Description |
Low mass stars form in dense cores of gas and dust. Many details of how this happens are unclear. Sensitive continuum mapping observations at wavelengths that sample the peak of their SEDs (100-300 microns) are needed, for a large ensemble of cores, in order to investigate dense core evolution. Isolated dense cores are the best place to study core evolution, as they are free of the confusing effects of star formation in large clouds and clusters. We propose to map, in the continuum with PACS and SPIRE, a carefully selected group of isolated cores with low peak column density (about 30 cores), to study the earliest stages of core evolution. By combining these data with Spitzer and submm continuum and molecular line observations, we will determine the physical, dynamical and chemical state of each core. These results will enable us to investigate many questions relating to how dense cores form and evolve toward star formation. |