What consequence occurs if a localized region's mass is less than the Jeans Mass ($M_J$)?

Answer

The internal pressure forces will cause it to disperse or remain stable.

The Jeans Mass ($M_J$) serves as the minimum mass benchmark for gravitational dominance under specific temperature and density conditions. If a localized patch of gas has a total mass that is less than the calculated $M_J$ for its current state, the opposing internal pressures—primarily thermal and turbulent kinetic energy—are sufficient to resist the self-gravity of that mass. Consequently, this region will not undergo collapse; instead, it will either maintain its current state of near-equilibrium or disperse entirely, effectively remaining stable within the larger molecular cloud structure until density conditions change.

What consequence occurs if a localized region's mass is less than the Jeans Mass ($M_J$)?

#Videos

What Initiates Molecular Cloud Collapse? - Physics Frontier - YouTube

Related Questions

What temperature range do molecular clouds hover within, just above absolute zero?What are the three primary forces resisting gravitational collapse in molecular clouds?What theoretical concept defines the minimum mass or size required for collapse initiation?What consequence occurs if a localized region's mass is less than the Jeans Mass ($M_J$)?What is the general requirement for overcoming turbulent pressure compared to only thermal pressure?How does the shockwave from a nearby supernova explosion trigger star formation?What particle number density range characterizes molecular clouds relative to surrounding space?What happens to the Jeans Mass ($M_J$) as a collapsing core contracts and its density increases?What adverse effect occurs if a collapsing core cannot efficiently radiate away converted gravitational energy?How do the spiral arms of the Milky Way provide an external trigger for gravitational collapse?
star formationastrophysicsmolecular cloudgravitational collapse