Observations of the evolution of dense cores, including the first hydrostatic core candidates

Kazuki Tokuda  (Kyushu University / NAOJ)

The evolutionary process from prestellar cores to protostars contains observational missing links. Unlike protostellar sources, prestellar cores lack infrared counterparts and are not very bright in the millimeter/submillimeter wavelength range, making the identification of short-lived entities such as the first hydrostatic cores among numerous objects a challenging endeavor. This talk will summarize our observations of dense cores with the Nobeyama 45m telescope and ALMA. We will present the results of our survey of the Taurus region with the Atacama Compact Array, which showed that cores with densities above ~10^6 cm^-3 can collapse into protostars in free fall. In addition, we aim to provide a future outlook for observations of extremely embedded objects, including the first core candidates.