Abstract
Submillimeter continuum maps at 800um of the embedded source IRAS
04368+2557 in Taurus show that there are two sources separated by 20",
or 2800 AU. The secondary source is between two and three times less
luminous than the primary source, if both sources have similar
spectral energy distributions. Large scale c18o J = 1-0 emission shows
the sources to be embedded in a single dense core and observations of
c18o and c17o show the sources to be associated with a compact region
of high density gas. Three transitions of c18o show a velocity
gradient between the two sources. On the smallest size scales the c18o
J = 3-2 emission has a velocity gradient of 3-7 km/s/pc. The proximity
of the sources in both space and velocity suggest that they comprise a very
young protobinary system. The estimated age of the primary source,
5000 years, is much less than the estimated orbital period, 140,000
years, The separation and young age of the system indicates that is
formed through the fragmentation during the core collapse phase.
Published Reference:
Fuller, Ladd, & Hodapp (1996)