The rate and latency of star formation in dense, massive clumps in the
  Milky Way
  Newborn stars form within the localized, high density regions of molecular
clouds. The sequence and rate at which stars form in dense clumps and the
dependence on local and global environments are key factors in developing
descriptions of stellar production in galaxies. We seek to observationally
constrain the rate and latency of star formation in dense massive clumps that
are distributed throughout the Galaxy and to compare these results to proposed
prescriptions for stellar production. A sample of 24 micron-based Class~I
protostars are linked to dust clumps that are embedded within molecular clouds
selected from the APEX Telescope Large Area Survey of the Galaxy. We determine
the fraction of star-forming clumps, f*, that imposes a constraint on the
latency of star formation in units of a clump's lifetime. Protostellar masses
are estimated from models of circumstellar environments of young stellar
objects from which star formation rates are derived. Physical properties of the
clumps are calculated from 870 micron dust continuum emission and NH_3 line
emission. Linear correlations are identified between the star formation rate
surface density, Sigma_{SFR}, and the quantities Sigma_{H2}/tau_{ff} and
Sigma_{H2}/tau_{cross}, suggesting that star formation is regulated at the
local scales of molecular clouds. The measured fraction of star forming clumps
is 23%. Accounting for star formation within clumps that are excluded from our
sample due to 24 micron saturation, this fraction can be as high as 31%. Dense,
massive clumps form primarily low mass (< 1-2 msun) stars with emergent 24
micron fluxes below our sensitivity limit or are incapable of forming any stars
for the initial 70% of their lifetimes. The low fraction of star forming clumps
in the Galactic center relative to those located in the disk of the Milky Way
is verified.
