What role do filamentary structures play in the initial conditions for star formation?

They act as pathways accumulating gas that fragments into pre-stellar cores

Internal cloud dynamics, particularly turbulence, lead to the formation of complex structures within Giant Molecular Clouds. Observations highlight that collapsing clouds often adopt an initial elliptical shape which naturally evolves into elongated features known as filamentary structures. These filaments are not incidental features but appear to be the near-ubiquitous starting conditions for star formation. They serve a critical role by acting as conduits that efficiently funnel and accumulate gas and dust along their length. As material concentrates along these filaments, the structure fragments locally into smaller, denser clumps called pre-stellar cores, which are the immediate precursors to individual stars.