Related papers: Molecular Evolution in Collapsing Prestellar Cores…
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…
We present a near-infrared extinction study of the dark globule L694-2, a starless core that shows strong evidence for inward motions in molecular line profiles. The J,H, and K band data were taken using the European Southern Observatory…
This paper considers the phenomenon of deep core collapse in collisional stellar systems, with stars of equal mass. The collapse takes place on some multiple, $\xi ^{-1}$, of the central relaxation time, and produces a density profile in…
Pre-stellar cores represent a critical evolutionary phase in low-mass star formation. We aim to unveil the detailed thermal structure and density distribution of three early-stage cores, starless core L1517B, and prestellar core L694-2 and…
We present idealized numerical simulations of prestellar gravitational collapse of a moderate initial filamentary perturbation with an additional central ellipsoidal enhancement (a core) considering a uniform, and a stratified background,…
Models of prestellar cores often assume that the cores are isolated from their environment - material outside the core boundary plays no role in the subsequent evolution. This is unlikely to be the case in reality, where cores are located…
A fraction of the dense cores within a turbulent molecular cloud will eventually collapse to form stars. Identifying the physical criteria for instability and analyzing critical core properties is therefore necessary to star formation…
We review the properties of low mass dense molecular cloud cores, including starless, prestellar, and Class 0 protostellar cores, as derived from observations. In particular we discuss them in the context of the current debate surrounding…
Clouds of high infrared extinction are promising sites of massive star/cluster formation. A large number of cloud cores discovered in recent years allows investigation of possible evolutionary sequence among cores in early phases. We have…
Hydrodynamical calculations in three space dimensions of the collapse of an isothermal, rotating 1 M\sol protostellar cloud are presented. The initial density stratification is a power law with density $\rho \propto r^{-p}$, with $p=1$. The…
(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 present a detailed parameter study of collapsing turbulent cloud cores, varying the initial density profile and the initial turbulent velocity field. We systematically investigate the influence of different initial conditions on the star…
We have computed the dust temperature distribution to be expected in a pre-protostellar core in the phase prior to the onset of gravitational instability. We have done this in the approximation that the heating of the dust grains is solely…
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…
Using hydrodynamic simulations we investigate the rotational properties and angular momentum evolution of prestellar and protostellar cores formed from gravoturbulent fragmentation of interstellar gas clouds. We find the specific angular…
Prestellar cores, the birthplace of Sun-like stars, form from the fragmentation of the filamentary structure that composes molecular clouds, from which they must inherit at least partially the kinematics. Furthermore, when they are on the…
We present a new analytical three-parameter formula to fit observed column density profiles of prestellar cores. It represents a line-of-sight integral through a spherically symmetric or disc-like isothermal cloud. The underlying model…
We investigate the chemical evolution of a collapsing core that starts from a hydrostatic core and finally form a low-mass protostar. New multiphase gas-grain models that include bulk diffusion and photon penetration are simulated by the…
Self-similar solutions provide good descriptions for the gravitational collapse of spherical clouds or stars when the gas obeys a polytropic equation of state, $p=K\rho^\gamma$ (with $\gamma\le 4/3$). We study the behaviors of nonradial…
Sufficiently massive clumps of molecular gas collapse under self-gravity and fragment to spawn a cluster of stars that have a range of masses. We investigate observationally the early stages of formation of a stellar cluster in a massive…