Filamentary Structures in Star Formation Dynamics
Summary
Filamentary structures are elongated, thread-like concentrations of gas and dust that pervade molecular clouds and serve as the principal sites of star formation. Observations reveal that most prestellar cores arise within dense filaments whose characteristic widths (of order 0.1–0.2 parsec) and line masses govern fragmentation into cores. Filaments often converge into hubs or network junctions where massive stars and clusters form. The dynamics of magnetic fields, turbulence and self-gravity shape filament morphology, support longitudinal accretion flows and regulate the rate at which material is funnelled into cores. Studies combining high-resolution mapping, spectroscopic kinematics and numerical modelling have progressively unveiled the interlinked processes of filament formation, evolution and fragmentation that control stellar mass distribution and cluster assembly across diverse environments.
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Filamentary Structures in Star Formation Dynamics publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in filamentary structures in star formation dynamics across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Molecular filament: An elongated, high-column-density structure of cold molecular gas within a cloud.
Hub–filament system: A network in which multiple filaments merge into a dense central hub hosting cluster formation.
Line mass: The mass per unit length of a filament, determining its stability against gravitational collapse.
Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD): The study of the dynamics of electrically conducting fluids under the influence of magnetic fields.
Pre-stellar core: A dense condensation within a filament destined to collapse to form a new star.
Longitudinal accretion flow: The directed inflow of material along the filament’s axis feeding central cores or hubs.
References
- Insights on the Sun Birth Environment in the Context of Star Cluster Formation in Hub–Filament Systems. The Astrophysical Journal Letters (2023).
- CMR Exploration. I. Filament Structure with Synthetic Observations. The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series (2023).
- The Giant Molecular Cloud G148.24+00.41: gas properties, kinematics, and cluster formation at the nexus of filamentary flows. Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (2024).
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