2,221 research outputs found
Collapse of a Molecular Cloud Core to Stellar Densities: The First Three-Dimensional Calculations
We present results from the first three-dimensional calculations ever to
follow the collapse of a molecular cloud core (~ 10^{-18} g cm^{-3}) to stellar
densities (> 0.01 g cm^{-3}). The calculations resolve structures over 7 orders
of magnitude in spatial extent (~ 5000 AU - 0.1 R_\odot), and over 17 orders of
magnitude in density contrast. With these calculations, we consider whether
fragmentation to form a close binary stellar system can occur during the second
collapse phase. We find that, if the quasistatic core that forms before the
second collapse phase is dynamically unstable to the growth of non-axisymmetric
perturbations, the angular momentum extracted from the central regions of the
core, via gravitational torques, is sufficient to prevent fragmentation and the
formation of a close binary during the subsequent second collapse.Comment: ApJ Letters, in press (will appear in Nov 20 issue; available from
the ApJ Rapid Release web page). 7 pages, incl. 5 figures. Also available at
http://www.mpia-hd.mpg.de/theory/bat
The effect of magnetic fields on star cluster formation
We examine the effect of magnetic fields on star cluster formation by
performing simulations following the self-gravitating collapse of a turbulent
molecular cloud to form stars in ideal MHD. The collapse of the cloud is
computed for global mass-to-flux ratios of infinity, 20, 10, 5 and 3, that is
using both weak and strong magnetic fields. Whilst even at very low strengths
the magnetic field is able to significantly influence the star formation
process, for magnetic fields with plasma beta < 1 the results are substantially
different to the hydrodynamic case. In these cases we find large-scale
magnetically-supported voids imprinted in the cloud structure; anisotropic
turbulent motions and column density structure aligned with the magnetic field
lines, both of which have recently been observed in the Taurus molecular cloud.
We also find strongly suppressed accretion in the magnetised runs, leading to
up to a 75% reduction in the amount of mass converted into stars over the
course of the calculations and a more quiescent mode of star formation. There
is also some indication that the relative formation efficiency of brown dwarfs
is lower in the strongly magnetised runs due to the reduction in the importance
of protostellar ejections.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures, 8 very pretty movies, MNRAS, accepted. Version
with high-res figures + movies available from
http://www.astro.ex.ac.uk/people/dprice/pubs/mcluster/index.htm
The thermodynamics of collapsing molecular cloud cores using smoothed particle hydrodynamics with radiative transfer
We present the results of a series of calculations studying the collapse of
molecular cloud cores performed using a three-dimensional smoothed particle
hydr odynamics code with radiative transfer in the flux-limited diffusion
approximation. The opacities and specific heat capacities are identical for
each calculation. However, we find that the temperature evolution during the
simulations varies significantly when starting from different initial
conditions. Even spherically-symmetric clouds with different initial densities
show markedly different development. We conclude that simple barotropic
equations of state like those used in some previous calculations provide at
best a crude approximation to the thermal behaviour of the gas. Radiative
transfer is necessary to obtain accurate temperatures.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Formation of Globular Clusters in Galaxy Mergers
We present a high-resolution simulation of globular cluster formation in a
galaxy merger. For the first time in such a simulation, individual star
clusters are directly identified and followed on their orbits. We
quantitatively compare star formation in the merger to that in the unperturbed
galaxies. The merging galaxies show a strong starburst, in sharp contrast to
their isolated progenitors. Most star clusters form in the tidal features. With
a mass range of --, they are
identified as globular clusters. The merger remnant is an elliptical galaxy.
