Supernova Driving. IV. The star-formation rate of molecular clouds

TY - JOUR

T1 - Supernova Driving. IV. The star-formation rate of molecular clouds

AU - Padoan, Paolo

AU - Haugbølle, Troels

AU - Nordlund, Åke

AU - Frimann, Søren

PY - 2017/5

Y1 - 2017/5

N2 - We compute the star-formation rate (SFR) in molecular clouds (MCs) that originate ab initio in a new, higher-resolution simulation of supernova-driven turbulence. Because of the large number of well-resolved clouds with self-consistent boundary and initial conditions, we obtain a large range of cloud physical parameters with realistic statistical distributions, which is an unprecedented sample of star-forming regions to test SFR models and to interpret observational surveys. We confirm the dependence of the SFR per free-fall time, SFRff, on the virial parameter, αvir, found in previous simulations, and compare a revised version of our turbulent fragmentation model with the numerical results. The dependences on Mach number, ℳ, gas to magnetic pressure ratio, β, and compressive to solenoidal power ratio, χ at fixed αvir are not well constrained, because of random scatter due to time and cloud-to-cloud variations in SFRff. We find that SFRff in MCs can take any value in the range of 0 ≤ SFRff ≲ 0.2, and its probability distribution peaks at a value of SFRff ≈ 0.025, consistent with observations. The values of SFRff and the scatter in the SFRff-αvir relation are consistent with recent measurements in nearby MCs and in clouds near the Galactic center. Although not explicitly modeled by the theory, the scatter is consistent with the physical assumptions of our revised model and may also result in part from a lack of statistical equilibrium of the turbulence, due to the transient nature of MCs.

AB - We compute the star-formation rate (SFR) in molecular clouds (MCs) that originate ab initio in a new, higher-resolution simulation of supernova-driven turbulence. Because of the large number of well-resolved clouds with self-consistent boundary and initial conditions, we obtain a large range of cloud physical parameters with realistic statistical distributions, which is an unprecedented sample of star-forming regions to test SFR models and to interpret observational surveys. We confirm the dependence of the SFR per free-fall time, SFRff, on the virial parameter, αvir, found in previous simulations, and compare a revised version of our turbulent fragmentation model with the numerical results. The dependences on Mach number, ℳ, gas to magnetic pressure ratio, β, and compressive to solenoidal power ratio, χ at fixed αvir are not well constrained, because of random scatter due to time and cloud-to-cloud variations in SFRff. We find that SFRff in MCs can take any value in the range of 0 ≤ SFRff ≲ 0.2, and its probability distribution peaks at a value of SFRff ≈ 0.025, consistent with observations. The values of SFRff and the scatter in the SFRff-αvir relation are consistent with recent measurements in nearby MCs and in clouds near the Galactic center. Although not explicitly modeled by the theory, the scatter is consistent with the physical assumptions of our revised model and may also result in part from a lack of statistical equilibrium of the turbulence, due to the transient nature of MCs.

KW - ISM: kinematics and dynamics

KW - magnetohydrodynamics (MHD)

KW - stars: formation

KW - turbulence

U2 - 10.3847/1538-4357/aa6afa

DO - 10.3847/1538-4357/aa6afa

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85019112047

SN - 0004-637X

VL - 840

JO - Astrophysical Journal

JF - Astrophysical Journal

IS - 1

M1 - 48

ER -