Related papers: Generalized Collapse Solutions with Nonzero Initia…
The dense molecular cloud cores that form stars, like other self-gravitating objects, undergo bulk oscillations. Just at the point of gravitational instability, their fundamental oscillation mode has zero frequency. We study, using…
Observed molecular clouds often appear to have very low star formation efficiencies and lifetimes an order of magnitude longer than their free-fall times. Their support is attributed to the random supersonic motions observed in them. We…
We present the exact solutions for the collapse of a spherically-symmetric, cold (i.e., pressureless) cloud under its own self-gravity, valid for arbitrary initial density profiles and not restricted to the realm of self-similarity. These…
We propose a new analytic model for the initial conditions of protostellar collapse in relatively isolated regions of star formation. The model is non-magnetic, and is based on a Plummer-like radial density profile as its initial condition.…
We analytically investigate the modes of gravity-induced star formation possible in idealized finite molecular clouds where global collapse competes against both local Jeans instabilities and discontinuous edge instabilities. We examine…
We present the results of fully 3-D hydrodynamic simulations of the gravitational collapse of isolated, turbulent molecular cloud cores. Starting from initial states of hydrostatic equilibrium, we follow the collapse of both singular and…
We have performed fully 3D simulations of the collapse of molecular cloud cores which obey the logatropic equation of state. By following the collapse of these cores from states of near hydrodynamic equilibrium, we are able to produce…
Theoretically, stars have been formed from the collapse of cores in the molecular clouds. Historically, the core had been assumed as an singular isothermal sphere (SIS), and the collapse had been investigated by a self-similar manner. This…
We present an analytic description of the spherically symmetric gravitational collapse of radiatively cooling gas clouds, which illustrates the mechanism by which radiative cooling induces gravitational instability at a characteristic mass…
In order to understand the origin of observed molecular cloud properties, it is critical to understand how clouds interact with their environments during their formation, growth, and collapse. It has been suggested that accretion-driven…
We present numerical simulations of the evolution of low-mass, isothermal, molecular cores which are subjected to an increase in external pressure $P\xt$. If $P\xt$ increases very slowly, the core approaches instability quite…
To understand the formation of stars from clouds of molecular gas, one essentially needs to know two things: What gas collapses, and how long it takes to do so. We address these questions by embedding pseudo-Lagrangian tracer particles in…
In the process of protostar formation, astrophysical gas clouds undergo thermodynamically irreversible processes and emit heat and radiation to their surroundings. Due the emission of this energy one can envision an idealized situation in…
We present some important conclusions from recent calculations pertaining to the collapse of rotating molecular cloud cores with axial symmetry, corresponding to evolution of young stellar objects through classes 0 and begin of class I.…
Gravitational collapse is fundamental to star formation, yet direct kinematic evidence of infall at the core scale in high-mass star-forming regions remains poorly constrained. We present the first large-scale statistical study of infall…
The initial state of the spherical gravitational collapse in general relativity has been studied with different methods, especially by using {\it a priori} given equations of state that describe the matter as a perfect fluid. We propose an…
We perform fully general relativistic simulations of rotating stellar core collapse in three spatial dimension. A parametric equation of state is adopted following Dimmelmeier et al. The early stage of the collapse is followed by an…
In order to develop a complete theory of star formation, one essentially needs to know two things: what collapses, and how long it takes. This is the second paper in a series, where we query how long a parcel of gas takes to collapse and…
We present results from our numerical simulations of collapsing massive molecular cloud cores. These numerical calculations show that massive stars assemble quickly with mass accretion rates exceeding 10^-3 Msol/yr and confirm that the mass…
We investigate the role of non-isothermality in gravitational collapse and protostellar accretion by explicitly including the effects of molecular radiative cooling, gas-dust energy transfer, and cosmic ray heating in models of spherical…