What probability distribution functions tell us about the processes of star formation

Abstract

Probability distribution functions of column density (N-PDFs) are used to evaluate the relative importance of gravity, turbulence, magnetic fields, geometry, and radiative feedback governing the cloud's density structure and star-formation activity. These proce-sses influence the N-PDF and thus determine their shape, ranging from a purely lognormal distribution to one with power-law tail(s). Show more