Related papers: The link between molecular cloud structure and tur…
The sub-kpc scale gas structure encodes key information of giant molecular cloud (GMC) formation. Therefore, we aim for a quantitative description of molecular gas structure across 150-1000 pc using a sample of 8984 GMCs from 40 galaxies…
The fragmentation of molecular clouds (MC) into protostellar cores is a central aspect of the process of star formation. Because of the turbulent nature of super-sonic motions in MCs, it has been suggested that dense structures such as…
The structures and dynamics of the interstellar medium are governed by a combination of self-gravity, external gravity, and various sources of ordered and random motions on different spatial scales. This paper uses ALMA CO (3-2)…
We analyze hydrodynamic simulations of turbulent, star-forming molecular clouds that are post-processed with the photo-dissociation region astrochemistry code 3D-PDR. We investigate the sensitivity of 15 commonly applied turbulence…
The observed rapid onset of star formation in molecular clouds requires rapid formation of dense fragments which can collapse individually before being overtaken by global gravitationally-driven flows. Many previous investigations have…
Using observed GALEX far-ultraviolet (FUV) fluxes and VLA images of the 21-cm HI column densities, along with estimates of the local dust abundances, we measure the volume densities of a sample of actively star-forming giant molecular…
Recent observational results indicate that the functional shape of the spatially-resolved star formation-molecular gas density relation depends on the spatial scale considered. These results may indicate a fundamental role of sampling…
Stars form within molecular clouds but our understanding of this fundamental process remains hampered by the complexity of the physics that drives their evolution. We review our observational and theoretical knowledge of molecular clouds…
We study the magnetic field to density ($B-\rho$) relation in turbulent molecular clouds with dynamically important magnetic fields using nonideal three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations. Our simulations show that there is a…
We review the progress that has been made in observing and analyzing molecular cloud structure in recent years. Structures are self-similar over a wide range of scales with similar power law indices independent of the star forming nature of…
The spatial distribution of the HI gas in galaxies holds important clues on the physical processes that shape the structure and dynamics of the interstellar medium (ISM). In this work, we quantify the structure of the HI gas in a sample of…
Despite the simplicity of theoretical models of supersonically turbulent, isothermal media, their predictions successfully match the observed gas structure and star formation activity within low-pressure (P/k < 10^5 K cm^-3) molecular…
The formation of molecular clouds out of HI gas is the first step toward star formation. Its metallicity dependence plays a key role to determine star formation through the cosmic history. Previous theoretical studies with detailed chemical…
We present an in-depth case study of three molecular clouds associated with the walls of the Galactic supershells GSH 287+04-17 and GSH 277+00+36. These clouds have been identified in previous work as examples in which molecular gas is…
A statistical analysis is presented of the turbulent velocity structure in the Orion Molecular Cloud at scales ranging from 70 AU to 30000 AU. Results are based on IR Fabry-Perot interferometric observations of shock and photon-excited H2…
We analyzed the 2.6-mm CO and 21-cm HI lines toward the Magellanic superbubble 30 Doradus C, in order to reveal the associated molecular and atomic gas. We uncovered five molecular clouds in a velocity range from 251 to 276 km s$^{-1}$…
We study the formation of giant dense cloud complexes and of stars within them by means of SPH numerical simulations of the mildly supersonic collision of gas streams (``inflows'') in the warm neutral medium (WNM). The resulting…
The morphology and kinematics of molecular clouds (MCs) are best explained as the consequence of super--sonic turbulence. Super--sonic turbulence fragments MCs into dense sheets, filaments and cores and large low density ``voids'', via the…
I describe the scenario of molecular cloud (MC) evolution that has emerged over the past decade or so. MCs can start out as cold atomic clouds formed by compressive motions in the warm neutral medium (WNM) of galaxies. Such motions can be…
New-generation spectroscopic surveys of the Milky Way plane have been revealing the structure of the interstellar medium, allowing the simultaneous study of dense structures from single star-forming objects or systems to entire spiral arms.…