Plausible dynamical origins of Larson (1982)’s Empirical Law (II)

Abstract

In an earlier reading (Nyambuya, 2017), we analysed the equation of motion for a particle situated at the cloud surface of a gravitationally bound Molecular Cloud (MC) where a link to Larson (1982)’s Law (relating the cloud mass and the maximum stellar mass) was made. If the said work is to be believed, then, the radiation field of the central and most massive star of an embedded star cluster must dominate the MC. If this is the case, then, this central massive star may significantly affect (by way of disputation) the star formation activity in the rest of the MC, the meaning of which is that one should expect to see the signature of the disruption in — say, the non-smooth11A non-smooth mass spectrum is one that has a gap in it such as that would be expected if the coalescent model (Bonnell et al., 1998) was the dominant model of mass star formation where we would expect a dearth of lower mass stars. mass spectrum of the stars that form in massive star environments. In-order to overcome this problem, we here limit the nascent massive star’s radiation prowess to the domains of its gravitationally bound natal core. Only after this massive star’s radiation field has heated and gravitationally unbound its core — will its radiation field significantly pour out and extend into the rest of the MC where it will affect in a significant way, the star formation activity of the nascent star cluster. It is seen that in this model, Larson (1982)’s Law emerges as a result of two major star formation process, namely the Cloud Fragmentation Processes leading to the emergence of the Core Mass Function (CMF) and the Radiation Feedback Processes leading to the Cloud Mass — Maximum Mass Core Relation.