Mass-size scaling M~ r^1.67 of massive star-forming clumps -- evidences of turbulence-regulated gravitational collapse

Abstract

We study the fragmentation of eight massive clumps using data from ATLASGAL 870 $\mu$m, SCUBA 850 and 450 $\mu$m, PdBI 1.3 and 3.5 mm, and probe the fragmentation from 1 pc to 0.01 pc scale. We find that the masses and the sizes of our objects follow $M\sim r^{1.68\pm 0.05}$. The results are in agreements with the predictions of Li (2017) where $M\sim r^{5/3}$. Inside each object, the densest structures seem to be centrally condensed, with $\rho (r)\sim r^{-2}$. Our observational results support a scenario where molecular gas in the Milky Way is supported by a turbulence characterized by a constant energy dissipation rate, and gas fragments like clumps and cores are structures which are massive enough to be dynamically detached from the ambient medium.

Accepted for publication in MNRAS

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• Probing the initial conditions of high-mass star formation. III. Fragmentation and triggered star formation
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