Dense cores in dark clouds. III - Subsonic turbulence
P. C. Myers;
ApJ, 1983, 270, 105
ABSTRACT:Using published data, possible correlations among line widths and cloud size are examined for clouds which span the transition between
supersonic and subsonic motions.
Plots which show linear correlations between
log line width and log cloud size, and between log density and log cloud size
are presented and discussed, as well as a plot showing that most clouds are
close to virial equilibrium.
It is concluded that all of the relations among
line width, density, and cloud size found for earlier supersonic regions
extend into the subsonic regime.
If a turbulent energy cascade is present in
dense cores, the dissipation of turbulence is likely to be important for
cloud heating and star formation.
In active star-forming regions, dense
cores tend to be more prevalent, denser, smaller, and to have narrower lines
than in regions with less star formation.
This tendency is expected if
dense cores evolve into low-mass stars by dissipating their turbulence.
KEYWORDS: interstellar matter, molecular clouds, stellar evolution, turbulence, ammonia, carbon monoxide, data correlation, gas density, spectral line width
PERSOKEY:turbulence, ,
CODE: myers83