The contagion of star-formation: Its origin

Abstract

Dense pockets of cold, molecular gas precede the formation of stars. During their infancy and later phases of evolution, stars inject considerable energy into the interstellar medium by driving shocks either due to ionising radiation or powerful winds. Interstellar shock-waves sweep up dense shells of gas that usually propagate at supersonic velocities. It is proposed, in this paper, to examine the possibility of dense structure-formation and perhaps, future protostar-formation, in a molecular cloud shocked by such a shell. Here I shall discuss results of a self-gravitating, 3-dimensional, high-resolution simulation using the smoothed particle hydrodynamics.