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D. S. Riebel (Denison University), T. L. Huard (Vanderbilt University), S. D. Doty, S. J. Yorka (Denison University), D. A. Weintraub (Vanderbilt University)
Within the last decade, surveys of Bok globules have revealed that these small dark molecular clouds are capable of forming stars. Because the physical size and mass of a Bok globule is small, each globule is expected to form only one or a few stars. Previously, near-infrared surveys of Bok globules have been done in order to identify the reddest sources, presumably embedded young stellar objects (YSOs), associated with these globules. These results suggested that Bok globules indeed form at most a few stars, and some globules appeared to be possible sites of single star formation. However, recent submillimeter observations suggest that single star formation in Bok globules may be the exception rather than the rule.
To investigate the tendency of Bok globules to form single stars, we have mapped regions surrounding 13 IRAS sources associated with southern globules. Through analysis of the J-H and H-K colors, we identify and classify the reddest YSOs toward these globules. In addition, we compare the colors of stars along lines of sight to the globules with the colors of stars outside the globules in order to obtain an estimate of the typical number of YSOs embedded within a star-forming globule.