Kupilas, MM orcid.org/0000-0002-6843-4521, Wareing, CJ orcid.org/0000-0001-9641-0861, Pittard, JM orcid.org/0000-0003-2244-5070 et al. (1 more author) (2021) Interactions of a shock with a molecular cloud at various stages of its evolution due to thermal instability and gravity. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 501 (3). pp. 3137-3154. ISSN 0035-8711
Abstract
Using the adaptive mesh refinement code MG, we perform hydrodynamic simulations of the interaction of a shock with a molecular cloud evolving due to thermal instability (TI) and gravity. To explore the relative importance of these processes, three case studies are presented. The first follows the formation of a molecular cloud out of an initially quiescent atomic medium due to the effects of TI and gravity. The second case introduces a shock whilst the cloud is still in the warm atomic phase, and the third scenario introduces a shock once the molecular cloud has formed. The shocks accelerate the global collapse of the clouds with both experiencing local gravitational collapse prior to this. When the cloud is still atomic, the evolution is shock dominated and structures form due to dynamical instabilities within a radiatively cooled shell. While the transmitted shock can potentially trigger the TI, this is prevented as material is shocked multiple times on the order of a cloud-crushing time-scale. When the cloud is molecular, the post-shock flow is directed via the pre-existing structure through low-density regions in the inter-clump medium. The clumps are accelerated and deformed as the flow induces clump–clump collisions and mergers that collapse under gravity. For a limited period, both shocked cases show a mixture of Kolmogorov and Burgers turbulence-like velocity and logarithmic density power spectra, and strongly varying density spectra. The clouds presented in this work provide realistic conditions that will be used in future feedback studies.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2021 The Author(s) Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Astronomical Society. This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society following peer review. The version of record: Kupilas, MM , Wareing, CJ , Pittard, JM et al. (1 more author) (2021) Interactions of a shock with a molecular cloud at various stages of its evolution due to thermal instability and gravity. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 501 (3). pp. 3137-3154 is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staa3889 |
Keywords: | hydrodynamics, instabilities, shock waves, turbulence, methods: numerical, ISM: clouds |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Mathematics (Leeds) > Applied Mathematics (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Physics and Astronomy (Leeds) > Astrophysics (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number STFC (Science and Technology Facilities Council) ST/P00041X/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 12 Jan 2021 11:41 |
Last Modified: | 06 Jan 2025 14:22 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Oxford University Press |
Identification Number: | 10.1093/mnras/staa3889 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:169465 |