Molecular Cores in Taurus: Evolution and Dynamics

Abstract

AbstractThe evolution and dynamics of the molecular cores traced by 13CO J = 1 → 0 emission in the Taurus molecular cloud are studied. We performed a systematic examination of the distribution and dynamic state of cores in a large contiguous region, as well as the core ages, which lie between 106 and 107 years. The core velocity dispersion (CVD), which is the variance of the core velocity difference δ v, exhibits a power-law behavior as a function of the apparent separation L, i.e. CVD (km/s) ∝ L (pc)0.7, with similarities to Larson's law for the velocity dispersion of the gas.