MODELING JET-DRIVEN MOLECULAR OUTFLOWS

We have investigated the basic physical properties of the outflow that is created by a supersonic jet in a dense molecular cloud. We show that the dynamics of the interaction is strongly controlled by the rapid cooling of the post-shock gas at the head of the jet. The velocity of the gas is high in the vicinity of the jet head, but decreases rapidly as more material is swept-up. This type of outflow produces extremely high velocity clumps of post-shock gas which resemble the features seen in out-flows. We also show that momentum transfer in bow shocks is more important than entrainment in high Mach number jets, as found in the protostellar environment.