394 research outputs found
Super star cluster feedback driving ionization, shocks and outflows in the halo of the nearby starburst ESO 338-IG04
Stellar feedback strongly affects the interstellar medium (ISM) of galaxies.
Stellar feedback in the first galaxies likely plays a major role in enabling
the escape of LyC photons, which contribute to the re-ionization of the
Universe. Nearby starburst galaxies serve as local analogues allowing for a
spatially resolved assessment of the feedback processes in these galaxies. We
characterize the feedback effects from the star clusters in the local
high-redshift analogue ESO 338-IG04 on the ISM and compare the results with the
properties of the most massive clusters. We use high quality VLT/MUSE optical
integral field data to derive the physical properties of the ISM such as
ionization, density, shocks, and perform new fitting of the spectral energy
distributions of the brightest clusters in ESO 338-IG04 from HST imaging. ESO
338-IG04 has a large ionized halo which we detect to a distance of 9 kpc. We
identify 4 Wolf-Rayet (WR) clusters based on the blue and red WR bump. We
follow previously identified ionization cones and find that the ionization of
the halo increases with distance. Analysis of the galaxy kinematics shows two
complex outflows driven by the numerous young clusters in the galaxy. We find a
ring of shocked emission traced by an enhanced [OI]/H ratio surrounding
the starburst and at the end of the outflow. Finally we detect nitrogen
enriched gas associated with the outflow, likely caused by the WR stars in the
massive star clusters. Photo-ionization dominates the central starburst and
sets the ionization structure of the entire halo, resulting in a density
bounded halo, facilitating the escape of LyC photons. Outside the central
starburst, shocks triggered by an expanding super bubble become important. The
shocks at the end of the outflow suggest interaction between the hot outflowing
material and the more quiescent halo gas.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics, 22 pages, 15
figure
MUSE Illuminates Channels for Lyman Continuum Escape in the Halo of SBS 0335-52E
We report on the discovery of ionised gas filaments in the circum-galactic
halo of the extremely metal-poor compact starburst SBS 0335-052E in a 1.5h
integration with the MUSE integral-field spectrograph. We detect these features
in H and [OIII] emission down to surface-brightness levels of erg scmarcsec. The filaments have
projected diameters of 2.1 kpc and extend more than 9 kpc to the north and
north-west from the main stellar body. We also detect extended nebular HeII
4686 emission that brightens towards the north-west at the rim of a
star-burst driven super-shell, suggestive of a locally enhanced UV radiation
field due to shocks. We also present a velocity field of the ionised gas. The
filaments appear to connect seamlessly in velocity space to the kinematical
disturbances caused by the shell. Similar to high- star-forming galaxies,
the ionised gas in this galaxy is dispersion dominated. We argue that the
filaments were created via feedback from the starburst and that these ionised
structures in the halo may act as escape channels for Lyman continuum radiation
in this gas-rich system.Comment: Revised version after peer review. Accepted for publication in A&A
letter
Massive pre-main-sequence stars in M17: and overtone CO bandhead emission and the thermal infrared
Recently much progress has been made in probing the embedded stages of
massive star formation, pointing to formation scenarios akin to a scaled up
version of low-mass star formation. However, the latest stages of massive star
formation have rarely been observed. Using 1st and 2nd overtone CO bandhead
emission and near- to mid-infrared photometry we aim to characterize the
remnant formation disks around 5 unique pre-main-sequence (PMS) stars with
masses , that have constrained stellar parameters thanks to
their detectable photospheres. We seek to understand this emission and the
disks it originates from in the context of the evolutionary stage of the
studied sources. We use an analytic LTE disk model to fit the CO bandhead and
the dust emission, found to originate in different disk regions. For the first
time we modeled the 2nd overtone emission. Furthermore, we fit continuum
normalized bandheads and show the importance of this in constraining the
emission region. We also include in our models as an additional
probe of the young nature of the studied objects. We find that the CO emission
originates in a narrow region close to the star (<1 AU) and under very similar
disk conditions (temperatures and densities) for the different objects. This is
consistent with previous modeling of this emission in a diverse range of young
stellar objects. We discuss these results in the context of the positions of
these PMS stars in the Hertzsprung-Russel diagram and the CO emission's
association with early age and high accretion rates in (massive) young stellar
objects. We conclude that, considering their mass range and for the fact that
their photospheres are detected, the M17 PMS stars are observed in a relatively
early formation stage. They are therefore excellent candidates for longer
wavelength studies to further constrain the end stages of massive star
formation.Comment: 21 pages, 12 figure
Automatic SIMD vectorization for Haskell
Expressing algorithms using immutable arrays greatly simplifies the challenges of automatic SIMD vectorization, since several important classes of dependency violations cannot occur. The Haskell programming language provides libraries for programming with immutable arrays, and compiler support for optimizing them to eliminate the overhead of intermediate temporary arrays. We describe an implementation of automatic SIMD vectorization in a Haskell compiler which gives substantial vector speedups for arange of programs written in a natural programming style. We compare performance with that of programs compiled by the Glasgow Haskell Compile
A 15 kpc outflow cone piercing through the halo of the blue compact metal-poor galaxy SBS0335-052
Context: Outflows from low-mass star-forming galaxies are a fundamental
ingredient for models of galaxy evolution and cosmology.
