The Lifetimes of Molecular Cloud Cores: What is the Role of the Magnetic Field?

Abstract

We discuss the lifetimes and evolution of dense cores formed as turbulent density fluctuations in magnetized, isothermal molecular clouds. We consider numerical simulations in which we measure the cores' magnetic criticality and Jeans stability in relation to the magnetic criticality of their ``parent clouds'' (the numerical boxes). In subcritical boxes, dense cores do not form, and collapse does not occur. In supercritical boxes, some cores collapse, being part of larger clumps that are supercritical from the start, and whose central, densest regions (the cores) are initially subcritical, but rapidly become supercritical, presumably by accretion along field lines. Numerical artifacts are ruled out. The time scales for cores to go from subcritical to supercritical and then collapse are a few times the core free-fall time, $\tfc$. Our results suggest that cores are out-of-equilibrium, transient structures, rather than quasi-magnetostatic configurations.