Fragmentation and Kinematics of dense molecular cores in the filamentary infrared-dark cloud G011.11-0.12

TL;DR

This study investigates the fragmentation and kinematics of dense cores in the filamentary IRDC G011.11-0.12 using multi-wavelength observations, revealing insights into core formation, collapse, and evolution.

Contribution

It provides high-resolution kinematic data of dense cores in an IRDC, linking fragmentation scales to Jeans instability and analyzing core evolution through linewidth variations.

Findings

Core spacing matches Jeans fragmentation predictions.

Cores are near critical virial parameters, indicating potential collapse.

Linewidth increases with core evolutionary stage.

Abstract

We present new Plateau de Bure Interferometer observations of a region in the filamentary infrared-dark cloud (IRDC) G011.11-0.12 containing young, star-forming cores. In addition to the 3.2mm continuum emission from cold dust, we map this region in the N$_2$H$^+$(1-0) line to trace the core kinematics with an angular resolution of 2" and velocity resolution of 0.2km s$^{-1}$. These data are presented in concert with recent {\em Herschel} results, single-dish N$_2$H$^+$(1-0) data, SABOCA 350$\mu$m continuum data, and maps of the C$^{18}$O (2-1) transition obtained with the IRAM 30m telescope. We recover the star-forming cores at 3.2mm continuum, while in N$_2$H$^+$ they appear at the peaks of extended structures. The mean projected spacing between N$_2$H$^+$ emission peaks is 0.18pc, consistent with simple isothermal Jeans fragmentation. The 0.1pc-sized cores have low virial parameters on the criticality borderline, while on the scale of the whole region, we infer that it is undergoing large-scale collapse. The N$_2$H$^+$ linewidth increases with evolutionary stage, while CO isotopologues show no linewidth variation with core evolution. Centroid velocities of all tracers are in excellent agreement, except in the starless region where two N$_2$H$^+$ velocity components are detected, one of which has no counterpart in C$^{18}$O. We suggest that gas along this line of sight may be falling into the quiescent core, giving rise to the second velocity component, possibly connected to the global collapse of the region.