EPoS Contribution
EPoS Contribution
Initial highlights from the Herschel Gould Belt survey

Philippe Andre
CEA/SAp Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
The Herschel Space Observatory successfully launched in May 2009 provides a unique opportunity to improve our global understanding of the early phase of star formation. I will present the first results from the Herschel Gould Belt survey, one of the largest approved key projects with Herschel. The immediate objective of this 70-500 micron imaging survey is to obtain complete samples of nearby prestellar cores and Class 0 protostars with well characterized luminosities, temperatures, and density profiles, as well as robust core mass functions and protostar luminosity functions, in a variety of star-forming environments. Thanks to its high sensitivity and large spatial dynamic range, this survey can also probe the physical link between the diffuse interstellar medium and compact, self-gravitating dense cores, thereby providing insight into the core formation process. The first images, obtained toward the Aquila Rift and Polaris Flare regions during the 'Science Demonstration Phase' of Herschel, are quite spectacular. Based on these first results, I will discuss preliminary implications for our understanding of, e.g., the link between the prestellar core mass function and the stellar initial mass function, the timescale of the core formation process, and the luminosity evolution of protostars.
Caption: Composite Herschel image of the Aquila Rift cloud complex covering more than 3 deg x 3 deg, obtained with the PACS et SPIRE bolometer cameras at 70, 160, 500 microns as part of the Gould Belt survey. Blue corresponds to 70 microns, green to 160 microns, and red to 500 microns. The image was the first release of 'OSHI', ESA's Online Showcase of Herschel Images.
Collaborators:
full list of collaborators
Key publication

Suggested Session: Cores and Collaps