3D MHD model of the collapse and fragmentation of turbulent prestellar core

TL;DR

This study uses 3D MHD simulations to explore how turbulent prestellar cores collapse and fragment, revealing conditions that lead to binary star formation with specific separations.

Contribution

It introduces a high-resolution 3D MHD simulation approach to model core collapse and fragmentation, highlighting the role of turbulence and magnetic fields in binary star formation.

Findings

Two bound fragments can form when density increases 100-1000 times

Fragments are separated by about 0.1 of the initial core radius

Orbital period of fragments is comparable to free fall time

Abstract

With the help of 3D MHD simulations we investigate the collapse and fragmentation of rotating turbulent prestellar core embedded into turbulent medium. The numerical code is based on a high resolution Godunov-type finite-difference scheme. Initial turbulence is represented by the ensemble of Alfven waves with power law spectrum. Our computations show that under realistic parameters two bound fragments can appear when the density increases at $100-10^3$ times. The distance between the fragments is about $0.1$ of the initial core radius and their orbital period is comparable to the initial free fall time of the core. These results can explain the origin of binary stars with separation $0.001-0.01$ pc in the Galaxy field.