Search for Binary Protostars

Abstract

In an effort to shed more light on the formation process of binary stars, we have started a program to study multiplicity among nearby low- and intermediate-mass protostars using the OVRO Millimeter Array. Here, we describe the project and present the first results on the protostellar core in the Bok globule CB230 (L1177). At 10 arcsec resolution, the molecular core is resolved into two components separated by 5000 AU. The morphology and kinematics of the double core suggest that it formed from a single cloud core due to rotational fragmentation.