Witnessing the fragmentation of a filament into prestellar cores in Orion B/NGC 2024

Abstract

Recent Herschel observations of nearby clouds have shown that filamentary structures are ubiquitous and that most prestellar cores form in filaments. Probing the density ($n$) and velocity ($V$) structure of filaments is crucial for the understanding of the star formation process. To characterize both the $n$ and the $V$ field of a fragmenting filament, we mapped NGC2024. 13CO, C18O, and H13CO+ trace the filament seen in the $N_{H_2}$ data. The radial profile from the $N_{H_2}$ data shows $D_{HP}$~0.081 pc, which is similar to the Herschel findings. The $D_{HP}$ from 13CO and C18O are broader, while the $D_{HP}$ from H13CO+ is narrower, than $D_{HP}$ from Herschel. These results suggest that 13CO and C18O trace only the outer part of the filament and H13CO+ only the inner part. The H13CO+ $V_{centroid}$ map reveals $V$ gradients along both filament axis, as well as $V$ oscillations with a period $\lambda$~0.2 pc along the major axis. Comparison between the $V$ and the $n$ distribution shows a tentative $\lambda$/4 shift in H13CO+ or C18O. This $\lambda$/4 shift is not simultaneously observed for all cores in any single tracer but is tentatively seen in either H13CO+ or C18O. We produced a toy model taking into account a transverse $V$ gradient, a longitudinal $V$ gradient, and a longitudinal oscillation mode caused by fragmentation. Examination of synthetic data shows that the oscillation component produces an oscillation pattern in the velocity structure function (VSF) of the model. The H13CO+ VSF shows an oscillation pattern, suggesting that our observations are partly tracing core-forming motions and fragmentation. We also found that the mean $M_{core}$ corresponds to the effective $M_{BE}$ in the filament. This is consistent with a scenario in which higher-mass cores form in higher line-mass filaments.