Turbulence in the Interstellar Medium: Energetics and Driving Mechanisms
Astrophysics
2007-05-23 v1
Abstract
Interstellar turbulence is expected to dissipate quickly in the absence of continuous energy input. I examine the energy available for driving the turbulence from six likely mechanisms: magnetorotational instability, gravitational instability, protostellar outflows, H II region expansion, stellar winds, and supernovae. I conclude that supernovae contribute far more energy than the other mechanisms, and so form the most likely drving mechanism.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/0211616,
title = {Turbulence in the Interstellar Medium: Energetics and Driving Mechanisms},
author = {Mordecai-Mark Mac Low},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/0211616},
year = {2007}
}
Comments
10 pages, for publication in a proceedings issue of Astrophysics & Space Science recording the conference "From Observations to Self-Consistent Modeling of the Interstellar Medium"