Statistical properties of star formation in molecular clouds
Monday, September 12, 2016 - 05:01
in Physics & Chemistry
Stars form within the dense regions of diffuse molecular clouds, but the physical processes that determine the locations, rate, and efficiency of star formation are poorly understood. Recent thinking envisions an approximately two-step process: first, a network of dense filaments form due to large-scale turbulence and then fragmentation into cores occurs as gravity starts to dominate. In the dense gas the structure formation is affected by motions induced primarily by three processes: supersonic turbulence, self-gravity, and magnetic fields, although the role of each process is still debated.