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Stability of molecular clouds in partially ionized self-gravitating space plasmas

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 July 2005

G. JACOBS
Affiliation:
Institut für Theoretische Physik IV, Fakultät für Physik und Astronomie, Ruhr–Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany (ps@tp4.ruhr-uni-bochum.de)
P. K. SHUKLA
Affiliation:
Institut für Theoretische Physik IV, Fakultät für Physik und Astronomie, Ruhr–Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany (ps@tp4.ruhr-uni-bochum.de)

Abstract

We investigate the gravitational stability of partially ionized astrophysical plasmas, embedded in a large-scale magnetic field. The collisions between the charged particles and neutrals are incorporated into our model, and we study the influence of the ion–neutral collisions on the gravitational stability of a large space plasma, e.g. a large molecular cloud, and on the relevant growth/damping rates. The effects of the ion–neutral friction on the growth rate of a gravitationally unstable space plasma are presented for a range of possible wavenumbers.

Type
Papers
Copyright
2005 Cambridge University Press

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