Issue |
A&A
Volume 466, Number 3, May II 2007
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 1013 - 1023 | |
Section | Interstellar and circumstellar matter | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20066438 | |
Published online | 24 April 2007 |
Star formation in the Vela molecular ridge*
Large scale mapping of cloud D in the mm continuum
1
INAF – Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Largo E. Fermi 5, 50125 Firenze, Italy e-mail: fmassi@arcetri.astro.it
2
Dipartimento di Fisica, Università degli studi di Roma Tor Vergata, via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Roma, Italy
3
INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, via Frascati 33, 00040 Monteporzio Catone, Roma, Italy e-mail: [deluca;giannini;dloren;bruni]@mporzio.astro.it
4
Dipartimento di Fisica, Università del Salento, CP 193, 73100 Lecce, Italy e-mail: eliad@le.infn.it
Received:
25
September
2006
Accepted:
9
February
2007
Context.The Vela molecular ridge is one of the nearest intermediate-mass star forming regions, located within the galactic plane and outside the solar circle. Cloud D, in particular, hosts a number of small embedded young clusters.
Aims.We present the results of a large-scale map in the dust continuum
at 1.2 mm of a ~ area within cloud D.
The main aim of the observations was to obtain a complete census of
cluster-forming cores and isolated (both high- and
low-mass) young stellar objects in early evolutionary phases.
Methods.The bolometer array SIMBA at SEST was used to map the dust emission in the region
with a typical sensitivity of ~ mJy/beam. This allows a mass sensitivity of ~
.
The resolution is
, corresponding to ~
pc, roughly the radius of a typical young embedded cluster in the region. The continuum map is also compared to a large scale map
of CO(1–0) integrated emission.
Results.Using the CLUMPFIND algorithm, a robust sample of 29 cores has been
obtained, spanning the size range 0.03–0.25 pc and the mass
range 0.4–88 . The most massive cores are associated both
with red IRAS sources and with embedded young clusters, and coincide
with CO(1–0) integrated emission peaks. The cores are distributed according
to a mass spectrum ~
and a mass-versus-size relation
~ Dx, with
–1.9 and
–1.7. They
appear to originate in the fragmentation of gas filaments
seen in CO(1–0) emission and their formation is probably induced by
expanding shells of gas. The core mass spectrum is flatter than
the Initial Mass Function of the associated clusters in the same mass range, suggesting
further fragmentation within the most massive cores. A threshold
mag seems to be required for the onset of star formation in the gas.
Key words: ISM: clouds / ISM: individual objects: Vela molecular ridge / ISM: dust, extinction / stars: formation / submillimeter
© ESO, 2007
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