Further studies of a fragmentation problem

The authors have re-examined the fragmentation of a rotating isothermal cloud using a particle method with a resolution approximately twice as fine as that used previously. The maximum densities at a given time exceed those found in simulations of the same system using donor cell methods, but the overall evolution is similar to that found in early particle simulations. In particular there is no indication of a run-away collapse of entire fragments. The calculations using ≡7000 particles were followed for the longest time and they show that gravitational interactions between the fragments eventually become important.