Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jun 1997
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1997apj...482..852h&link_type=abstract
Astrophysical Journal v.482, p.852
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
8
Hydrodynamics, Instabilities, Ism: Clouds, Stars: Formation
Scientific paper
In the vortex sheet limit, we generalize our previous work on compressible, anisentropic Kelvin-Helmholtz, and related instabilities by including self-gravity in the calculations. In addition to significantly modifying the Kelvin-Helmholtz modes, if the background media are of unequal density, self-gravity gives rise to a new instability that persists in the static limit. If the media have significant density contrast ( rho 1/ rho 2=\frac {1}{2} , say), the growth rate of this new gravitational interface instability is of the order of the free-fall time in the denser medium, and, unlike a Jeans instability, it depends only weakly on the perturbation wavelength. Such instabilities may initiate star formation near the boundaries of molecular clouds in the ISM on timescales of ~ 106--107 yr.
Hunter James H. Jr.
Lovelace Richard V. E.
Whitaker Rodney W.
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