# Photoevaporation of Jeans-unstable molecular clumps

## TL;DR

This study uses 3D simulations to analyze how FUV radiation affects the evolution and star-forming potential of Jeans-unstable molecular clumps, revealing that radiation influences H$_2$ content but does not prevent collapse.

## Contribution

It provides the first detailed 3D hydrodynamical simulations including non-equilibrium chemistry to study FUV photoevaporation of Jeans-unstable molecular clumps.

## Key findings

- FUV radiation reduces H$_2$ mass by 40-90% initially.
- Clumps remain gravitationally unstable despite mass loss.
- FUV intensity regulates the residual H$_2$ available for star formation.

## Abstract

We study the photoevaporation of Jeans-unstable molecular clumps by isotropic FUV (6 eV $< {\rm h}\nu$ < 13.6 eV) radiation, through 3D radiative transfer hydrodynamical simulations implementing a non-equilibrium chemical network that includes the formation and dissociation of H$_2$. We run a set of simulations considering different clump masses ($M=10-200$ M$_\odot$) and impinging fluxes ($G_0=2\times 10^3-8\times 10^4$ in Habing units). In the initial phase, the radiation sweeps the clump as an R-type dissociation front, reducing the H$_2$ mass by a factor 40-90%. Then, a weak ($\mathcal{M}\simeq 2$) shock develops and travels towards the centre of the clump, which collapses while loosing mass from its surface. All considered clumps remain gravitationally unstable even if radiation rips off most of the clump mass, showing that external FUV radiation is not able to stop clump collapse. However, the FUV intensity regulates the final H$_2$ mass available for star formation: for example, for $G_0 < 10^4$ more than 10% of the initial clump mass survives. Finally, for massive clumps ($\sim 100$ M$_\odot$) the H$_2$ mass increases by 25-50% during the collapse, mostly because of the rapid density growth that implies a more efficient H$_2$ self-shielding.