What structures are formed around a protostar due to the resistance of equatorial material to central infall?
Answer
A rotating disk
As the dense core collapses and spins faster due to the conservation of angular momentum, the material falling toward the equator moves at its maximum rotational velocity. This rapid motion generates a significant centrifugal force that opposes the direct inward pull of gravity. Consequently, the infalling matter cannot reach the central region directly, instead flattening out into a structure known as a rotating disk orbiting the nascent central object, which is the protostar. This disk serves as the reservoir from which the star will continue to accrete mass.
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