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| Paper: |
Infrared Dark Clouds: Precursors to Star Clusters |
| Volume: |
322, The Formation and Evolution of Massive Young Star Clusters |
| Page: |
273 |
| Authors: |
Rathborne, J.M.; Simon, R.; Jackson, J.M.; Shah, R.Y. |
| Abstract: |
Infrared Dark Clouds (IRDCs) are a new class of object recently identified, as extinction features, in mid-infrared images. We have identified ~12,000 IRDCs in the Galaxy, and using 13CO molecular line emission maps, have obtained reliable distances to ~300 of them. Our molecular line and preliminary millimeter continuum data suggest that IRDCs are the cold molecular precursors to star clusters. They contain dense, cold cores with characteristic masses ~10-100MSolar. Thus, IRDCs have begun to fragment into pre-stellar cores, and may eventually form bound star clusters. |
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