Interstellar cloud shapes - A minimum-hypothesis account involving a purely gravitational effect

Details Interstellar cloud shapes - A minimum-hypothesis account involving a purely gravitational effect Interstellar cloud shapes - A minimum-hypothesis account involving a purely gravitational effect

Dec 1992

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1992apj...401..146f&link_type=abstract

Astrophysical Journal, Part 1 (ISSN 0004-637X), vol. 401, no. 1, p. 146-149.

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11

Gravitational Effects, Interstellar Matter, Molecular Clouds, Gravitational Fields, Shapes, Spheroids, Turbulence

Scientific paper

The effect produced by the anisotropic gravitational field on the shape of a nonspherical, self-gravitating interstellar cloud is examined. The projected axial ratios observed for molecular clouds can be accounted for if clouds are not generally in a state of strict dynamical equilibrium. For clouds having spectral line widths dominated by supersonic turbulent motions, this purely gravitational effect predicts a mean true axial ratio q about 0.3 for both oblate and prolate cloud geometries. Clouds having p less than about 0.3 are likely to be prolate and quite elongated. The observational data on molecular cloud cores, which have essentially thermal line widths, can be fitted equally well to either oblate or prolate spheroids having q between 0.1 and 0.4 with q about 0.2 providing the best match: highly elongated cores are again more likely to be prolate. While other processes certainly operate throughout the Galaxy to influence cloud shape, it appears plausible that at least some clouds may be shaped principally by their anisotropic gravitational field.

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