Which molecule can radiate radio waves through an opaque cloud to carry thermal energy away, thus aiding contraction?
Answer
Carbon monoxide
The process of gravitational contraction heats the in-falling gas, which creates an outward thermal pressure that actively tries to halt the collapse. To proceed toward forming a star, this generated heat must be efficiently radiated away, a process often difficult because the material can be opaque to many forms of radiation. In chemically complex nebulae, specific molecules act as crucial radiators. Carbon monoxide is specifically mentioned as a key coolant because it can emit radio waves that successfully pass through the opaque cloud material, carrying the unwanted thermal energy out into space. This loss of thermal energy reduces the internal pressure, allowing gravity to continue winning the ongoing tug-of-war.
Related Questions
What two elements overwhelmingly compose the gas within the nebulae that form stars?What force must overcome internal pressure for a nebula to begin gravitational collapse?What theoretical concept relates to the critical threshold of mass needed to initiate gravitational dominance in a protostellar nebula?Which molecule can radiate radio waves through an opaque cloud to carry thermal energy away, thus aiding contraction?What astrophysical event is cited as a potential external trigger providing initial shock compression to a molecular cloud?What structure forms around a nascent star due to the conservation of angular momentum during gravitational squeeze?In a quiescent state, what form of energy in gas particles exerts outward pressure countering gravity?The material that formed our Solar System is thought to have originated from the remnants of a star that ended in what event?Why did the very first stars in the universe require vastly greater initial masses than modern Sun-like stars?During initial collapse, gravitational potential energy is first converted into what form of energy that heats the gas?