Prestellar and protostellar cores in Ori B 9 ⋆

Context. Dense molecular cores are studied in order to gain insight into the processes causing clouds to fragment and form stars. In this study we concentrate on a region which is assumed to represent an early stage of clustered star formation in a giant molecular cloud. Aims. The aims of this study are to determine the properties and spatial distribution of dense cores in the relatively quiescent Ori B9 cloud, and to estimate their ages and dynamical timescales. Methods. The cloud was mapped in the 870 μm continuum with APEX/LABOCA, and selected positions were observed in the lines of N2H and N2D using IRAM-30m. These were used together with our previous H2D observations to derive the degree of deuteration and some other chemical characteristics. Moreover, archival far-infrared Spitzer/MIPS maps were combined with the LABOCA map to distinguish between prestellar and protostellar cores, and to estimate the evolutionary stages of protostars. Results. Twelve dense cores were detected at 870 μm continuum in the Ori B9 cloud. The submm cores constitute ∼ 4% of the total mass of the Ori B9 region. There is an equal number of prestellar and protostellar cores. Two of the submm sources, which we call SMM 3 and SMM 4, are previously unknown Class 0 candidates. There is a high likelyhood that the core masses and mutual separations represent the same distributions as observed in other parts of Orion. We found a moderate degree of deuteration in N2H (0.03 − 0.04). There is, furthermore, evidence for N2H depletion in the core SMM 4. These features suggest the cores have reached chemical maturity. We derive a relatively high degree of ionization (∼ 10−7) in the clump associated with IRAS 05405-0117. The ambipolar diffusion timescales for two of the cores are ∼ 70 − 100 times longer than the free-fall time. Conclusions. The distribution and masses of dense cores in Ori B9 are similar to those observed in more active regions in Orion, where the statistical core properties have been explained by turbulent fragmentation. The 50/50 proportions of prestellar and protostellar cores suggest that duration of the prestellar phase is comparable to the free-fall time. This timescale can be questioned, however, on the basis of chemical data on the IRAS 05405-0117 region. A possible explanation is that this survey samples only the densest, i.e., dynamically most advanced cores.