Institute for Advanced Study Informal Astrophysics Seminar

The properties of supersonic isothermal turbulence influence a variety of astrophysical phenomena, including the structure and evolution of star-forming clouds. I will present a simple model for the structure of dense regions in turbulence in which the density distribution behind isothermal shocks originates from rough hydrostatic balance between the pressure gradient behind the shock and its deceleration from ram pressure applied by the background fluid. This model, which I verify using hydrodynamical simulations, provides a new conceptual picture for describing the densest regions in isothermal turbulence and has applications for understanding the initial conditions of star formation in molecular clouds.