The fragmentation of molecular clouds - Critical (Jeans) mass in the vicinity of thermal instability and influence of visible extinction variations

Details The fragmentation of molecular clouds - Critical (Jeans) mass in the vicinity of thermal instability and influence of visible extinction variations The fragmentation of molecular clouds - Critical (Jeans) mass in the vicinity of thermal instability and influence of visible extinction variations

Jan 1993

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1993a%26a...267..549r&link_type=abstract

Astronomy and Astrophysics (ISSN 0004-6361), vol. 267, no. 2, p. 549-558.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

3

Interstellar Extinction, Interstellar Matter, Jeans Theory, Molecular Clouds, Gas Flow, Gravitation, Mathematical Models, Turbulent Flow

Scientific paper

We adapt the classical Jeans analysis of gravitational stability to a molecular gas subject to thermal exchanges of the interstellar medium. At the onset of thermal instability the compressibility of a gas vanishes and so does the critical Jeans mass which is proportional to the 3/2 power of the compressibility. A spherical geometry is adopted, taking into account self-consistent variations of the opacity driven by radial density gravitational modes. The variation of the critical mass in the vicinity of thermal instabilities is presented. Nonlinear and nonequilibrium simulations of spherical clouds have been performed to study: the gravitational evolution of a thermally unstable cooling gas, and the influence of ambient radiation field variations upon stability of molecular clumps in the outer envelopes of molecular complexes. Accordingly, the following consequences are discussed: the critical mass reduction by self-consistent variations of the opacity which may occur for example when the ratio of dust to gas is locally enhanced; the location of stable hydrostatic equilibrium of the most massive clumps in large molecular clouds; and the early thermal and gravitational fragmentation of giant molecular clouds during the cooling period of large amounts of warm interstellar gas.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

The fragmentation of molecular clouds - Critical (Jeans) mass in the vicinity of thermal instability and influence of visible extinction variations does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with The fragmentation of molecular clouds - Critical (Jeans) mass in the vicinity of thermal instability and influence of visible extinction variations, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and The fragmentation of molecular clouds - Critical (Jeans) mass in the vicinity of thermal instability and influence of visible extinction variations will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1771596