Photodissociative regulation of star formation in metal-free pregalactic clouds

Kazuyuki Omukai; Ryoichi Nishi

doi:10.1086/307285

Photodissociative regulation of star formation in metal-free pregalactic clouds

Kazuyuki Omukai, Ryoichi Nishi

SCI - Astronomy

Kyoto University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

78 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We study the H₂ photodissociation regions around OB stars in primordial gas clouds whose virial temperatures are between a few hundred and a few thousand Kelvin. In such small objects, a single O star can photodissociate a mass equal to that of the cloud itself. As a result, the clouds deplete their molecular coolant and cannot cool in a free-fall time, and subsequent star formation is totally quenched. This indicates that stars do not form efficiently in small objects and that these objects contribute little to the reionization of the universe.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	64-68
Number of pages	5
Journal	Astrophysical Journal
Volume	518
Issue number	1 PART 1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1086/307285
Publication status	Published - 1999 Jun 10

Keywords

Cosmology: theory
H II regions
ISM: clouds
Molecular processes
Stars: formation

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10.1086/307285

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title = "Photodissociative regulation of star formation in metal-free pregalactic clouds",

abstract = "We study the H2 photodissociation regions around OB stars in primordial gas clouds whose virial temperatures are between a few hundred and a few thousand Kelvin. In such small objects, a single O star can photodissociate a mass equal to that of the cloud itself. As a result, the clouds deplete their molecular coolant and cannot cool in a free-fall time, and subsequent star formation is totally quenched. This indicates that stars do not form efficiently in small objects and that these objects contribute little to the reionization of the universe.",

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author = "Kazuyuki Omukai and Ryoichi Nishi",

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T1 - Photodissociative regulation of star formation in metal-free pregalactic clouds

AU - Omukai, Kazuyuki

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N2 - We study the H2 photodissociation regions around OB stars in primordial gas clouds whose virial temperatures are between a few hundred and a few thousand Kelvin. In such small objects, a single O star can photodissociate a mass equal to that of the cloud itself. As a result, the clouds deplete their molecular coolant and cannot cool in a free-fall time, and subsequent star formation is totally quenched. This indicates that stars do not form efficiently in small objects and that these objects contribute little to the reionization of the universe.

AB - We study the H2 photodissociation regions around OB stars in primordial gas clouds whose virial temperatures are between a few hundred and a few thousand Kelvin. In such small objects, a single O star can photodissociate a mass equal to that of the cloud itself. As a result, the clouds deplete their molecular coolant and cannot cool in a free-fall time, and subsequent star formation is totally quenched. This indicates that stars do not form efficiently in small objects and that these objects contribute little to the reionization of the universe.

KW - Cosmology: theory

KW - H II regions

KW - ISM: clouds

KW - Molecular processes

KW - Stars: formation

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JF - Astrophysical Journal

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Photodissociative regulation of star formation in metal-free pregalactic clouds

Abstract

Keywords

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