Ionization front-driven turbulence in the clumpy interstellar medium

Abstract

We present 3D radiation-gasdynamical simulations of an ionization front running into a dense clump. In our setup, a B0 star irradiates an overdensity which is at a distance of 10 pc and modelled as a supercritical 100 M_sol Bonnor-Ebert sphere. The radiation from the star heats up the gas and creates a shock front that expands into the interstellar medium. The shock compresses the clump material while the ionizing radiation heats it up. The outcome of this "cloud-crushing" process is a fully turbulent gas in the wake of the clump. In the end, the clump entirely dissolves. We propose that this mechanism is very efficient in creating short-living supersonic turbulence in the vicinity of massive stars.