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| EPoS Contribution |
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Observational studies of pre-stellar cores and dust evolution just before star formation
Ana Chacon-Tanarro MPE, Munich, DE | |
| In dense and cold molecular clouds dust grains are surrounded by thick icy mantles. It is however not clear if dust growth and coagulation take place before star formation begins. This is an important issue, as the presence of large grains may affect the chemical structure of dense cloud cores, including the dynamically important ionization fraction, and the future evolution of solids in protoplanetary disks. To study this further, we considered L1544, one of the most centrally concentrated prestellar cores on the verge of star formation, and with a well-known physical structure. We observed L1544 at 1 and 2 mm and found no variation in the opacity towards the central regions, which can be an indication for the absence of dust coagulation. These results will be compared with dust coagulation and chemical model predictions to gain a better understanding of the dust size distribution just before a protostar is born. | |
| Collaborators: P. Caselli, MPE, DE L. Bizzocchi, MPE, DE J.E. Pineda, MPE, DE |
Suggested Session:
Cores and Collapse |