpeter IMF (α = 2.35). This result, when combined with the results of previous investigations suggests a regional dependence of the star-forming efficiency.
ISSN:0035-8711
1365-2966
DOI:10.1093/mnras/stu2297