The effects on a core collapse of changes in the number and size of turbulent modes of velocity

TL;DR

This study uses particle-based simulations to compare how different turbulent velocity spectra influence the gravitational collapse of a gas core, revealing variations in protostar formation outcomes.

Contribution

It introduces a comparative analysis of solenoidal versus compressive turbulence effects on core collapse through 28 detailed simulations.

Findings

Most simulations form a single protostar.

Two simulations result in binary protostar systems.

Turbulent mode type affects collapse dynamics.

Abstract

We consider 28 particle-based simulations aimed at comparing the gravitational collapse of a spherically symmetric, uniform gas core in which two extreme types of turbulent spectra of velocity have been initially induced, so that $\nabla \cdot \vec{v}=0 $ (14 simulations) and $\nabla \times \vec{v}=0 $ (14 simulations). For all the simulations, the ratios of the kinetic energy and thermal energy to the gravitational energy were fixed at $\beta$=0.21 and $\alpha$=0.24, respectively. Most of the simulations finish by forming a single protostar, except for two simulations that form a binary system of protostars. In order to quantify the differences (or similarities) between the two types of simulations, we calculate some integral properties of the resulting protostars, such as the mass M$_f$ and the ratios $\alpha_f$ and $\beta_f$