Prestellar core modeling in the presence of a filament

• Published in: Astronomy and astrophysics (Berlin) 2016, Vol.593
• Main Authors: Steinacker, J., Bacmann, A., Henning, Th, Heigl, S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: ISM: clouds; radiative transfer; stars: formation; submillimeter: ISM
• ISSN: 0004-6361; 1432-0746
• DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201628815

Context. Lacking a paradigm for the onset of star formation, it is important to derive basic physical properties of prestellar cores and filaments like density and temperature structures. Aims. We aim to disentangle the spatial variation in density and temperature across the prestellar core L1689B, which is embedded in a filament. We want to determine the range of possible central densities and temperatures that are consistent with the continuum radiation data. Methods. We apply a new synergetic radiative transfer method: the derived 1D density profiles are both consistent with a cut through the Herschel PACS/SPIRE and JCMT SCUBA-2 continuum maps of L1689B and with a derived local interstellar radiation field. Choosing an appropriate cut along the filament major axis, we minimize the impact of the filament emission on the modeling. Results. For the bulk of the core (5000−20 000 au) an isothermal sphere model with a temperature of around 10 K provides the best fits. We show that the power law index of the density profile, as well as the constant temperature can be derived directly from the radial surface brightness profiles. For the inner region (