Why are T Tauri stars associated with molecular clouds?

T Tauri stars are associated with molecular clouds because they represent an extremely early stage of stellar evolution. These young stars are formed through the rapid gravitational condensation of interstellar gas and dust within these dense, opaque regions.12

Because T Tauri stars have only recently emerged from the material of the molecular cloud, they are consistently found in or near these environments. The association is further evidenced by the fact that T Tauri stars are often powerful sources of infrared radiation, which corresponds to the warm dust clouds surrounding the stars that have been heated by their presence. Essentially, these stars are the products of the star-forming processes occurring within the chaotic, dense clumps of gas and dust that define molecular clouds.23