Molecular Cloud Fragmentation and Core Collapse

Abstract

I review some steps in the conversion of molecular cloud gas into stars and planets, with an emphasis in this presentation on the early stage molecular cloud fragmentation that leads to elongated filaments/ribbons. Magnetic fields can play a crucial role in all stages and need to be invoked particularly for early stage fragmentation as well as in late core collapse where it may control disk formation. I also review some elements of hydrodynamic modeling of disk evolution.

6 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Proceedings of IAU Symposium 315, From interstellar clouds to star-forming galaxies: universal processes?, P. Jablonka, P. Andre, and F.. van der Tak, eds

References in corpus (10)

• The Burst Mode of Protostellar Accretion
• On the Rapid Collapse and Evolution of Molecular Clouds
• Variable protostellar accretion with episodic bursts
• Magnetically Regulated Star Formation in 3D: The Case of Taurus Molecular Cloud Complex
• Gravitational collapse of magnetized clouds. I. Ideal MHD accretion flow
• Magnetohydrostatic Equilibrium Structure and Mass of Filamentary Isothermal Cloud Threaded by Lateral Magnetic Field
• Three-dimensional Simulation of Magnetized Cloud Fragmentation Induced by Nonlinear Flows and Ambipolar Diffusion
• Structure and Stability of Filamentary Clouds Supported by Lateral Magnetic Field
• Induced Core Formation Time in Subcritical Magnetic Clouds by Large-Scale Trans-Alfvénic Flows
• Long-Term Evolution of Decaying MHD Turbulence in the Multiphase ISM