The JCMT Gould Belt Survey: constraints on prestellar core properties in Orion A North

Abstract

We employ SCUBA-2 (Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array 2) observations of the Orion A North molecular cloud to derive column density and temperature maps. We apply a novel, Hessian-based structural identification algorithm for detection of prestellar cores to these data, allowing for automated generation of the prestellar mass function. The resulting mass function is observed to peak at 1.39^{+0.18}_{-0.19} M<SUB>⊙</SUB>, indicating a star-forming efficiency lower limit of ˜14 per cent when compared with the Orion nebula Cluster initial mass function (IMF) peak. Additionally, the prestellar mass function is observed to decay with a high-mass power-law exponent α =2.53^{+0.16}_{-0.14}, indicating approximate functional similarity with the Salpeter IMF (α = 2.35). This result, when combined with the results of previous investigations suggests a regional dependence of the star-forming efficiency.