Collapse and fragmentation of magnetized cylindrical clouds

Abstract

Gravitational collapse of the cylindrical elongated cloud is studied by numerical magnetohydrodynamical simulations. In the infinitely long cloud in hydrostatic configuration, small perturbations grow by the gravitational instability. The most unstable mode indicated by a linear perturbation theory grows selectively even from a white noise. The growth rate agrees with that calculated by the linear theory. First, the density-enhanced region has an elongated shape, i.e., prolate spheroidal shape. As the collapse proceeds, the high-density fragment begins to contract mainly along the symmetry axis. Finally, a spherical core is formed in the non-magnetized cloud. In contrast, an oblate spheroidal dense disk is formed in a cloud in which the magnetic pressure is nearly equal to the thermal one. The radial size of the disk becomes proportional to the initial characteristic density scale-height in the r-direction. As the collapse proceeds, a slowly contracting dense part is formed (approximately < 10% in mass) inside of the fast contracting disk. And this is separated from other part of the disk whose inflow velocity is accelerated as reaching the center of the core. From arguments on the Jeans mass and the magnetic critical mass, it is concluded that the fragments formed in a cylindrical elongated cloud can not be supported against the self- gravity and it will eventually collapse.