On the Rapid Collapse and Evolution of Molecular Clouds

Stars generally form faster than the ambipolar diffusion time, suggesting that several processes short circuit the delay and promote a rapid collapse. These processes are considered here, including turbulence compression in the outer parts of giant molecular cloud (GMC) cores and GMC envelopes, GMC core formation in an initially supercritical state, and compression-induced triggering in dispersing GMC envelopes. The classical issues related to star formation timescales are addressed: high molecular fractions, low efficiencies, long consumption times for CO and HCN, rapid GMC core disruption and the lack of a stable core, long absolute but short relative timescales with accelerated star formation, and the slow motions of protostars. We consider stimuli to collapse from changes in the density dependence of the ionization fraction, the cosmic ray ionization rate, and various dust properties at densities above ∼ 10 cm. We favor the standard model of subcritical GMC envelops and suggest they would be long lived if not for disruption by rapid star formation in GMC cores. The lifecycle of GMCs is illustrated by a spiral arm section in the Hubble Heritage image of M51, showing GMC formation, star formation, GMC disruption with lingering triggered star formation, and envelope dispersal. There is no delay between spiral arm dustlanes and star formation; the classical notion results from heavy extinction in the dust lane and triggered star formation during cloud dispersal. Differences in the IMF for the different modes of star formation are considered. Subject headings: stars: formation — ISM: magnetic fields — ISM: molecules