Context. Core condensation is a critical step in the star-formation process, but it is still poorly characterized observationally. Aims. We have studied the 10 pc-long L1495/B213 complex in Taurus to investigate how dense cores have condensed out of the lower density cloud material. Methods. We observed L1495/B213 in C 18 O(1−0), N 2 H + (1−0), and SO(J N = 3 2 -2 1 ) with the 14 m FCRAO telescope, and complemented the data with dust continuum observations using APEX (870 µm) and IRAM 30 m (1200 µm). Results. From the N 2 H + emission, we identify 19 dense cores, some starless and some protostellar. They are not distributed uniformly, but tend to cluster with relative separations on the order of 0.25 pc. From the C 18 O emission, we identify multiple velocity components in the gas. We have characterized them by fitting Gaussians to the spectra and by studying the distribution of the fits in position-position-velocity space. In this space, the C 18 O components appear as velocity-coherent structures, and we identify them automatically using a dedicated algorithm (FIVE: Friends In VElocity). Using this algorithm, we identify 35 filamentary components with typical lengths of 0.5 pc, sonic internal velocity dispersions, and mass-per-unit length close to the stability threshold of isothermal cylinders at 10 K. Core formation seems to have occurred inside the filamentary components via fragmentation, with few fertile components with higher mass-per-unit length being responsible for most cores in the cloud. On large scales, the filamentary components appear grouped into families, which we refer to as bundles. Conclusions. Core formation in L1495/B213 has proceeded by hierarchical fragmentation. The cloud fragmented first into several pc-scale regions. Each of these regions later fragmented into velocity-coherent filaments of about 0.5 pc in length. Finally, a small number of these filaments fragmented quasi-statically and produced the individual dense cores we see today.

Aim. We have investigated the gas organization within the paradigmatic Integral Shape Filament (ISF) in Orion in order to decipher whether or not all filaments are bundles of fibers. Methods. We combined two new ALMA Cycle 3 mosaics with previous IRAM 30m observations to produce a high-dynamic range N2H+ (1-0) emission map of the ISF tracing its high-density material and velocity structure down to scales of 0.009 pc (or ~2000 AU). Results. From the analysis of the gas kinematics, we identify a total of 55 dense fibers in the central region of the ISF. Independently of their location in the cloud, these fibers are characterized by transonic internal motions, lengths of ~0.15 pc, and masses per unit length close to those expected in hydrostatic equilibrium. The ISF fibers are spatially organized forming a dense bundle with multiple hub-like associations likely shaped by the local gravitational potential. Within this complex network, the ISF fibers show a compact radial emission profile with a median FWHM of 0.035 pc systematically narrower than the previously proposed universal 0.1 pc filament width. Conclusions. Our ALMA observations reveal complex bundles of fibers in the ISF, suggesting strong similarities between the internal substructure of this massive filament and previously studied lower-mass objects. The fibers show identical dynamic properties in both low- and high-mass regions, and their widespread detection in nearby clouds suggests a preferred organizational mechanism of gas in which the physical fiber dimensions (width and length) are self-regulated depending on their intrinsic gas density. Combining these results with previous works in Musca, Taurus, and Perseus, we identify a systematic increase of the surface density of fibers as a function of the total mass per-unit-length in filamentary clouds. Based on this empirical correlation, we propose a unified star-formation scenario where the observed differences between low- and high-mass clouds, and the origin of clusters, emerge naturally from the initial concentration of fibers.

Context. Low-mass star-forming cores differ from their surrounding molecular cloud in turbulence, shape, and density structure. Aims. We aim to understand how dense cores form out of the less dense cloud material by studying the connection between these two regimes. Methods. We observed the L1517 dark cloud in C 18 O(1-0), N 2 H + (J = 1−0), and SO(J N = 3 2 −2 1 ) with the FCRAO 14 m telescope, and in the 1.2 mm dust continuum with the IRAM 30 m telescope. Results. Most of the gas in the cloud lies in four filaments that have typical lengths of 0.5 pc. Five starless cores are embedded in these filaments and have chemical compositions indicative of different evolutionary stages. The filaments have radial profiles of C 18 O(1−0) emission with a central flattened region and a power-law tail, and can be fitted approximately as isothermal, pressure-supported cylinders. The filaments, in addition, are extremely quiescent. They have subsonic internal motions and are coherent in velocity over their whole length. The large-scale motions in the filaments can be used to predict the velocity inside the cores, indicating that core formation has not decoupled the dense gas kinematically from its parental material. In two filaments, these large-scale motions consist of oscillations in the velocity centroid, and a simple kinematic model suggests that they may be related to core-forming flows. Conclusions. Core formation in L1517 seems to have occurred in two steps. First, the subsonic, velocity-coherent filaments have condensed out of the more turbulent ambient cloud. Then, the cores fragmented quasi-statically and inherited the kinematics of the filaments. Turbulence dissipation has therefore occurred mostly on scales on the order of 0.5 pc or larger, and seems to have played a small role in the formation of the individual cores.

We present the first ~7.5'×11.5' velocity-resolved (~0.2 km s) map of the [C ii] 158 m line toward the Orion molecular cloud 1 (OMC 1) taken with the/HIFI instrument. In combination with far-infrared (FIR) photometric images and velocity-resolved maps of the H41 hydrogen recombination and CO =2-1 lines, this data set provides an unprecedented view of the intricate small-scale kinematics of the ionized/PDR/molecular gas interfaces and of the radiative feedback from massive stars. The main contribution to the [C ii] luminosity (~85 %) is from the extended, FUV-illuminated face of the cloud (>500, >5×10 cm) and from dense PDRs (≳10, ≳10 cm) at the interface between OMC 1 and the H ii region surrounding the Trapezium cluster. Around ~15 % of the [C ii] emission arises from a different gas component without CO counterpart. The [C ii] excitation, PDR gas turbulence, line opacity (from [C ii]) and role of the geometry of the illuminating stars with respect to the cloud are investigated. We construct maps of the [C ii]/ and / ratios and show that [C ii]/ decreases from the extended cloud component (~10-10) to the more opaque star-forming cores (~10-10). The lowest values are reminiscent of the "[C ii] deficit" seen in local ultra-luminous IR galaxies hosting vigorous star formation. Spatial correlation analysis shows that the decreasing [C ii]/ ratio correlates better with the column density of dust through the molecular cloud than with /. We conclude that the [C ii] emitting column relative to the total dust column along each line of sight is responsible for the observed [C ii]/ variations through the cloud.