| Description |
We propose to observe a sample of nine very red protostars serendipitouslyidentified in PACS observations for the Herschel Orion Protostar Survey (HOPS). In contrast to the known Orion protostars targeted in HOPS, the new sourcesare undetected or very faint in Spitzer 24 micron imaging of Orion. They are redder than the known Orion Class 0 protostars, and appear similar to the most extreme Class 0 objects known. These objects are likely to be in a very early and short lived stage of protostellar evolution.With this sample, we aim to determine if the youngest protostars begin their lives in a violent energetic phase or in a more quiescent manner,slowly building their accretion and outflow power. To do this, we proposePACS Range Spectroscopy between 70 and 200 microns, observing theCO and H2O lines, and line spectroscopy centered on the 63 micronOI line. These far-IR cooling lines are powerful diagnostics ofshock heating by outflows and radiant UV heating from accretionluminosity. Through a comparison with existing HOPS observations,these observations will be a unique window on the early evolutionof outflows and accretion in protostars. |
