Spitzer Space Telescope observations of a point-like source , L1014-IRS , close to the dust peak of the low-mass dense core L1014 have questioned its starless nature .
The presence of an object with colors expected for an embedded protostar makes L1014-IRS the lowest luminosity isolated protostar known , and an ideal target with which to test star formation theories at the low mass end .

In order to study its molecular content and to search for the presence of a molecular outflow , we mapped L1014 in at least one transition of ^ { 12 } CO , N _ { 2 } H ^ { + } , HCO ^ { + } , CS and of their isotopologues ^ { 13 } CO , C ^ { 18 } O , C ^ { 17 } O , N _ { 2 } D ^ { + } and H ^ { 13 } CO ^ { + } , using the Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory ( FCRAO ) , the IRAM 30 meter antenna and the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory ( CSO ) .

The data show physical and chemical properties in L1014 typical of the less evolved starless cores : i.e .
H _ { 2 } central density of a few 10 ^ { 5 } molecules cm ^ { -3 } , estimated mass of \sim 2 M _ { \odot } , CO integrated depletion factor less than 10 , N ( N _ { 2 } H ^ { + } ) \simeq 6 \times 10 ^ { 12 } cm ^ { -2 } , N ( N _ { 2 } D ^ { + } ) / N ( N _ { 2 } H ^ { + } ) equal to 10 % and relatively broad N _ { 2 } H ^ { + } ( 1–0 ) lines ( 0.35 km s ^ { -1 } ) .
Infall signatures and significant velocity shifts between optically thick and optically thin tracers are not observed in the line profiles .

No classical signatures of molecular outflow are found in the ^ { 12 } CO and ^ { 13 } CO observations .
In particular , no high velocity wings are found , and no well-defined blue-red lobes of ^ { 12 } CO emission are seen in the channel maps .
If sensitive , higher resolution observations confirm the absence of an outflow on a smaller scale than probed by our observations , L1014-IRS would be the only protostellar object known to be formed without driving an outflow .