A New Ignition Mechanism


  • If, throughout a GMC, the ambipolar diffusion time tAD were to instantaneously drop to a value less than the local free-fall time, the bomb would certainly ignite.

    How might this be accomplished?

  • Since tAD depends directly on the strength of the magnetic field, one might imagine a scenario by which the B-field inside the GMC decreases during a galaxy-galaxy interaction ... but you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who would buy such a scenario!




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