The Plaskett Lecture: Star Formation in the Perseus Molecular Cloud

TL;DR

This paper reviews large-scale surveys of the Perseus molecular cloud, highlighting key findings on star formation processes, including dense core formation thresholds and cloud turbulence, and discusses implications for star formation models.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of observational data and compares it with simulations, offering new constraints and future testing avenues for star formation theories.

Findings

Identification of a column density threshold for dense core formation

Dense cores are quiescent compared to the turbulent cloud environment

Large-scale motions dominate the turbulence in the molecular cloud

Abstract

Large-scale surveys of the Perseus molecular cloud have provided many clues as to the processes occurring during star formation. Here, analysis of both column density maps and kinematic data (maps and pointed data) are discussed and compared with predictions from simulations. Results include a column density threshold for the formation of dense star-forming cores and that the dense cores are quiescent within their local environment, while the molecular cloud as a whole has turbulent motions that are dominated by large-scale modes. Some of these results have already been used to constrain models of star formation, and the others can be included as future tests of the models. The next few years of star formation research promises to provide exciting advances to the field, particularly with the Gould Belt Legacy Surveys in progress at several facilities, including the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT).