DISCOVERY OF NEW WIDE BINARY INFRARED PROTOSTARS

We present observational evidence based on near-infrared array imaging of what could be not only candidates for infrared protostars (Class I objects) but also for wide binary infrared protostars found in Bok gl obules. The extremely early evolutionary stage of the objects is confi rmed by the following facts: (i) The objects are not present on the Pa lomar prints nor on optical CCD images reaching 19th magnitude in the I band; (ii) the objects exhibit very red colors. Values of (J-H) and (H-K) are consistent with those of very embedded Class I objects surro unded by circumstellar dust emission. The binary character of these pa irs of objects is indicated by the following facts: (i) At 2.2 mu m, e ach pair appears to reside in common nebulosity indicating that they c ould be physically associated; (ii) the separation between the stars i n each pair is about 10 arcsec and they appear isolated within globule cores extending for several arcminutes in diameter. The orientations of their associated molecular outflows, previously found by Yun & Clem ens, are roughly perpendicular to the lines connecting the binaries. A millimeter continuum emission survey revealed that, at 1.3 mm, the so urces are the two brightest low-mass young stellar objects discovered in Bok globules. (C) 1996 American Astronomical Society.