Related papers: Modeling Star Formation as a Markov Process in a S…
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 probability distribution functions (PDF) of density of the ISM in galactic disks and global star formation rate are discussed. Three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations show that the PDFs in globally stable, inhomogeneous ISM in…
We conduct numerical experiments in which we systematically vary the initial density over four orders of magnitude and the turbulent velocity over a factor ten. In a companion paper, we investigate the dependence of this distribution on the…
We study the star formation efficiency (SFE) in simulations and observations of turbulent, magnetized, molecular clouds. We find that the probability density functions (PDFs) of the density and the column density in our simulations with…
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…
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 present a model of star formation in self-gravitating turbulent gas. We treat the turbulent velocity $v_T$ as a dynamical variable, and assume that it is adiabatically heated by the collapse. The theory predicts the run of density,…
The molecular component of the Galaxy is comprised of turbulent, magnetized clouds, many of which are self-gravitating and form stars. To understand how these clouds' evolution may depend on their level of turbulence, mean magnetization,…
Turbulence is essential for understanding the structure and dynamics of molecular clouds and star-forming regions. There is a need for adequate tools to describe and characterize the properties of turbulent flows. One-point probability…
We review the properties of turbulent molecular clouds (MCs), focusing on the physical processes that influence star formation (SF). MC formation appears to occur during large-scale compression of the diffuse ISM driven by supernovae,…
In star-forming clouds, high velocity flow gives rise to large fluctuations of density. In this work we explore the correlation between velocity magnitude (speed) and density. We develop an analytic formula for the joint probability…
We analytically calculate the star formation efficiency and dense self-gravitating gas fraction in the presence of magneto-gravo-turbulence using the model of Burkhart (2018), which employs a piecewise lognormal and powerlaw density…
We present new simulations of the formation and evolution of the first star-forming cloud within a massive minihalo of mass of $1.05 \times 10^7\, M_{\odot}$, carried out using the GIZMO code with detailed modeling of primordial gas cooling…
Star formation in our Galaxy occurs in molecular clouds that are self-gravitating, highly turbulent, and magnetized. We study the conditions under which cloud cores inherit large-scale magnetic field morphologies and how the field is…
We study the observable signatures of self-gravitating MHD turbulence by applying the probability density functions (PDFs) and the spatial density power spectrum to synthetic column density maps. We find that there exists three…
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…
All stars are born in molecular clouds, and most in giant molecular clouds (GMCs), which thus set the star formation activity of galaxies. We first review their observed properties, including measures of mass surface density, Sigma, 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…
Star formation is one of the least understood processes in cosmic evolution. It is difficult to formulate a general theory for star formation in part because of the wide range of physical processes involved. The interstellar gas out of…
Turbulence is thought to be a primary driving force behind the early stages of star formation. In this framework large, self gravitating, turbulent clouds fragment into smaller clouds which in turn fragment into even smaller ones. At the…