The supershell-molecular cloud connection: Large-scale stellar feedback and the formation of the molecular ism

Abstract

The accumulation, compression, and cooling of the ambient interstellar medium (ISM) in large-scale flows powered by OB cluster feedback can drive the production of dense molecular clouds. We review the current state of the field, with a strong focus on the explicit modelling and observation of the neutral ISM. Magnetohydrodynamic simulations of colliding ISM flows provide a strong theoretical framework in which to view feedback-driven cloud formation, as do models of the gravitational fragmentation of expanding shells. Rapid theoretical developments are accompanied by a growing body of observational work that provides good evidence for the formation of molecular gas via stellar feedback both in the Milky Way and the Large Magellanic Cloud. The importance of stellar feedback compared with other major astrophysical drivers of dense gas formation remains to be investigated further, and will be an important target for future work. © 2013 Astronomical Society of Australia.