Initial Conditions for Star Formation: A Physical Description of the Filamentary ISM

Autor(en)

A. Hacar, S Clark, F. Heitsch, J. Kainulainen, G. Panopoulou, D. Seifried, R. Smith

Abstrakt

The interstellar medium contains filamentary structure over a wide range

of scales. Understanding the role of this structure, both as a conduit

of gas across the scales and a diagnostic tool of local physics, is a

major focus of star formation studies. We review recent progress in

studying filamentary structure in the ISM, interpreting its properties

in terms of physical processes, and exploring formation and evolution

scenarios. We include structures from galactic-scale filaments to

tenth-of-a-parsec scale filaments, comprising both molecular and atomic

structures, from both observational and theoretical perspectives. In

addition to the literature overview, we assemble a large amount of

catalogue data from different surveys and provide the most comprehensive

census of filamentary structures to date. Our census consists of 22 803

filamentary structures, facilitating a holistic perspective and new

insights. We use our census to conduct a meta-analysis, leading to a

description of filament properties over four orders of magnitudes in

length and eight in mass. Our analysis emphasises the hierarchical and

dynamical nature of filamentary structures. Filaments do not live in

isolation, nor they generally resemble static structures close to

equilibrium. We propose that accretion during filament formation and

evolution sets some of the key scaling properties of filaments. This

highlights the role of accretion during filament formation and evolution

and also in setting the initial conditions for star formation. Overall,

the study of filamentary structures during the past decade has been

observationally driven. While great progress has been made on measuring

the basic properties of filaments, our understanding of their formation

and evolution is clearly lacking. In this context, we identify a number

of directions and questions we consider most pressing for the field.

Organisation(en)

Institut für Astrophysik

Externe Organisation(en)

Stanford University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chalmers University of Technology, California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Universität zu Köln, University of Manchester

Seiten

153

Publikationsdatum

07-2023

Peer-reviewed

Ja

ÖFOS 2012

103004 Astrophysik

Schlagwörter

Link zum Portal

https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/b4c9e5d4-2c11-48cd-9ade-14cc288a7c10