EPoS Contribution
EPoS Contribution
Evidence of Feedback? Class 0 Protostellar Fraction and Environment in the Perseus Molecular Cloud

Sarah Sadavoy
MPIA, Heidelberg, DE
Many recent observational studies of molecular clouds have revealed a deep connection between star formation and the density structure of the cloud, suggesting that star formation only proceeds in those regions with sufficiently dense material. These observations are supported by simulations of molecular cloud evolution, where gravitationally- dominated systems naturally build up high density material. Most of these studies, however, compare global star-forming properties of entire clouds where different age populations of young stellar objects (YSOs) may be mixed. Here, we present a comparison of the column density structure and youngest YSO populations within seven different regions of a single cloud. We use continuum data at 160 um, 250 um, 350 um, and 500 um from the Herschel Gould Belt Survey to characterize the high column density material and core populations for seven clumps in the Perseus Molecular Cloud: B1, B1-E, B5, IC348, L1448, L1455, and NGC1333. We also use detections of compact 70 um PACS sources and archival Spitzer catalogues to identify the YSOs. With these data, we find a strong correlation between the fraction of Class 0 protostars in the clumps and the relative fraction of high column density material. This correlation suggests that the quantity of high column density material in a clump reflects its most recent star formation activity rather than its entire star formation history. Furthermore, feedback from either the formation of YSOs or their evolution likely alters the ambient (column) density structure, producing lower fractions of high column density material and thereby slowing the formation of additional Class 0 protostars. In this picture, gravity-dominated models no longer apply to star-forming regions that have already formed populations of YSOs as the YSOs themselves must play an important role in shaping the evolution of their parent clump (or cloud).
Collaborators:
J. DiFrancesco, NRC, Canada
P. Andre, CEA, France
S. Pezzuto, IAPS, Italy
A. Men'shchikov, CEA, France
and the Herschel Gould Belt Survey team
Suggested Session: Molecular Clouds