DUST, RADIATION PRESSURE AND STAR FORMATION
Abstract
Spitzer (1941) has shown that radiation can produce inverse square law attractive forces between absorbing interstellar grains. Whipple (1946) and Savedoff (1955) examined whether these forces could cause dust to flow through ambient gas and form dense clouds from which stars would form. Savedoff concluded that appreciable concentration of dust was not to be expected and that radiative effects would be small partly because grains have a high albedo. The problem is here reexamined by considering (1) that instability analogous to gravitational instability can be produced by radiation and (2) that in the neighborhood of hot stars, grains are subjected to high intensity, near ultraviolet irradiation for which the albedo probably is low. On this assumption the minimum mass of a cloud that becomes unstable at the center of an O association can be estimated. It is suggested that O clusters are formed in this manner. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1962
- Accession Number
- AD0276449
Entities
People
- Martin Harwit
Organizations
- Cornell University