Photoevaporation
Photoevaporation is the process where energetic radiation ionises gas and causes it to disperse away from the ionising source. The term is typically used in an astrophysical context where ultraviolet radiation from hot stars acts on clouds of material such as molecular clouds, protoplanetary disks, or planetary atmospheres.
Article
6 sectionsContents
- Molecular clouds
- Evaporating gaseous globules (EGGs)
- Planetary atmospheres
- Protoplanetary disks
- Regions containing protoplanetary disks with clear signs of external photoevaporation
- References
Photoevaporation is the process where energetic radiation ionises gas and causes it to disperse away from the ionising source. The term is typically used in an astrophysical context where ultraviolet radiation from hot stars acts on clouds of material such as molecular clouds, protoplanetary disks, or planetary atmospheres.
==Molecular clouds== thumb|right|upright=1.0|Eagle Nebula pillars being photoevaporated One of the most obvious manifestations of astrophysical photoevaporation is seen in the eroding structures of molecular clouds that luminous stars are born within.