Numerical magnetohydrodynamics simulations of star formation and giant molecular cloud destruction

Abstract

Star formation resulting from the gravitational collapse of molecular clouds is highly inefficient: only a few percent of the initial neutral gas mass of the cloud is converted into stars over the lifetime of the cloud. Turbulent and magnetic forces, as well as feedback from the stars themselves, resist the global collapse of the cloud. The relative strength of these forces is not fully understood analytically, but can be studied using numerical simulations. A challenge for numerical simulations of star formation is reproducing the low star formation efficiencies that have been observed. In this thesis, we perform numerical magnetohydrodynamics simulations with radiation feedback from massive stars to estimate the effects of varying the magnetic field strength and the ratio of turbulent to gravitational energy on the resulting star formation efficiency.