Clusters with different mass or age have different radial distributions in the
galaxy. Our results show that the high specific frequency and bimodal
distribution of metallicity observed in elliptical galaxies are natural
products of gas-rich mergers, supporting a merger origin for the ellipticals
and their globular cluster systems.Comment: ApJL accepted, version with high quality color images can be found in
http://research.amnh.org/~yuexing/astro-ph/0407248.pd
Simulations of Stellar Collisions Involving Pre-Main Sequence Stars
In this paper, we present the results of smoothed particle hydrodynamic (SPH)
simulations of collisions between pre-main sequence stars and a variety of
other kinds of stars. Simulations over a range of impact parameters and
velocities were performed. We find that pre-main sequence stars tend to ``wrap
themselves'' around their impactor. We discuss the probable evolutionary state
of products of collisions between pre-main sequence stars and pre-main
sequence, main sequence, giant branch, and compact stars. The nature of the
collision product does not depend strongly on the impact parameter or the
velocity of the collision.Comment: Accepted by Ap
The morphology of the Milky Way - II. Reconstructing CO maps from disc galaxies with live stellar distributions
The arm structure of the Milky Way remains somewhat of an unknown, with
observational studies hindered by our location within the Galactic disc. In the
work presented here we use smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) and radiative
transfer to create synthetic longitude-velocity observations. Our aim is to
reverse-engineer a top down map of the Galaxy by comparing synthetic
longitude-velocity maps to those observed. We set up a system of N-body
particles to represent the disc and bulge, allowing for dynamic creation of
spiral features. Interstellar gas, and the molecular content, is evolved
alongside the stellar system. A 3D-radiative transfer code is then used to
compare the models to observational data. The resulting models display arm
features that are a good reproduction of many of the observed emission
structures of the Milky Way. These arms however are dynamic and transient,
allowing for a wide range of morphologies not possible with standard density
wave theory. The best fitting models are a much better match than previous work
using fixed potentials. They favour a 4-armed model with a pitch angle of
approximately 20 degrees, though with a pattern speed that decreases with
increasing Galactic radius. Inner bars are lacking however, which appear
required to fully reproduce the central molecular zone.Comment: 16 pages, 15 figures, accepted by MNRA
Stellar Encounters with Massive Star-Disk Systems
The dense, clustered environment in which massive stars form can lead to
interactions with neighboring stars. It has been hypothesized that collisions
and mergers may contribute to the growth of the most massive stars. In this
paper we extend the study of star-disk interactions to explore encounters
between a massive protostar and a less massive cluster sibling using the
publicly available SPH code GADGET-2. Collisions do not occur in the parameter
space studied, but the end state of many encounters is an eccentric binary with
a semi-major axis ~ 100 AU. Disk material is sometimes captured by the
impactor. Most encounters result in disruption and destruction of the initial
disk, and periodic torquing of the remnant disk. We consider the effect of the
changing orientation of the disk on an accretion driven jet, and the evolution
of the systems in the presence of on-going accretion from the parent core.Comment: 11 pages, 10 figures, accepted to Ap
Formation of the First Supermassive Black Holes
We consider the physical conditions under which supermassive black holes
could have formed inside the first galaxies. Our SPH simulations indicate that
metal-free galaxies with a virial temperature ~10^4 K and with suppressed H2
formation (due to an intergalactic UV background) tend to form a binary black
hole system which contains a substantial fraction (>10%) of the total baryonic
mass of the host galaxy. Fragmentation into stars is suppressed without
substantial H2 cooling. Our simulations follow the condensation of ~5x10^6
M_sun around the two centers of the binary down to a scale of < 0.1pc. Low-spin
galaxies form a single black hole instead. These early black holes lead to
quasar activity before the epoch of reionization. Primordial black hole
binaries lead to the emission of gravitational radiation at redshifts z>10 that
would be detectable by LISA.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, revised version, ApJ in press (October 10, 2003
Astrometric signatures of self-gravitating protoplanetary discs
We use high resolution numerical simulations to study whether gravitational
instabilities within circumstellar discs can produce astrometrically detectable
motion of the central star. For discs with masses of M_disc = 0.1 M_star, which
are permanantly stable against fragmentation, we find that the magnitude of the
astrometric signal depends upon the efficiency of disc cooling. Short cooling
times produce prominent filamentary spiral structures in the disc, and lead to
stellar motions that are potentially observable with future high precision
astrometric experiments. For a disc that is marginally unstable within radii of
\~10 au, we estimate astrometric displacements of 10-100 microarcsec on decade
timescales for a star at a distance of 100 pc. The predicted displacement is
suppressed by a factor of several in more stable discs in which the cooling
time exceeds the local dynamical time by an order of magnitude. We find that
the largest contribution comes from material in the outer regions of the disc
and hence, in the most pessimistic scenario, the stellar motions caused by the
disc could confuse astrometric searches for low mass planets orbiting at large
radii. They are, however, unlikely to present any complications in searches for
embedded planets orbiting at small radii, relative to the disc size, or Jupiter
mass planets or greater orbiting at large radii.Comment: 6 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
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