The origin of a universal filament width in molecular clouds
ABSTRACT Filamentary structures identified in far-infrared observations of molecular clouds are typically found to have full widths at half-maximum $\sim 0.1\, {\rm pc}$. However, the physical explanation for this phenomenon is currently uncertain. We use hydrodynamic simulations of cylindrically sy...
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Veröffentlicht in: | Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 2022-01, Vol.509 (1), p.1494-1503 |
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creator | Priestley, F D Whitworth, A P |
description | ABSTRACT
Filamentary structures identified in far-infrared observations of molecular clouds are typically found to have full widths at half-maximum $\sim 0.1\, {\rm pc}$. However, the physical explanation for this phenomenon is currently uncertain. We use hydrodynamic simulations of cylindrically symmetric converging flows to show that the full width at half-maximum of the resulting filament’s surface density profile, $\rm{\small FWHM}{_\Sigma }$, is closely related to the location of the accretion shock, where the inflow meets the boundary of the filament. For inflow Mach number, ${\cal M}$, between 1 and 5, filament $\rm{\small FWHM}{_\Sigma }$s fall in the range $0.03\, {\rm pc}\lesssim \rm{\small FWHM}{_\Sigma }\lesssim 0.3\, {\rm pc}$, with higher ${\cal M}$ resulting in narrower filaments. A large sample of filaments, seen at different evolutionary stages and with different values of ${\cal M}$, naturally results in a peaked distribution of $\rm{\small FWHM}{_\Sigma }$s similar in shape to that obtained from far-infrared observations of molecular clouds. However, unless the converging flows are limited to ${\cal M} \lesssim 3$, the peak of the distribution of $\rm{\small FWHM}{_\Sigma }$s is below the observed $\sim 0.1 \, {\rm pc}$. |
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Filamentary structures identified in far-infrared observations of molecular clouds are typically found to have full widths at half-maximum $\sim 0.1\, {\rm pc}$. However, the physical explanation for this phenomenon is currently uncertain. We use hydrodynamic simulations of cylindrically symmetric converging flows to show that the full width at half-maximum of the resulting filament’s surface density profile, $\rm{\small FWHM}{_\Sigma }$, is closely related to the location of the accretion shock, where the inflow meets the boundary of the filament. For inflow Mach number, ${\cal M}$, between 1 and 5, filament $\rm{\small FWHM}{_\Sigma }$s fall in the range $0.03\, {\rm pc}\lesssim \rm{\small FWHM}{_\Sigma }\lesssim 0.3\, {\rm pc}$, with higher ${\cal M}$ resulting in narrower filaments. A large sample of filaments, seen at different evolutionary stages and with different values of ${\cal M}$, naturally results in a peaked distribution of $\rm{\small FWHM}{_\Sigma }$s similar in shape to that obtained from far-infrared observations of molecular clouds. However, unless the converging flows are limited to ${\cal M} \lesssim 3$, the peak of the distribution of $\rm{\small FWHM}{_\Sigma }$s is below the observed $\sim 0.1 \, {\rm pc}$.</description><identifier>ISSN: 0035-8711</identifier><identifier>EISSN: 1365-2966</identifier><identifier>DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stab2816</identifier><language>eng</language><publisher>Oxford University Press</publisher><ispartof>Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2022-01, Vol.509 (1), p.1494-1503</ispartof><rights>2021 The Author(s) Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Astronomical Society 2021</rights><lds50>peer_reviewed</lds50><woscitedreferencessubscribed>false</woscitedreferencessubscribed><citedby>FETCH-LOGICAL-c273t-df519c86e9c9bcd9f2f4431d2771391ce2e38fc56119feb1f058a4d4ab30e28f3</citedby><cites>FETCH-LOGICAL-c273t-df519c86e9c9bcd9f2f4431d2771391ce2e38fc56119feb1f058a4d4ab30e28f3</cites></display><links><openurl>$$Topenurl_article</openurl><openurlfulltext>$$Topenurlfull_article</openurlfulltext><thumbnail>$$Tsyndetics_thumb_exl</thumbnail><link.rule.ids>314,780,784,1604,27924,27925</link.rule.ids><linktorsrc>$$Uhttps://dx.doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stab2816$$EView_record_in_Oxford_University_Press$$FView_record_in_$$GOxford_University_Press</linktorsrc></links><search><creatorcontrib>Priestley, F D</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Whitworth, A P</creatorcontrib><title>The origin of a universal filament width in molecular clouds</title><title>Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society</title><description>ABSTRACT
