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Mass Outflow in Molecular Clouds: A New Phase in the Evolution of Newly-Formed Stars?
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 30 March 2016
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Molecular gas with velocity dispersions exceeding 100 km s-1 toward dense, interstellar clouds was discovered by microwave observers about a decade ago. It has now been established that this high velocity gas is a result of violent mass outflows (winds) originating from T-Tau stars, compact infrared sources or ultra-compact HII regions at the cores of the clouds. The mass outflow phenomena occur in regions of star formation covering five orders of magnitude in luminosity, and are of long duration . The observations suggest that violent mass loss is a new, important phase in the pre-main sequence evolution of newly-formed stars more massive than a few solar masses. The impact of the flows on the energy balance and dynamical stability of molecular clouds may be substantial. This review is mainly a summary of the observational facts, and gives a description of the physical conditions in an outflow zone. The impact of the flows on molecular clouds is discussed. Recent reviews of the outflow phenomena can also be found in (1, 2, 3, ).
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- Copyright © Reidel 1983
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