Herschel Observations of a Potential Core Forming Clump: Perseus B1-E

TL;DR

This study uses Herschel observations to identify and analyze dense substructures in the Perseus B1-E region, revealing potential early stages of core formation influenced by magnetic fields.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed Herschel-based analysis of B1-E's substructures, highlighting their potential to form dense cores and offering insights into initial prestellar conditions.

Findings

B1-E has a mass of approximately 100 solar masses.

One substructure, B1-E2, appears to be gravitationally bound.

Substructures are close enough to interact within about 1 million years.

Abstract

We present continuum observations of the Perseus B1-E region from the Herschel Gould Belt Survey. These Herschel data reveal a loose grouping of substructures at 160 - 500 micron not seen in previous submillimetre observations. We measure temperature and column density from these data and select the nine densest and coolest substructures for follow-up spectral line observations with the Green Bank Telescope. We find that the B1-E clump has a mass of ~ 100 solar masses and appears to be gravitationally bound. Furthermore, of the nine substructures examined here, one substructure (B1-E2) appears to be itself bound. The substructures are typically less than a Jeans length from their nearest neighbour and thus, may interact on a timescale of ~ 1 Myr. We propose that B1-E may be forming a first generation of dense cores, which could provide important constraints on the initial conditions of prestellar core formation. Our results suggest that B1-E may be influenced by a strong, localized magnetic field, but further observations are still required.