2006/10/31 by Fabian Heitsch, F. Heitsch, A. D. Slyz +5 · 12 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Galaxies: Formation, Evolution, Phenomena #Homogeneous #Mechanics #Mixing (physics) #Molecular cloud #Physics #RADIUS #Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics #Stars #Statistical physics #Time evolution #Turbulence #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2006.11164.x
published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 373(4), 1379-1388 (Oxford University Press) · 11 pages, 12 figures, accepted by MNRAS
arxiv created 2006/10/31 · openalex publication_date 2006/11/16 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Cold clouds embedded in warm media are very common objects in astrophysics. Their disruption time-scale depends strongly on the dynamical configuration. We discuss the evolution of an initially homogeneous cold cloud embedded in warm turbulent gas. Within a couple of dynamical time-scales, the filling factor of the cold gas within the original cloud radius drops below 50 per cent. Turbulent diffusivities estimated from the time evolution of radial filling factor profiles are not constant with time. Cold and warm gas are bodily transported by turbulence and mixed. This is only mildly indicated by column density maps. The radiation field within the cloud, however, increases by several orders of magnitudes due to the mixing, with possible consequences for cloud chemistry and evolution within a few dynamical time-scales.