A simulation of the collapse and fragmentation of cooling molecular clouds

The application of the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics method to the fragmentation of rotating cloud and disk systems is described, allowing for molecular cooling due to H2 and CO. A novel approach to solving Poisson's equation for disklike structures which exploits the multigrid algorithm is a...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Astrophysical journal Vol. 375; no. 1; pp. 177 - 189
Main Authors Monaghan, Joe J., Lattanzio, John C.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Legacy CDMS University of Chicago Press 01.07.1991
Subjects
640102 - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Stars & Quasi-Stellar, Radio & X-Ray Sources
640105 - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Galaxies
ALGORITHMS
Astronomy
Astrophysics
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON MONOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
COOLING
COSMIC GASES
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
Earth, ocean, space
ELEMENTS
EQUATIONS
Exact sciences and technology
FLUID MECHANICS
FLUIDS
FRAGMENTATION
Fundamental aspects of astrophysics
Fundamental astronomy and astrophysics. Instrumentation, techniques, and astronomical observations
GASES
GRAVITATIONAL COLLAPSE
HYDRODYNAMICS
HYDROGEN
INTERSTELLAR SPACE
MATHEMATICAL LOGIC
MECHANICS
NONMETALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
POISSON EQUATION
PROTOSTARS
SIMULATION
SPACE
STAR EVOLUTION
Cooling
Equation of motion
Hydrogen
Molecular cloud
Digital simulation
Hydrodynamics
Rotation
Fragmentation
Interstellar molecule
Thermodynamics
Theoretical model
Gravitational collapse
Evolution
Carbon monoxide
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:The application of the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics method to the fragmentation of rotating cloud and disk systems is described, allowing for molecular cooling due to H2 and CO. A novel approach to solving Poisson's equation for disklike structures which exploits the multigrid algorithm is also described. Numerical studies are presented which investigate the evolution of both rotating clouds and Maclaurin disks, in each case with both an isothermal equation of state and with molecular cooling. The results establish the influence of molecular cooling on the fragmentation of molecular clouds. The isothermal sequences, if they fragment at all, do so into far fewer lumps than the cooling sequences. This is not due to a cooling instability as such, but rather to the reduced thermal support. One of the sequences shows a remarkable similarity to the W49A star-forming region.
Bibliography:CDMS
Legacy CDMS
ISSN:0004-637X
1538-4357
DOI:10.1086/170179