What is the function of fragmentation in the overall dynamics of a large collapsing cloud?
Answer
It breaks the large cloud into smaller pieces following independent collapse trajectories, slowing the overall consolidation to a single point.
A large cloud breaks into fragments where gravity locally overcomes pressure. This process means the mass is collapsing along many parallel pathways rather than collapsing cohesively toward one center, thus slowing the overall process.
Related Questions
What allows the initial, rapid collapse phase of a gas cloud to proceed before significant slowing occurs?What mechanism causes thermal pressure to dramatically slow gravitational contraction in a dense core?What is the primary resistance mechanism generated by magnetic fields threaded through interstellar clouds?What relatively slow process allows star formation to continue past the initial magnetic hindrance?What physical consequence of angular momentum conservation prevents spherical contraction at the cloud's equator?What distinguishes the state achieved by the first stage hot core (protostar) immediately after thermal pressure surges?How does the material composition influence the earliest star formation history in the universe?In the case of very low-mass objects that never reach fusion temperatures, what ultimately halts gravitational contraction?What is the function of fragmentation in the overall dynamics of a large collapsing cloud?What component is crucial for providing the necessary opacity mechanism in the infrared during the transition to the pressure-limited collapse stage?