The TOP-SCOPE survey of Planck Galactic Cold Clumps: Survey overview and results of an exemplar source, PGCC G26.53+0.17

TL;DR

The TOP-SCOPE survey investigates the initial conditions of star formation in cold molecular clouds, providing detailed analysis of an exemplar filamentary IRDC, revealing fragmentation, grain growth, and formation mechanisms.

Contribution

This study presents the first detailed analysis of an exemplar PGCC filament using multi-wavelength data, highlighting its fragmentation, dynamics, and grain growth, advancing understanding of early star formation.

Findings

Mass of G26 filament ~6200 Msun

Fragmentation consistent with gravitational instability

Evidence of grain growth along the filament

Abstract

The low dust temperatures (<14 K) of Planck Galactic Cold Clumps (PGCCs) make them ideal targets to probe the initial conditions and very early phase of star formation. TOP-SCOPE is a joint survey program targeting ~2000 PGCCs in J=1-0 transitions of CO isotopologues and ~1000 PGCCs in 850 micron continuum emisison. The objective of the TOP-SCOPE survey and the joint surveys (SMT 10-m, KVN 21-m and NRO 45-m) is to statistically study the initial conditions occurring during star formation and the evolution of molecular clouds, across a wide range of environments. The observations, data analysis and example science cases for these surveys are introduced with an exemplar source, PGCC G26.53+0.17 (G26), which is a filamentary infrared dark cloud (IRDC). The total mass, the length and the mean line-mass (M/L) of the G26 filament are ~6200 Msun, ~12 pc and ~500 Msun/pc, respectively. Ten massive clumps including eight starless ones are found along the filament. The most massive Clump as a whole may be still in global collapse while its denser part seems to be undergoing expansion due to outflow feedback. The fragmentation in G26 filament from cloud scale to clump scale is in agreement with gravitational fragmentation of an isothermal, non-magnetized, and turbulent supported cylinder. A bimodal behavior in dust emissivity spectral index ($\beta$) distribution is found in G26, suggesting grain growth along the filament. The G26 filament may be formed due to large-scale compression flows evidenced by the temperature and velocity gradients across its natal cloud.