The Exciting Lives of Giant Molecular Clouds
C. L. Dobbs, J. E. Pringle

TL;DR
This study investigates the complex evolution, lifetimes, and dispersal mechanisms of giant molecular clouds in galactic discs, highlighting their dynamic formation, disruption, and relation to star formation.
Contribution
It provides a detailed analysis of GMC evolution, lifetimes, and dispersal processes using simulations, revealing their complex behaviors and the factors influencing their lifecycle.
Findings
GMC lifetimes are typically 4-25 Myr for clouds over 10^5 M$_{ ext{sun}}$.
Star formation efficiency in GMCs is about 1%.
Cloud dispersal is driven by stellar feedback and shear.
Abstract
We present a detailed study of the evolution of GMCs in a galactic disc simulation. We follow individual GMCs (defined in our simulations by a total column density criterion), including their level of star formation, from their formation to dispersal. We find the evolution of GMCs is highly complex. GMCs often form from a combination of smaller clouds and ambient ISM, and similarly disperse by splitting into a number of smaller clouds and ambient ISM. However some clouds emerge as the result of the disruption of a more massive GMC, rather than from the assembly of smaller clouds. Likewise in some cases, clouds accrete onto more massive clouds rather than disperse. Because of the difficulty of determining a precursor or successor of a given GMC, determining GMC histories and lifetimes is highly non-trivial. Using a definition relating to the continuous evolution of a cloud, we obtain…
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