A Revised Mass Spectrum for the Random Collisional Buildup Model of Molecular Cloud Formation

The theoretical mass spectrum for the random collisional buildup model of cloud formation is rederived here with a collision cross section that assumes cloud radii are proportional to the square root of the mass, as observed for molecular clouds. The new equilibrium mass spectrum differs from the observed spectrum. It is suggested that molecular cloud formation is not exclusively the result of random collisional agglomeration of other molecular clouds.