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Tracing turbulent ambipolar diffusion in molecular clouds
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Tracing turbulent ambipolar diffusion in molecular clouds

Hua-Bai Li, Martin Houde, Shih-Ping Lai and T.K. Sridharan
Astrophysical Journal, Vol.718(2), pp.905-912
01/08/2010

Abstract

ISM: clouds ISM: kinematics and dynamics ISM: magnetic fields Turbulence
Though flux freezing is a good approximation frequently assumed for molecular clouds, ambipolar diffusion (AD) is inevitable at certain scales. The scale at which AD sets in can be a crucial parameter for turbulence and the star formation process. However, both observation and simulation of AD are very challenging and our knowledge of it is very limited. We recently proposed that the difference between ion and neutral velocity spectra is a signature of turbulent AD and can be used to estimate the AD scales and magnetic field strengths. Here, we present observational evidence showing that this difference between the velocity dispersions from coexistent ions and neutrals is indeed correlated with magnetic field strength. © 2010. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
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https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/718/2/905View
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