How Many Infrared Dark Clouds can form Massive Stars and Clusters?

Details How Many Infrared Dark Clouds can form Massive Stars and Clusters? How Many Infrared Dark Clouds can form Massive Stars and Clusters?

2010-09-08

arxiv.org/abs/1009.1617v1

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

Galaxy Astrophysics

accepted to The Astrophysical Journal Letters; not yet including second set of referee comments

Scientific paper

We present a new assessment of the ability of Infrared Dark Clouds (IRDCs) to form massive stars and clusters. This is done by comparison with an empirical mass-size threshold for massive star formation (MSF). We establish m(r)>870M_sun(r/pc)^1.33 as a novel approximate MSF limit, based on clouds with and without MSF. Many IRDCs, if not most, fall short of this threshold. Without significant evolution, such clouds are unlikely MSF candidates. This provides a first quantitative assessment of the small number of IRDCs evolving towards MSF. IRDCs below this limit might still form stars and clusters of up to intermediate mass, though (like, e.g., the Ophiuchus and Perseus Molecular Clouds). Nevertheless, a major fraction of the mass contained in IRDCs might reside in few 10^2 clouds sustaining MSF.

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