Small-scale structure of the Taurus molecular clouds Turbulence in Heiles' Cloud 2
S. C. Kleiner, R. L. Dickman;
ApJ, 1987, 312, 837
ABSTRACT:Previously developed statistical tools are used to study the behavior of turbulence in
Heiles' Cloud 2.
It is demonstrated that gas motions in this cloud are
turbulent, constituting well over one-half the kinetic energy density in this
source.
These motions exhibit a high degree of projected isotropy, suggesting that
they are fully isotropic in three dimensions as well.
The correlation
length of the turbulence is about 0.1 pc, and the coherence characteristics of
the velocity field are reminiscent of shear-layer turbulent flows.
The
dependence of mean turbulent stress on region size is estimated, and higher order
effects are found necessary to permit gravitational collapse on selected size
scales.
Some energetic properties of turbulence in Cloud 2 are briefly
considered.
KEYWORDS: astronomical models, gas density, gas dynamics, molecular clouds, turbulence effects, density distribution, star formation, velocity distribution
PERSOKEY:turbulence, ,
CODE: kleiner87