Dense cores in the Serpens region from HGBS

We produce the core mass function (CMF) and compare it with the initial mass function (IMF). The prestellar CMF is consistent with lognormal trend up to ~2 M_{sun}_, after which it follows a power law with slope of -2.05+/-0.34. The tail of its CMF is steeper but still compatible with the IMF for the region we studied in this work.

We also extract the filaments network of the Serpens region, finding that 81 per cent of prestellar cores lie on filamentary structures. The spatial association between cores and filamentary structure supports the paradigm, suggested by other Herschel observations, that prestellar cores mostly form on filaments. Serpens is confirmed to be a young, low-mass and active star-forming region.