Hydrodynamics of photoionized columns in the Eagle Nebula, M 16

Abstract

We present hydrodynamical simulations of the formation, structure and evolution of photoionized columns, with parameters based on those observed in the Eagle Nebula. On the basis of these simulations we argue that there is no unequivocal evidence that the dense neutral clumps at heads of the columns were cores in the pre-existing molecular cloud. In our simulations, a variety of initial conditions leads to the formation and maintenance of near-equilibrium columns. Therefore, it is likely that narrow columns will often occur in regions with large-scale inhomogeneities, but that observations of such columns can tell us little about the processes by which they formed. The manner in which the columns in our simulations develop suggests that their evolution may result in extended sequences of radiation-induced star formation.