813 research outputs found
The VLT-FLAMES survey of massive stars: Wind properties and evolution of hot massive stars in the LMC
[Abridged] We have studied the optical spectra of 28 O- and early B-type
stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud, 22 of which are associated with the young
star-forming region N11. Stellar parameters are determined using an automated
fitting method, combining the stellar atmosphere code FASTWIND with the
genetic-algorithm optimisation routine PIKAIA. Results for stars in the LH9 and
LH10 associations of N11 are consistent with a sequential star formation
scenario, in which activity in LH9 triggered the formation of LH10. Our sample
contains four stars of spectral type O2, of which the hottest is found to be
~49-54 kK (cf. ~45-46 kK for O3 stars). The masses of helium-enriched dwarfs
and giants are systematically lower than those implied by non-rotating
evolutionary tracks. We interpret this as evidence for efficient
rotationally-enhanced mixing, leading to the surfacing of primary helium and to
an increase of the stellar luminosity. This result is consistent with findings
for SMC stars by Mokiem et al. For bright giants and supergiants no such
mass-discrepancy is found, implying that these stars follow tracks of modestly
(or non-)rotating objects. Stellar mass-loss properties were found to be
intermediate to those found in massive stars in the Galaxy and the SMC, and
comparisons with theoretical predictions at LMC metallicity yielded good
agreement over the luminosity range of our targets, i.e. 5.0 < log L/L(sun) <
6.1
X-ray Sources and their Optical Counterparts in the Globular Cluster M4
We report on the Chandra X-ray Observatory ACIS-S3 imaging observation of the
Galactic globular cluster M4 (NGC 6121). We detect 12 X-ray sources inside the
core and 19 more within the cluster half-mass radius. The limiting luminosity
of this observation is Lx~10e29 erg/sec for sources associated with the
cluster, the deepest X-ray observation of a globular cluster to date. We
identify 6 X-ray sources with known objects and use ROSAT observations to show
that the brightest X-ray source is variable. Archival data from the Hubble
Space Telescope allow us to identify optical counterparts to 16 X-ray sources.
Based on the X-ray and optical properties of the identifications and the
information from the literature, we classify two (possibly three) sources as
cataclysmic variables, one X-ray source as a millisecond pulsar and 12 sources
as chromospherically active binaries. Comparison of M4 with 47 Tuc and NGC 6397
suggests a scaling of the number of active binaries in these clusters with the
cluster (core) mass.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ. Figure 1 and 5
are of reduced qualit
Dynamics of Primordial Black Hole Formation
We present a numerical investigation of the gravitational collapse of
horizon-size density fluctuations to primordial black holes (PBHs) during the
radiation-dominated phase of the Early Universe. The collapse dynamics of three
different families of initial perturbation shapes, imposed at the time of
horizon crossing, is computed. The perturbation threshold for black hole
formation, needed for estimations of the cosmological PBH mass function, is
found to be rather than the generally employed
, if is defined as \Delta M/\mh, the
relative excess mass within the initial horizon volume. In order to study the
accretion onto the newly formed black holes, we use a numerical scheme that
allows us to follow the evolution for long times after formation of the event
horizon. In general, small black holes (compared to the horizon mass at the
onset of the collapse) give rise to a fluid bounce that effectively shuts off
accretion onto the black hole, while large ones do not. In both cases, the
growth of the black hole mass owing to accretion is insignificant. Furthermore,
the scaling of black hole mass with distance from the formation threshold,
known to occur in near-critical gravitational collapse, is demonstrated to
apply to primordial black hole formation.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figures, revtex style, submitted to PR
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