An Estimation of the Star Formation Rate in the Perseus Complex

Abstract

We present the results of our investigation of the star-forming potential in the Perseus star-forming complex. We build on previous starless core, protostellar core, and young stellar object (YSO) catalogs from Spitzer (3.6-70 mu m), Herschel (70-500 mu m), and SCUBA (850 mu m) observations in the literature. We place the cores and YSOs within seven star-forming clumps based on column densities greater than 5 x 10(21) cm(-2). We calculate the mean density and free-fall time for 69 starless cores as similar to 5.55 x 10(-19) g cm(-3) and similar to 0.1 Myr, respectively, and we estimate the star formation rate for the near future as similar to 150M(circle dot) Myr(-1). According to Bonnor-Ebert stability analysis, we find that majority of starless cores in Perseus are unstable. Broadly, these cores can collapse to form the next generation of stars. We found a relation between starless cores and YSOs, where the numbers of young protostars (Class 0 vertical bar Class I) are similar to the numbers of starless cores. This similarity, which shows a one-to-one relation, suggests that these starless cores may form the next generation of stars with approximately the same formation rate as the current generation, as identified by the Class 0 and Class I protostars. It follows that if such a relation between starless cores and any YSO stage exists, the SFR values of these two populations must be nearly constant. In brief, we propose that this one-to-one relation is an important factor in better understanding the star formation process within a cloud.