Turbulence isn’t just something that causes bumpy airplane rides. On a much grander scale, it plays a key role in the birth of stars in the Milky Way. A new study, funded by NASA and published in *Science Advances*, reveals how turbulence within giant molecular clouds—vast, cold regions of gas and dust—interacts with the density of these clouds to determine where and how stars form.
The study’s lead author, Evan Scannapieco, a professor of astrophysics at Arizona State University, explains that turbulence is the driving force behind the formation of the structures that give rise to stars. “We know that the main process that determines when and how quickly stars are made is turbulence, because it gives rise to the structures that create stars,” Scannapieco said. “Our study uncovers how those structures are formed.”
Molecular clouds, often referred to as “stellar nurseries,” are far from peaceful. They are filled with turbulent motions caused by gravitational forces, the dynamic action of galactic arms, and the impact of stellar winds, jets, and explosions from newborn stars. This turbulence is so intense that it generates shock waves that push and pull the gas, creating areas of high and low density.
To study these interactions, Scannapieco and his team ran simulations using tracer particles—virtual markers that move with the gas as it flows through the cloud. These particles record the density of the regions they pass through, allowing the researchers to track how the density of the cloud evolves over time. The simulations, which modeled eight different cloud scenarios with varying properties, were conducted with the help of collaborators from institutions around the world, including Liubin Pan (Sun Yat-sen University, China), Marcus Brüggen (University of Hamburg, Germany), and Ed Buie II (Vassar College, USA).
The findings were striking: the team discovered that the way shocks move through the cloud is crucial to star formation. When a shock wave encounters a region of high-density gas, it slows down; conversely, it speeds up when it enters a low-density area. This behavior mirrors how ocean waves accelerate as they approach the shore and hit shallow waters. As the shock slows down in dense regions, it compresses the gas further, but once a region reaches a certain level of density, the turbulent motions can no longer compress it further. These dense, “lumpy” regions are the most likely sites for new stars to form.
While previous research has explored the structures within molecular clouds, this new simulation gives scientists a clearer understanding of how these structures evolve over time. By tracking the history of density changes in the cloud, researchers can better predict where stars are likely to emerge.
“Now we can understand better why those structures look the way they do because we’re able to track their histories,” Scannapieco added.
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| This image shows a simulation of a molecular cloud, with colors indicating density—dark blue for the least dense and red for the densest areas. Black dots represent tracer particles, helping scientists track how shocks and density pockets contribute to star formation. |
These insights are not only expanding our knowledge of star formation but also complementing current space observations. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is currently exploring the structure and chemistry of molecular clouds. The data from JWST, combined with simulations like these, will deepen our understanding of how stars are born and how the gas in molecular clouds behaves over time, providing new clues about the origins of our Sun and other stars across the galaxy.
As technology advances and new simulations refine our understanding of turbulence and density in molecular clouds, scientists will continue to uncover the complex processes that shape the universe’s star-forming regions.
