Multiwavelength Millimeter Observations of Dense Cores in the L1641 Cloud

The L1641 cloud in Orion is an active site of star formation. We mapped a square region of 60 arcmin by 60 arcmin in the continuum emission from 0.89 mm to 2.0 mm wavelength using MUSIC mounted on the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory 10.4 m telescope. Eight sources were detected in at least two wavelength bands, and all the detected emission comes from thermal dust continuum radiation of dense cloud cores. Their spectral energy distributions were characterized. The dust emissivity spectral index is beta = 1.3 on average, within the range of typical cores in nearby star-forming regions. Two cores, V380 Ori NE and HH 34 MMS, have unusually low emissivity index of beta = 0.3. These cores may contain millimeter-sized dust grains, which suggests that the lifetime of some dense cores can be much longer than the free-fall timescale.