The JCMT Gould Belt Survey: constraints on prestellar core properties in Orion A North

We employ SCUBA-2 (Submillimetre Common-User Bolometer Array 2) observations of the Orion A North molecular cloud to derive column density and temperature maps. We apply a novel, Hessian-based structural identification algorithm for detection of prestellar cores to these data, allowing for automated generation of the prestellar mass function. The resulting mass function is observed to peak at |1.39+0.18-0.19| M⊙, indicating a star-forming efficiency lower limit of ∼14 per cent when compared with the Orion nebula Cluster initial mass function (IMF) peak. Additionally, the prestellar mass function is observed to decay with a high-mass power-law exponent |α =2.53+0.16-0.14|⁠, indicating approximate functional similarity with the Salpeter IMF (α = 2.35). This result, when combined with the results of previous investigations suggests a regional dependence of the star-forming efficiency.