Related papers: Isolated starless cores in IRDCs in the Hi-GAL sur…
To characterize the initial conditions for intermediate- to high-mass star formation, we observed two Infrared Dark Clouds (IRDCs) that remain absorption features up to 70mum wavelength, with the PdBI in the 3.23mm dust continuum as well as…
The Polaris Flare cloud region contains a great deal of extended emission. It is at high declination and high Galactic latitude. It was previously seen strongly in IRAS Cirrus emission at 100 microns. We have detected it with both PACS and…
Infrared Dark Clouds (IRDCs) are dense molecular clouds seen as extinction features against the bright mid-infrared Galactic background. Millimeter continuum maps toward 38 IRDCs reveal extended cold dust emission to be associated with each…
We present the results of a mid-infrared (7 micron) imaging survey of a sample of 24 starless dense cores carried out at an angular resolution of 6 arcsec with the ISOCAM camera aboard the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO). The targeted…
We use 8.3 um mid-infrared images acquired with the Midcourse Space Experiment satellite to identify and catalog Infrared Dark Clouds (IRDCs) in the first and fourth quadrants of the Galactic plane. Because IRDCs are seen as dark extinction…
Infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) are cold and dense reservoirs of gas potentially available to form stars. Many of these clouds are likely to be pristine structures representing the initial conditions for star formation. The study presented…
(abridged) We develop the mid-infrared extinction (MIREX) mapping technique of Butler & Tan (2009, Paper I), presenting a new method to correct for the Galactic foreground emission based on observed saturation in independent cores. Using…
We describe a model for the thermal and dynamical equilibrium of starless cores that includes the radiative transfer of the gas and dust and simple CO chemistry. The model shows that the structure and behavior of the cores is significantly…
Five regions of massive star formation have been observed in various molecular lines in the frequency range $\sim 85-89$ GHz. The studied regions possess dense cores, which host young stellar objects. The physical parameters of the cores…
We present newly processed archival Herschel images of molecular cloud MCLD 123.5+24.9 in the Polaris Flare. This cloud contains five starless cores. Using the spectral synthesis code Cloudy, we explore uncertainties in the derivation of…
Starless molecular cores are natural laboratories for interstellar molecular chemistry research. The chemistry of ices in such objects was investigated with a three-phase (gas, surface, and mantle) model. We considered the center part of…
To derive the properties of the dense cores in the galactic star-forming complex NGC6357 and to investigate the effects of an intense far-UV radiation field on their properties, we mapped the region at 450 and 850 micron, and in the CO(3-2)…
We present 2D Monte Carlo radiative transfer simulations of prestellar cores. We consider two types of asymmetry: disk-like asymmetry, in which the core is denser towards the equatorial plane than towards the poles; and axial asymmetry, in…
We investigate the uncertainties affecting the temperature profiles of dense cores of interstellar clouds. In regions shielded from external ultraviolet radiation, the problem is reduced to the balance between cosmic ray heating, line…
We aim to investigate the polarization properties of a starless core in a very early evolutionary stage. Linear polarization data reveal the properties of the dust grains in the distinct phases of the interstellar medium. Our goal is to…
Infrared Dark Clouds appear to be the long sought population of cold and dense aggregations with the potential of harbouring the earliest stages of massive star formation. Up to now there has been no systematic study on the temperature…
The dense, cold regions where high-mass stars form are poorly characterised, yet they represent an ideal opportunity to learn more about the initial conditions of high-mass star formation (HMSF), since high-mass starless cores (HMSCs) lack…
The initial conditions found in infrared dark clouds (IRDCs) provide insights on how high-mass stars and stellar clusters form. We have conducted high-angular resolution and high-sensitivity observations toward thirty-nine massive IRDC…
Molecular line observations of starless (prestellar) cores combined with a chemical evolution modeling and radiative transfer calculations are a powerful tool to study the earliest stages of star formation. However, conclusions drawn from…
We present continuum observations of the infrared dark cloud (IRDC) G48.66-0.22 (G48) obtained with Herschel, Spitzer, and APEX, in addition to several molecular line observations. The Herschel maps are used to derive temperature and column…