THE SPITZER SURVEY OF INTERSTELLAR CLOUDS IN THE GOULD BELT. V. OPHIUCHUS NORTH OBSERVED WITH IRAC AND MIPS

We present Spitzer IRAC (2.1 deg2) and MIPS (6.5 deg2) observations of star formation in the Ophiuchus North (Oph N) molecular clouds. This fragmentary cloud complex lies on the edge of the Sco-Cen OB association, several degrees to the north of the well-known ρ Oph star-forming region, at an approximate distance of 130 pc. The Oph N clouds were mapped as part of the Spitzer Gould Belt project under the working name 'Scorpius'. In the regions mapped, selected to encompass all the cloud with visual extinction AV > 3, 11 young stellar object (YSO) candidates are identified, 8 from IRAC/MIPS color-based selection and 3 from Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) KS /MIPS colors. Adding to one source previously identified in L43, this increases the number of YSOcs identified in Oph N to 12. During the selection process, four color-based YSOcs were rejected as probable asymptotic giant branch stars and one as a known galaxy. The sources span the full range of YSOc classifications from Class 0/1 to Class III, and starless cores are also present. Twelve high extinction (AV > 10) cores are identified with a total mass of ∼100 M☉. These results confirm that there is little ongoing star formation in this region (instantaneous star formation efficiency <0.34%) and that the bottleneck lies in the formation of dense cores. The influence of the nearby Upper Sco OB association, including the 09V star ζ Oph, is seen in dynamical interactions and raised dust temperatures but has not enhanced levels of star formation in Oph N.