The thermodynamics of collapsing molecular cloud cores using smoothed particle hydrodynamics with radiative transfer

Abstract

We present the results of a series of calculations studying the collapse of molecular cloud cores performed using a three-dimensional smoothed particle hydrodynamics code with radiative transfer in the flux-limited diffusion approximation. The opacities and specific heat capacities are identical for each calculation. However, we find that the temperature evolution during the simulations varies significantly when starting from different initial conditions. Even spherically symmetric clouds with different initial densities show markedly different development. We conclude that simple barotropic equations of state like those used in some previous calculations provide at best a crude approximation to the thermal behaviour of the gas. Radiative transfer is necessary to obtain accurate temperatures.