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Related papers: Physical Processes in the Interstellar Medium

200 papers

Magnetic fields are an important component of the interstellar medium (ISM) of galaxies. The thermal gas in the ISM has a multiphase structure, broadly divided into ionised, atomic, and molecular phases. The connection between the…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2025-04-01 Amit Seta , N. M. McClure-Griffiths

(ABBREVIATED) Understanding the formation of stars in galaxies is central to much of modern astrophysics. In this review the relation between interstellar turbulence and star formation is discussed. Supersonic turbulence can provide support…

Astrophysics · Physics 2009-09-29 Ralf S. Klessen

Despite its small mass fraction typically observed in the interstellar medium, dust plays a significant role as a key component of galaxies, affecting a wide range of properties. This review focuses specifically on how dust grains influence…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2026-04-28 Francesco Calura

Interstellar dust plays decisive roles in the conversion of neutral to molecular hydrogen (H_2), the thermodynamical evolution of interstellar medium (ISM), and the modification of spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of galaxies. These…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2015-06-23 Kenji Bekki

Substructure in the interstellar medium (ISM) is crucial for establishing the correlation between star formation and feedback and has the capacity to significantly perturb stellar orbits, thus playing a central role in galaxy dynamics and…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2026-02-06 Shaunak Modak , Eve C. Ostriker , Chris Hamilton , Scott Tremaine

Observations of interstellar gas and dust towards nearby stars and within the solar system show that the Sun is embedded in a warm diffuse partially-ionized cloud. This cloud is the leading edge of a flow of interstellar matter (ISM)…

Astrophysics · Physics 2007-05-23 Priscilla C. Frisch

Interstellar shocks, a key element of stellar feedback processes, shape the structure of the interstellar medium (ISM) and are essential for the chemistry, thermodynamics, and kinematics of interstellar gas. Powerful, high-velocity shocks…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2023-06-28 Daniel R. Rybarczyk , Snezana Stanimirovic , Antoine Gusdorf

We present an analytical model of the relation between the surface density of gas and star formation rate in galaxies and clouds, as a function of the presence of supersonic turbulence and the associated structure of the interstellar…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2012-11-06 Florent Renaud , Katarina Kraljic , Frédéric Bournaud

Interstellar dust is spread in galaxies over large scales, often far beyond the stellar disks. Several mechanisms can be responsible for carrying the dust both in the vertical and radial directions, producing in general different spatial…

Astrophysics · Physics 2007-05-23 Yu. A. Shchekinov

We develop a model of dust evolution in a multiphase, inhomogeneous ISM including dust growth and destruction processes. The physical conditions for grain evolution are taken from hydrodynamical simulations of giant molecular clouds in a…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2016-11-09 Svitlana Zhukovska , Clare Dobbs , Edward B. Jenkins , Ralf Klessen

The intergalactic medium - the cosmic gas that fills the great spaces between the galaxies - is affected by processes ranging from quantum fluctuations in the very early universe to radiative emission from newly-formed stars. This gives the…

Astrophysics · Physics 2008-11-26 Rennan Barkana , Abraham Loeb

In astrochemistry, computational methods play a crucial role in addressing fundamental astronomical questions. Interstellar molecules profoundly influence the chemistry and physics of the interstellar medium (ISM), playing pivotal roles in…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2024-07-23 D. Campisi , J. Perrero , N. Balucani

Star formation depends on the available gaseous "fuel" as well as galactic environment, with higher specific star formation rates where gas is predominantly molecular and where stellar (and dark matter) densities are higher. The partition…

Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics · Physics 2015-05-20 Eve C. Ostriker

The Local Interstellar Medium (LISM) is a unique environment that presents an opportunity to study general interstellar phenomena in great detail and in three dimensions. In particular, high resolution optical and ultraviolet spectroscopy…

Astrophysics · Physics 2007-05-23 Seth Redfield

In the interstellar medium of the Milky Way, certain elements -- e.g., Mg, Si, Al, Ca, Ti, Fe -- reside predominantly in interstellar dust grains. These grains absorb, scatter, and emit electromagnetic radiation, heat the interstellar…

Astrophysics · Physics 2007-05-23 B. T. Draine

Cool, evolved stars are the main source of chemical enrichment of the interstellar medium (ISM), and understanding their mass loss and structure offers a unique opportunity to study the cycle of matter in the Universe. Pulsation,…

Observational evidence seems to indicate that the depletion of interstellar carbon into dust shows rather wide variations and that carbon undergoes rather rapid recycling in the interstellar medium (ISM). Small hydrocarbon grains are…

This article gives an overview of the constitution, physical conditions and observables of dust in the interstellar medium of nearby galaxies. We first review the macroscopic, spatial distribution of dust in these objects, and its…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2022-08-10 F. Galliano , M. Galametz , A. P. Jones

We present a multi-phase representation of the ISM in NB-TSPH simulations of galaxy formation and evolution with particular attention to the case of early-type galaxies. Cold gas clouds are described by the so-called sticky particles…

Astrophysics · Physics 2009-11-13 Emiliano Merlin , Cesare Chiosi

Supersonic turbulence is an essential element in understanding how structure within interstellar gas is created and shaped. In the context of star formation, many computational studies show that the mass spectrum of density and velocity…

Astrophysics of Galaxies · Physics 2014-03-05 Ralph E. Pudritz , N. K. -R. Kevlahan