Evolutionary Signatures in the Formation of Low-Mass Protostars

Abstract

We present an evolutionary picture of a forming star. We assume a singular, isothermal sphere as the initial state of the core that undergoes collapse as described by \citet{shu77}. We include the evolution of a first hydrostatic core at early times and allow a disk to grow as predicted by \citet{adams86}. We use a 1-dimensional radiative transfer code to calculate the spectral energy distribution for the evolving protostar from the beginning of collapse to the point when all envelope material has accreted onto the star+disk system. Then, we calculate various observational signatures ($T_{bol}$, $L_{bol}/L_{smm}$, and infrared colors) as a function of time. As defined by the bolometric temperature criterion, the Class 0 stage should be very short, while the Class I stage persists for much of the protostar's early life. We present physical distinctions among the classes of forming stars and calculate the observational signatures for these classes. Finally, we present models of infrared color-magnitude diagrams, as observed by the Spitzer Space Telescope, that should be strong discriminators in determining the stage of evolution for a protostar.