Constraining Spatial Densities of Early Ice Formation in Small Dense Molecular Cores from Extinction Maps

Tracing dust in small dense molecular cores is a powerful tool to study the conditions required for ices form during prestellar phase. To these environments, five were observed: three with ongoing low-mass star formation (B59, B335, and L483), two starless collapsing (L63 L694-2). Deep images taken infrared JHK bands United Kingdom Infrared Telescope WFCAM (Wide Field Camera) instrument IRAC channels 1 2 on Spitzer Space Telescope. These photometric used calculate extinction along line of sight toward background stars. After smoothing data, we produced high spatial resolution maps (?13''–29''). The then projected into third dimension using AVIATOR algorithm implementing inverse Abel transform. volume densities total hydrogen measured lines where (H2O, CO, CH3OH) have previously been detected. We find that pure CH3OH or mixture CO maximum above 1.0 × 105 cm?3. are only reached within fraction each (?0.3%–2.1%). presence may indicate onset complex organic molecule cores, thus can constrain region this begin. star-forming our sample (?(1.2–1.7) 106 cm?3) higher than those (?(3.5–9.5) cm?3).