Related papers: The Formation of Molecular Clouds
Superbubbles that result from the stellar winds and supernovae of OB associations probably play a fundamental role in the structure and energetics of the ISM in star-forming galaxies. Their influence may also dominate the relationship…
We discuss molecular cloud formation by large-scale supersonic compressions in the diffuse warm neutral medium (WNM). Initially, a shocked layer forms, and within it, a thin cold layer. An analytical model and high-resolution 1D simulations…
Cold atomic and molecular gas are commonly observed in the winds of both external galaxies and the Milky Way, yet the survival and origin of these cool phases within hot galactic winds is poorly understood. To help gain insight into these…
Recently reported variations in the typical physical properties of Galactic and extra-Galactic molecular clouds (MCs), and in their ability to form stars have been attributed to local variations in the magnitude of interstellar pressure.…
The role of large-scale stellar feedback in the formation of molecular clouds has been investigated observationally by examining the relationship between HI and 12CO(J=1-0) in supershells. Detailed parsec-resolution case studies of two…
The biological molecules delivered to Earth on the board of meteorites and comets were called one of the possible causes of the origin of life. Therefore, our understanding of the routes of formation of biomolecules in space should shed the…
Recent observations suggest galaxies may ubiquitously host a molecular component to their multiphase circumgalactic medium (CGM). However, the structure and kinematics of the molecular CGM remains understudied theoretically and largely…
Recent analytical and numerical models show that AGN outflows and jets create ISM pressure in the host galaxy that is several orders of magnitude larger than in quiescent systems. This pressure increase can confine and compress molecular…
An overview is presented of the main properties of the interstellar medium. Evidence is summarized that the interstellar medium is highly turbulent, driven on different length scales by various energetic processes. Large-scale turbulence…
The path to understanding star formation processes begins with the study of the formation of molecular clouds. The outskirts of these clouds are characterized by low column densities that allow the penetration of ultraviolet radiation,…
(Abridged) We present a series of decaying turbulence simulations that represent a cluster-forming clump within a molecular cloud, investigating the role of magnetic fields on the formation of potential star-forming cores. We present an…
We discuss new developments of interstellar chemistry, with particular emphasis on the carbon chemistry. We confirm that carbon chains and cycles are ubiquitous in the ISM and closely chemically related to ea ch other, and to carbon.…
It is now well known that a primordial chemistry, involving light elements produced during the nucleosynthesis period, might develop during the hydrogen post-recombination era. In particular, molecular ions and primordial molecules such as…
To study the chemical evolution during the formation of molecular clouds, we model three types of clouds with different density structures: collapsing spherical, collapsing ellipsoidal, and static spherical profiles. The collapsing models…
We recently proposed that the star-forming potential of dense molecular clouds in the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ, i.e. the central few 100 pc) of the Milky Way is linked to their orbital dynamics, potentially giving rise to an…
We investigate the chemical evolution of a forming molecular cloud behind an interstellar shock wave. We conduct three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics simulations of the converging flow of atomic gas, including a simple chemical network…
In this review, I discuss some highlights of recent research on molecular gas in galaxies; large-scale CO maps of nearby galaxies are being made, which extend our knowledge on global properties, radial gradients, and spiral structure of the…
Recent high resolution numerical simulations have suggested that the interstellar atomic hydrogen clouds have a complex two-phase structure. Since molecular clouds form through the contraction of HI gas, the question arises as to whether…
We review the role that magnetic field may have on the formation and evolution of molecular clouds. After a brief presentation and main assumptions leading to ideal MHD equations, their most important correction, namely the ion-neutral…
Cold dark clouds are nearby members of the densest and coldest phase in the galactic interstellar medium, and represent the most accessible sites where stars like our Sun are currently being born. In this review we discuss recent progress…