Turbulent Fragmentation of a Massive Core

david_mach10_zoom_movie

This shows (gas density from low in dark purple, to high in yellow, with a factor of order a billion in contrast!) the collapse of a proto-stellar core to form a broad spectrum of stellar masses which continues to fragment without limit, as “feedback” from stars is not included here. Critically, the initial cloud is not able to support itself via thermal pressure, so collapse and turbulence “run away."

© Philip Hopkins 2015