|
Pre-stellar cores are dense and cold molecular condensations where the star formation process takes place. Protostars are born from gravitational collapse of these cores, so that understanding their internal structure allows one to constrain the initial conditions of the star formation process. So far, several examples of low-mass pre-stellar cores have been identified, but a sample of high-mass pre-stellar cores is lacking. Bearing in mind that high-mass stars form in clusters, we have searched for cold and dense spots close some well-known high-mass protostellar objects successful in the identification of low-mass pre-stellar cores, namely high values of the column density ratio N(N2D+)/N(N2H+) and of the CO depletion factor. I will present both single-dish and interferometric observations that have allowed us to identify massive pre-stellar core candidates in the studied sources.
|