Evidence of Core Growth in the Dragon Infrared Dark Cloud: A Path for Massive Star Formation

Abstract

A sample of 1.3 mm continuum cores in the Dragon infrared dark cloud (also known as G28.37+0.07 or G28.34+0.06) is analyzed statistically. Based on their association with molecular outflows, the sample is divided into protostellar and starless cores. Statistical tests suggest that the protostellar cores are more massive than the starless cores, even after temperature and opacity biases are accounted for. We suggest that the mass difference indicates core mass growth since their formation. The mass growth implies that massive star formation may not have to start with massive prestellar cores, depending on the core mass growth rate. Its impact on the relation between core mass function and stellar initial mass function is to be further explored.

accepted by ApJ

References in corpus (11)

• The NumPy array: a structure for efficient numerical computation
• Structural Analysis of Molecular Clouds: Dendrograms
• Fragmentation of Molecular Clumps and Formation of Protocluster
• The Formation of Stellar Clusters in Magnetized, Filamentary Infrared Dark Clouds
• Signatures of inflow motion in cores of massive star formation: Potential collapse candidates
• Infall Motions in Massive Star-Forming Regions: Results from Years 1 & 2 of the MALT90 Survey
• A Hunt for Massive Starless Cores
• Widespread Molecular Outflows in the Infrared Dark Cloud G28.37+0.07: Indications of Orthogonal Outflow-Filament Alignment
• Magnetized interstellar molecular clouds: II. The Large-Scale Structure and Dynamics of Filamentary Molecular Clouds
• ALMA observations reveal no preferred outflow--filament and outflow--magnetic field orientations
• Molecular analysis of a high-mass prestellar core candidate in W43-MM1

Cited by in corpus (10)

• ATOMS: ALMA Three-millimeter Observations of Massive Star-forming regions -- XV. Steady Accretion from Global Collapse to Core Feeding in Massive Hub-filament System SDC335
• ALMA-IMF. V. Prestellar and protostellar core populations in the W43 cloud complex
• The ALMA Survey of 70 μm Dark High-mass Clumps in Early Stages (ASHES). VIII. Dynamics of Embedded Dense Cores
• The Evolution of Protostellar Outflow Cavities, Kinematics, and Angular Distribution of Momentum and Energy in Orion A: Evidence for Dynamical Cores
• CARMA-NRO Orion Survey: unbiased survey of dense cores and core mass functions in Orion A
• Fragmentation of the High-mass "Starless'' Core G10.21-0.31: a Coherent Evolutionary Picture for Star Formation
• Linking High- and Low-Mass Star Formation: Observation-Based Continuum Modelling and Physical Conditions
• Filament Formation via Collision-induced Magnetic Reconnection -- Formation of a Star Cluster
• Binary Formation in a 100 $\mu$m-dark Massive Core
• Characterising the high-mass star forming region IRAS 18144-1723 through methanol maser observations