Identifying the Low Luminosity Population of Embedded Protostars in the c2d Observations of Clouds and Cores

Details Identifying the Low Luminosity Population of Embedded Protostars in the c2d Observations of Clouds and Cores Identifying the Low Luminosity Population of Embedded Protostars in the c2d Observations of Clouds and Cores

Dec 2007

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007aas...211.8926d&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #211, #89.26; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 39, p.882

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

1

Scientific paper

The Spitzer Space Telescope Legacy Project "From Molecular Cores to Planet Forming Disks" has recently completed an unbiased 3.6-160 micron survey of approximately 20 square degrees of five nearby low-mass star forming regions, as well as a targeted survey of 89 dense low-mass starless and protostellar cores. We present the results of a search aimed at identifying the complete population of embedded protostars with luminosities less than or equal to 1 solar luminosities, many of which are too faint and too distant to be detected by IRAS. We develop a set of criteria applied to the Spitzer mid-infrared images to select candidate embedded, low-luminosity protostars. We then use all available complementary data on the candidates to identify those which truly are embedded objects rather than one of the various contaminants, in particular extragalactic objects, masquerading as objects of interest. We identify 69 embedded protostars with luminosities less than or equal to 1 solar luminosity down to a sensitivity of 4x10-3 (d/140 pc)2 solar luminosities; we are able to obtain complete SEDs of 50 of these 69 objects. We find that the 70 micron flux shows a tight correlation with the protostellar internal luminosity. Between 75-85% of cores classified as starless based on the lack of an IRAS point source remain starless after Spitzer observations, confirming recent results suggesting that Very Low Luminosity Objects (protostars with luminosities less than or equal to 0.1 solar luminosities) are rare. However, we do find that there are too many VeLLOs to be consistent with star formation models featuring constant mass accretion.

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