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Control of star formation by supersonic turbulence

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arxiv astro-ph/0301093 v2 pith:GRFCGIRW submitted 2003-01-06 astro-ph

Control of star formation by supersonic turbulence

classification astro-ph
keywords formationstarsupportturbulencesupersoniccontrollocaltheory
verification ladder T0 review T1 audit T2 compute T3 formal T4 reserved
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Understanding the formation of stars in galaxies is central to much of modern astrophysics. For several decades it has been thought that stellar birth is primarily controlled by the interplay between gravity and magnetostatic support, modulated by ambipolar diffusion. Recently, however, both observational and numerical work has begun to suggest that support by supersonic turbulence rather than magnetic fields controls star formation. In this review we outline a new theory of star formation relying on the control by turbulence. We demonstrate that although supersonic turbulence can provide global support, it nevertheless produces density enhancements that allow local collapse. Inefficient, isolated star formation is a hallmark of turbulent support, while efficient, clustered star formation occurs in its absence. The consequences of this theory are then explored for both local star formation and galactic scale star formation. (ABSTRACT ABBREVIATED)

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