Related papers: The Density Variance Mach Number Relation in the T…
We analyse extinction maps of nearby Giant Molecular Clouds to forge a link between driving processes of turbulence and modes of star formation. Our investigation focuses on cloud structure in the column density range above the self…
Turbulence plays a crucial role in shaping the structure of the interstellar medium. The ratio of the three-dimensional density contrast ($\sigma_{\rho/\rho_0}$) to the turbulent sonic Mach number ($\mathcal{M}$) of an isothermal,…
We compute the star formation rate (SFR) in molecular clouds (MCs) that originate {\it ab initio} in a new, higher-resolution simulation of supernova-driven turbulence. Because of the large number of well-resolved clouds with…
We present observations of 12CO J=1-0, 13CO J=1-0, HI, and all four ground-state transitions of the hydroxyl (OH) radical toward a sharp boundary region of the Taurus molecular cloud. Based on a PDR model that reproduces CO and [CI]…
Predicting the star formation rate (SFR) in galaxies is crucial to understand their evolution and morphology. To do so requires a fine understanding of how dense structures of gas are created and collapse. In that, turbulence and gravity…
The formation of stars is inextricably linked to the structure of their parental molecular clouds. Here we take a number of nearby giant molecular clouds (GMCs) and analyse their column density and mass distributions. This investigation is…
The compressibility of molecular cloud (MC) turbulence plays a crucial role in star formation models, because it controls the amplitude and distribution of density fluctuations. The relation between the compressive ratio (the ratio of…
The magnetic field strength in molecular clouds is a fundamental quantity for theories of star formation. It is estimated by Zeeman splitting measurements in a few dense molecular cores, but its volume--averaged value within large molecular…
Turbulence influences the structure and dynamics of molecular clouds, and plays a key role in regulating star formation. We therefore need methods to accurately infer turbulence properties of molecular clouds from position-position-velocity…
We discuss HD and MHD compressible turbulence as a cloud-forming and cloud-structuring mechanism in the ISM. Results from a numerical model of the turbulent ISM at large scales suggest that the phase-like appearance of the medium, the…
The turbulent destruction of a cloud subject to the passage of an adiabatic shock is studied. We find large discrepancies between the lifetime of the cloud and the analytical result of Hartquist et al. (1986). These differences appear to be…
We summarize recent numerical results on the control of the star formation efficiency (SFE), addressing the effects of turbulence and the magnetic field strength. In closed-box numerical simulations, the effect of the turbulent Mach number…
We revisit the relation between the variance of three-dimensional (3D) density ($\sigma^{2}_{\rho}$) and that of the projected two-dimensional (2D) column density ($\sigma^{2}_{\Sigma}$) in turbulent media, which is of great importance in…
We study the probability distribution function (PDF) of the mass density in simulations of supersonic turbulence with properties appropriate for molecular clouds. For this study we use Athena, a new higher-order Godunov code. We find there…
We carry out three-dimensional MHD simulations of star formation in turbulent, magnetized clouds, including ambipolar diffusion and feedback from protostellar outflows. The calculations focus on relatively diffuse clouds threaded by a…
We review recent advances in the analytical and numerical modeling of the star formation rate in molecular clouds and discuss the available observational constraints. We focus on molecular clouds as the fundamental star formation sites,…
The interstellar medium of galaxies is governed by supersonic turbulence, which likely controls the star formation rate (SFR) and the initial mass function (IMF). Interstellar turbulence is non-universal, with a wide range of Mach numbers,…
Context. Massive stars are generally believed to form in supersonic turbulent environment. However, recent observations have challenged this traditional view. High spatial and spectral resolution observations of the Orion Molecular Cloud…
The universality of interstellar turbulence is examined from observed structure functions of 27 giant molecular clouds and Monte Carlo modeling. We show that the structure functions, dv=v0 l^gamma, derived from wide field imaging of CO…
We present high-resolution simulations of the first star-forming clouds in 15 minihalos with masses ranging from $\sim 10^5$ to $10^7\ \text{M}_{\odot}$ at redshifts $z \sim 17-20$, using the GIZMO code. Our simulations incorporate detailed…