Fragmentation is considered as the mechanism to produce multiple protostellar systems. Fragmentation can occur at different epochs of the star forming process and in various regions of the protostar (e.g. disk or envelope). The next question to address is what factors promote or hinder fragmentation. Simulations and theory predict temperature to be a crucial factor. Heated gas is expected to reduce fragmentation, while cold gas will tend toward fragmentation. The chemical structure of multiple and single protostars is compared in order to characterize their temperature structure and determine the relation between temperature and fragmentation.
Journal Link (Note: final paper differs from the Thesis Chapter.)
Reference: N. M. Murillo, E. F. van Dishoeck, J. J. Tobin, J. C. Mottram, and A. Karska, 2018, A&A 620, A30.