Compute the Jeans mass MJ = (5kT/GmH)^(3/2) × (3/4πρ)^(1/2) and Jeans length λJ = cs × √(π/Gρ), the critical scales for gravitational collapse of a gas cloud to form stars.
| Constant | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Speed of light | c | 2.99792458×10⁸ |
| Planck's constant | h | 6.62607015×10⁻³‴ |
| Boltzmann constant | kʙ | 1.380649×10⁻²³ |
| Avogadro's number | Nₐ | 6.02214076×10²³ |
| Gravitational constant | G | 6.6743×10⁻¹¹ |
| Gas constant | R | 8.31446 |
| Elementary charge | e | 1.602176634×10⁻¹⁹ |
| Electron mass | mₑ | 9.1093837015×10⁻³¹ |
| Proton mass | mₚ | 1.67262192369×10⁻²⁷ |
| Fine-structure constant | α | 7.2973525693×10⁻³ |
Enter the values for the scenario you are assessing. Compute the Jeans mass MJ = (5kT/GmH)^(3/2) × (3/4πρ)^(1/2) and Jeans length λJ = cs × √(π/Gρ), the critical scales for gravitational collapse of a gas cloud to form stars. Use the jeans mass result to inform your calculation.