Related papers: Constructing multi-scale gravitational energy spec…
Turbulent fragmentation determines where and when protostellar cores form, and how they contract and grow in mass from the surrounding cloud material. Molecular cloud regions without turbulent driving sources, or where turbulence is driven…
We investigate, in a set of 3D numerical simulations of driven, magnetized, isothermal, and self-gravitating molecular clouds (MCs), the statistical correlations between the energy ratios (thermal/gravity, and kinetic/gravity) of clumps and…
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…
We re-analyze the data of the BU-FCRAO $^{13}{\rm CO}$ Galactic Ring Survey (GRS) to understand the dynamics of the turbulent molecular interstellar medium. We define molecular clouds by their spatial half-power contours of $^{13}{\rm CO}$…
We formulate and implement the Euler equations with SGS dynamics and provide numerical tests of an SGS turbulence energy model that predicts the turbulent pressure of unresolved velocity fluctuations and the rate of dissipation for highly…
We examine the physical parameters that affect the accumulation of gas in molecular clouds to high column densities where the formation of stars takes place. In particular, we analyze the dense gas mass fraction (DGMF) in a set of…
The equilibrium state of a turbulent clumpy gas disk is analytically investigated. The disk consists of distinct self-gravitating clouds. Gravitational cloud-cloud interactions transfer energy over spatial scales and produce a viscosity,…
Supersonic turbulence in molecular clouds is a dominant agent that strongly affects the clouds' evolution and star formation activity. Turbulence may be initiated and maintained by a number of processes, acting at a wide range of physical…
Starting from the classical formulation of the weak turbulence theory in a density stratified fluid, we derive a simplified version of the kinetic equation of internal gravity wave turbulence. This equation allows us to uncover scaling laws…
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…
Observations of molecular structures on scales of $\sim 0.1-50$ pc show that the specific angular momentum ($j$) scales with radius ($R$) as $j\sim R^{3/2}$. We study the effects of turbulence, gravity, and the magnetic field in shaping…
Magnetic fields are dynamically important in the diffuse interstellar medium. Understanding how gravitationally bound, star-forming clouds form requires modeling of the fields in a self-consistent, supernova-driven, turbulent, magnetized,…
We present a set of numerical experiments designed to systematically investigate how turbulence and magnetic fields influence the morphology, energetics, and dynamics of filaments produced in wind-cloud interactions. We cover 3D…
We review recent results from numerical simulations and related models of MHD turbulence in the interstellar medium (ISM) and in molecular clouds. We discuss the implications of turbulence for the processes of cloud formation and evolution,…
The propagation of high-energy cosmic rays through giant molecular clouds constitutes a fundamental process in astronomy and astrophysics. The diffusion of cosmic-rays through these magnetically turbulent environments is often studied…
We have obtained column density maps for an unbiased sample of 120 molecular clouds in the third quadrant of the Milky Way mid-plane (b$\le |5|^{\circ}$) within the galactic longitude range from 195$^{\circ}$ to 225$^{\circ}$, using the…
The dynamical processes that control star formation in molecular clouds are not well understood, and in particular, it is unclear if rotation plays a major role in cloud evolution. We investigate the importance of rotation in cloud…
We use $^{12}$CO (J=1-0) MWISP data to study turbulence in a segment of the Local Arm. Velocity slices at different kinematic distances show similar spatial power spectra (SPSs) and structure functions (SFs), demonstrating that the entire…
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…
We determine the physical properties and turbulence driving mode of molecular clouds formed in numerical simulations of a Milky Way-type disc galaxy with parsec-scale resolution. The clouds form through gravitational fragmentation of the…