Filamentary structures identified in far-infrared observations of molecular clouds are typically found to have full widths at half-maximum $\sim 0.1\, {\rm pc}$. However, the physical explanation for this phenomenon is currently uncertain. We use hydrodynamic simulations of cylindrically symmetric converging flows to show that the full width at half-maximum of the resulting filament’s surface density profile, $\rm{\small FWHM}{_\Sigma }$, is closely related to the location of the accretion shock, where the inflow meets the boundary of the filament. For inflow Mach number, ${\cal M}$, between 1 and 5, filament $\rm{\small FWHM}{_\Sigma }$s fall in the range $0.03\, {\rm pc}\lesssim \rm{\small FWHM}{_\Sigma }\lesssim 0.3\, {\rm pc}$, with higher ${\cal M}$ resulting in narrower filaments. A large sample of filaments, seen at different evolutionary stages and with different values of ${\cal M}$, naturally results in a peaked distribution of $\rm{\small FWHM}{_\Sigma }$s similar in shape to that obtained from far-infrared observations of molecular clouds. However, unless the converging flows are limited to ${\cal M} \lesssim 3$, the peak of the distribution of $\rm{\small FWHM}{_\Sigma }$s is below the observed $\sim 0.1 \, {\rm pc}$.</description><issn>0035-8711</issn><issn>1365-2966</issn><fulltext>true</fulltext><rsrctype>article</rsrctype><creationdate>2022</creationdate><recordtype>article</recordtype><recordid>eNqFjztPwzAYRS0EEqGwMntlSOvPThxbYkEVlEqVupQ5cvygRk5c2QmIf0-hMDPd5ZwrHYRugcyBSLboh6TyIo-qowL4GSqA8bqkkvNzVBDC6lI0AJfoKuc3QkjFKC_Q_W5vcUz-1Q84OqzwNPh3m7IK2PmgejuM-MObcY-PQB-D1VNQCesQJ5Ov0YVTIdub352hl6fH3fK53GxX6-XDptS0YWNpXA1SC26llp020lFXVQwMbRpgErSllgmnaw4gne3AkVqoylSqY8RS4dgMzU-_OsWck3XtIflepc8WSPvd3v60t3_tR-HuJMTp8B_7BTU7Xb4</recordid><startdate>20220101</startdate><enddate>20220101</enddate><creator>Priestley, F D</creator><creator>Whitworth, A P</creator><general>Oxford University Press</general><scope>AAYXX</scope><scope>CITATION</scope></search><sort><creationdate>20220101</creationdate><title>The origin of a universal filament width in molecular clouds</title><author>Priestley, F D ; Whitworth, A P</author></sort><facets><frbrtype>5</frbrtype><frbrgroupid>cdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-c273t-df519c86e9c9bcd9f2f4431d2771391ce2e38fc56119feb1f058a4d4ab30e28f3</frbrgroupid><rsrctype>articles</rsrctype><prefilter>articles</prefilter><language>eng</language><creationdate>2022</creationdate><toplevel>peer_reviewed</toplevel><toplevel>online_resources</toplevel><creatorcontrib>Priestley, F D</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Whitworth, A P</creatorcontrib><collection>CrossRef</collection><jtitle>Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society</jtitle></facets><delivery><delcategory>Remote Search Resource</delcategory><fulltext>fulltext_linktorsrc</fulltext></delivery><addata><au>Priestley, F D</au><au>Whitworth, A P</au><format>journal</format><genre>article</genre><ristype>JOUR</ristype><atitle>The origin of a universal filament width in molecular clouds</atitle><jtitle>Monthly notices of the Royal Astronomical Society</jtitle><date>2022-01-01</date><risdate>2022</risdate><volume>509</volume><issue>1</issue><spage>1494</spage><epage>1503</epage><pages>1494-1503</pages><issn>0035-8711</issn><eissn>1365-2966</eissn><abstract>ABSTRACT
Filamentary structures identified in far-infrared observations of molecular clouds are typically found to have full widths at half-maximum $\sim 0.1\, {\rm pc}$. However, the physical explanation for this phenomenon is currently uncertain. We use hydrodynamic simulations of cylindrically symmetric converging flows to show that the full width at half-maximum of the resulting filament’s surface density profile, $\rm{\small FWHM}{_\Sigma }$, is closely related to the location of the accretion shock, where the inflow meets the boundary of the filament. For inflow Mach number, ${\cal M}$, between 1 and 5, filament $\rm{\small FWHM}{_\Sigma }$s fall in the range $0.03\, {\rm pc}\lesssim \rm{\small FWHM}{_\Sigma }\lesssim 0.3\, {\rm pc}$, with higher ${\cal M}$ resulting in narrower filaments. A large sample of filaments, seen at different evolutionary stages and with different values of ${\cal M}$, naturally results in a peaked distribution of $\rm{\small FWHM}{_\Sigma }$s similar in shape to that obtained from far-infrared observations of molecular clouds. However, unless the converging flows are limited to ${\cal M} \lesssim 3$, the peak of the distribution of $\rm{\small FWHM}{_\Sigma }$s is below the observed $\sim 0.1 \, {\rm pc}$.</abstract><pub>Oxford University Press</pub><doi>10.1093/mnras/stab2816</doi><tpages>10</tpages></addata></record> |
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title | The origin of a universal filament width in molecular clouds |
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