Related papers: Gravity or Turbulence? The velocity dispersion-siz…
Molecular cloud observations show that clouds have non-thermal velocity dispersions that scale with the cloud size as $\sigma\propto R^{1/2}$ at constant surface density, and for varying surface density scale with both the cloud`s size and…
Using numerical simulations of the formation and evolution of stellar clusters within molecular clouds, we show that the stars in clusters formed within collapsing molecular cloud clumps exhibit a constant velocity dispersion regardless of…
We present an alternative explanation for the nature of turbulence in molecular clouds. Often associated with classical models of turbulence, we instead interpret the observed gas dynamics as random motions, induced when clumpy gas is…
To study the interaction of star-formation and turbulent molecular cloud structuring, we analyse numerical models and observations of self-gravitating clouds using the Delta-variance as statistical measure for structural characteristics. In…
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…
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…
We study numerically the formation of molecular clouds in large-scale colliding flows including self-gravity. The models emphasize the competition between the effects of gravity on global and local scales in an isolated cloud. Global…
Turbulence governs the fragmentation of molecular clouds and plays a pivotal role in star formation. The persistence of observed cloud turbulence suggests it does not decay significantly within the turnover timescale, implying a recurrent…
The velocity dispersion-size relation ($\sigma_{\rm v}\sim R^{\beta}$) is a crucial indicator of the dynamic properties of interstellar gas, where the slope is considered as $\beta \sim 0.5$. Recent observations reveal a steep velocity…
We study the dynamical state of cores by using a simple analytical model, a sample of observational massive cores, and numerical simulations of collapsing massive cores. From the model, we find that, if cores are formed from turbulent…
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…
The turbulent motion within molecular clouds is a key factor controlling star formation. Turbulence supports molecular cloud cores from evolving to gravitational collapse and hence sets a lower bound on the size of molecular cloud cores in…
In the multi-scale view of the star formation process the material flows from large molecular clouds down to clumps and cores. In this paradigm it is still unclear if it is gravity or turbulence that drives the observed supersonic…
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…
We examine the idea that diffuse and giant molecular clouds and their substructure form as density fluctuations induced by large scale interstellar turbulence. We do this by investigating the topology of various fields in realistic…
Externally driven interstellar turbulence plays an important role in shaping the density structure in molecular clouds. Here we study the dynamical role of internally driven turbulence in a self-gravitating molecular cloud core. Depending…
The interaction of turbulence, magnetic fields, self-gravity, and stellar feedback within molecular clouds is crucial for understanding star formation. We study the effects of self-gravity and outflow feedback on the properties of the…
We study the linear evolution of small perturbations in self-gravitating fluid systems in two spatial dimensions; we consider both cylindrical and cartesian (i.e., slab) geometries. The treatment is general, but the application is to…
Momentum deposition by radiation pressure from young, massive stars may help to destroy molecular clouds and unbind stellar clusters by driving large-scale outflows. We extend our previous numerical radiation hydrodynamic study of…
This paper is aimed at exploring implications of velocity dispersion scalings on high-mass star formation in molecular clouds, including the scalings of Larson's linewidth--size ($\sigma$--$R$) and ratio--mass surface density…