Far infrared observations of pre-protostellar sources in Lynds 183

Abstract

Using ISOPHOT maps at 100 and 200 mu m and raster scans at 100, 120, 150 and 200 mu m we have detected four unresolved far-infrared sources in the high latitude molecular cloud L 183. Two of the sources are identified with 1.3 mm continuum sources found by Ward-Thompson et al. (\cite{wthompson94}, \cite{wthompson00}) and are located near the temperature minimum and the coincident column density maximum of dust distribution. For these two sources, the ISO observations have enabled us to derive temperatures ( ~ 8.3 K) and masses ( ~ 1.4 and 2.4 M_sun). They are found to have masses greater than or comparable to their virial masses and are thus expected to undergo gravitational collapse. We classify them as pre-protostellar sources. The two new sources are good candidates for pre-protostellar sources or protostars within L 183.

Based on observations with ISO, an ESA project with instruments funded by ESA Member States (especially the PI countries: France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom) and with the participation of ISAS and NASA.