Self-similar condensation of spherically symmetric self-gravitating isothermal gas clouds
Abstract
The authors show that similarity solutions for the condensation of spherically symmetric self-gravitating isothermal gas clouds are much more abundant than was hitherto believed; they have discovered that each of the discrete solutions found by previous authors must be replaced by a bounded two-parameter continuum of such solutions. Moreover, the two parameters (z0, w0) admit a clear and useful physical interpretation. z0 characterizes the asymptotic form of a solution as t→-∞ (i.e. at very early times), and reflects how intrinsically unstable against contraction the cloud interior is from the outset. w0 characterizes the asymptotic form of a solution as t→+∞ (i.e. at very late times) and reflects how important external pressure is in driving compression. The evolution of the flow is presented and discussed.
- Publication:
-
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
- Pub Date:
- May 1985
- DOI:
- 10.1093/mnras/214.1.1
- Bibcode:
- 1985MNRAS.214....1W
- Keywords:
-
- Computational Astrophysics;
- Condensing;
- Gas Flow;
- Gravitation Theory;
- Molecular Clouds;
- Stellar Gravitation;
- Gas Dynamics;
- Isothermal Flow;
- Sound Waves;
- Spheres;
- Symmetry;
- Transonic Flow;
- Wave Propagation;
- Astrophysics