Protostellar outflow-driven turbulence

Abstract

Protostellar outflows crisscross the regions of star cluster formation, stirring turbulence and altering the evolution of the forming cluster. We model the stirring of turbulent motions by protostellar outflows, building on an observation that the scaling law of supersonic turbulence implies a momentum cascade analogous to the energy cascade in Kolmogorov turbulence. We then generalize this model to account for a diversity of outflow strengths, and for outflow collimation, both of which enhance turbulence. For a single value of its coupling coefficient the model is consistent with turbulence simulations by Li & Nakamura and, plausibly, with observations of the NGC 1333 cluster-forming region. Outflow-driven turbulence is strong enough to stall collapse in cluster-forming regions for several crossing times, relieving the mismatch between star formation and turbulent decay rates. The predicted line-width-size scaling implies radial density indices between -1 and -2 for regions supported by outflow-driven turbulence, with a tendency for steeper profiles in regions that are more massive or have higher column densities.