Two Massive, Low-Luminosity Cores Toward Infrared Dark Clouds

TL;DR

This study uses high-resolution submillimeter observations to identify and characterize two massive, cold, and low-luminosity cores in infrared dark clouds, indicating early stages of massive star formation.

Contribution

It provides detailed physical properties of two massive cores in IRDCs, highlighting their potential to form massive stars at an early evolutionary stage.

Findings

Cores have masses of approximately 110 and 60 solar masses.

Cores are cold, inactive, and have very low luminosities.

Cores are at an early stage of evolution, capable of forming massive stars.

Abstract

This article presents high-resolution interferometric mosaics in the 850 micron waveband of two massive, quiescent infrared dark clouds. The two clouds were chosen based on their likelihood to represent environments preceding the formation of massive stars. The brightest compact sources detected in each cloud have masses of approximately 110 and 60 solar masses with radii < 0.1 pc, implying mean volume densities of approximately 1 million particles per cubic centimeter and mean column densities of about 1 gram per square centimeter. Supplementary data show these cores to be cold and inactive. Low upper limits to their bolometric luminosities and temperatures place them at a very early stage of evolution while current models of massive star formation suggest they have the potential to form massive stars.