Characterizing the structure of an unusually cold high latitude cloud

We propose a PACS and SPIRE photometric observation at 100, 160, 250, 350 and 500 micron to study an unusually cold cloud detected by the BOOMERanG experiment at high galactic latitudes (b 31 deg). This cloud has a temperature of T 7 + 3 K and this measurement is confirmed also by PlanckHFI data. Even if the temperature is so low, other properties are not that extreme: it has normal HI column density, gasto dust ratio and no molecular material. A closer look at 100 micron shows, at 4. resolution, a wealth of brighter clumps embedded in the cloud that could be mostly molecular, hence hidden from the large beam HI and CO surveys. They can be prestellar cores and this would explain the low temperature. We propose to map a 30.x30. area centered on the cloud to study the substructure and the composition of that region. The observation with the Herschel angular resolution and band coverage will improve the knowledge of the early stages of star formation and of the structure and composition of the interstellar medium at tens of arcseconds angular scale. This is particularly interesting as the region is located at high latitudes, in an area that is supposed to be poor of star formation activity. With Herschel data we will be able to characterize the properties of the clumps and of the dust around, like temperature, spectral index, mass and density in order to better determine the physical processes occurring in this region and structure and substructures composition. truncated!, Please see actual data for full text [truncated!, Please see actual data for full text]