{
  "id": "0903.3240",
  "version": "v1",
  "published": "2009-03-18T21:06:47.000Z",
  "updated": "2009-03-18T21:06:47.000Z",
  "title": "Fragmentation in Molecular Clouds and its connection to the IMF",
  "authors": [
    "Rowan J. Smith",
    "Paul C. Clark",
    "Ian A. Bonnell"
  ],
  "comment": "12 pages, 12 figures and 3 tables. Accepted by MNRAS",
  "categories": [
    "astro-ph.GA"
  ],
  "abstract": "We present an analysis of star-forming gas cores in an SPH simulation of a Giant Molecular Cloud. We identify cores using their deep potential wells. This yields a smoother distribution with clearer boundaries than density. Additionally, this gives an indication of future collapse, as bound potential cores (p-cores) represent the earliest stages of fragmentation in molecular clouds. We find that the mass function of the p-cores resembles the stellar IMF and the observed clump mass function, although p-core masses (~0.7 Msol) are smaller than typical density clumps. The bound p-cores are generally subsonic, have internal substructure, and are only quasi-spherical. We see no evidence of massive bound cores supported by turbulence. We trace the evolution of the p-cores forward in time, and investigate the connection between the original p-core mass and the stellar mass that formed from it. We find that there is a poor correlation, with considerable scatter suggesting accretion onto the core is dependent on more factors than just the initial core mass. During the accretion process the p-cores accrete from beyond the region first bound, highlighting the importance of the core environment to its subsequent evolution.",
  "revisions": [
    {
      "version": "v1",
      "updated": "2009-03-18T21:06:47.000Z"
    }
  ],
  "analyses": {
    "keywords": [
      "fragmentation",
      "connection",
      "region first bound",
      "original p-core mass",
      "deep potential wells"
    ],
    "tags": [
      "journal article"
    ],
    "publication": {
      "doi": "10.1111/j.1365-2966.2009.14794.x",
      "journal": "Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society",
      "year": 2009,
      "month": "Jun",
      "volume": 396,
      "number": 2,
      "pages": 830
    },
    "note": {
      "typesetting": "TeX",
      "pages": 12,
      "language": "en",
      "license": "arXiv",
      "status": "editable",
      "inspire": 815767,
      "adsabs": "2009MNRAS.396..830S"
    }
  }
}