Year: 2000
Type: article
Abstract: We investigate the propagation of a shock wave into a warm neutral medium and a cold neutral medium by one-dimensional hydrodynamic calculations with detailed treatment of thermal and chemical processes. Our main result shows that thermal instability inside the shock-compressed layer produces a geometrically thin, dense layer in which a large amount of hydrogen molecules are formed. Linear stability analysis suggests that this thermally collapsed layer will fragment into small molecular cloudlets. We expect that frequent compression due to supernova explosions, stellar winds, spiral density waves, etc., in the Galaxy causes the interstellar medium to be occupied by these small molecular cloudlets.
Source: The Astrophysical Journal
DOI: 10.1086/308594
Authors: Hiroshi Koyama, Shu‐Ichiro Inutsuka
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W1969116644