Aims: The onset of kpc-scale ionised filaments in the halo of the metal-poor
compact dwarf SBS 0335-052E was previously not linked to an outflow. We here we
investigate whether these filaments provide evidence for an outflow.
Methods: We obtained new VLT/MUSE WFM and deep NRAO/VLA B-configuration 21cm
data of the galaxy. The MUSE data provide morphology, kinematics, and emission
line ratios H/H and [\ion{O}{iii}]/H of the
low surface-brightness filaments, while the VLA data deliver morphology and
kinematics of the neutral gas in and around the system. Both datasets are used
in concert for comparisons between the ionised and the neutral phase.
Results: We report the prolongation of a lacy filamentary ionised structure
up to a projected distance of 16 kpc at erg s cmarcsec. The filaments exhibit
unusual low H/H and low [\ion{O}{iii}]/H typical of diffuse ionised gas. They are spectrally narrow ( km s) and exhibit no velocity sub-structure. The filaments extend
outwards of the elongated \ion{H}{I} halo. On small scales the
peak is offset from the main star-forming sites. Morphology and kinematics of
\ion{H}{I} and \ion{H}{II} reveal how star-formation driven feedback interacts
differently with the ionised and the neutral phase.
Conclusions: We reason that the filaments are a large scale manifestation of
star-formation driven feedback, namely limb-brightened edges of a giant outflow
cone that protrudes through the halo of this gas-rich system. A simple toy
model of such a conical-structure is found to be commensurable with the
observations.Comment: Accepted version in A&A after language editing. 22 pages, 24 figure
Galaxy Collisions - Dawn of a New Era
The study of colliding galaxies has progressed rapidly in the last few years,
driven by observations with powerful new ground and space-based instruments.
These instruments have used for detailed studies of specific nearby systems,
statistical studies of large samples of relatively nearby systems, and
increasingly large samples of high redshift systems. Following a brief summary
of the historical context, this review attempts to integrate these studies to
address the following key issues. What role do collisions play in galaxy
evolution, and how can recently discovered processes like downsizing resolve
some apparently contradictory results of high redshift studies? What is the
role of environment in galaxy collisions? How is star formation and nuclear
activity orchestrated by the large scale dynamics, before and during merger?
Are novel modes of star formation involved? What are we to make of the
association of ultraluminous X-ray sources with colliding galaxies? To what do
degree do mergers and feedback trigger long-term secular effects? How far can
we push the archaeology of individual systems to determine the nature of
precursor systems and the precise effect of the interaction? Tentative answers
to many of these questions have been suggested, and the prospects for answering
most of them in the next few decades are good.Comment: 44 pages, 9 figures, review article in press for Astrophysics Update
Vol.
Probing the Early Evolution of Young High-Mass Stars
Near-infrared imaging surveys of high-mass star-forming regions reveal an
amazingly complex interplay between star formation and the environment
(Churchwell et al. 2006; Alvarez et al. 2004). By means of near-IR spectroscopy
the embedded massive young stars can be characterized and placed in the context
of their birth site. However, so far spectroscopic surveys have been hopelessly
incomplete, hampering any systematic study of these very young massive stars.
New integral field instrumentation available at ESO has opened the possibility
to take a huge step forward by obtaining a full spectral inventory of the
youngest massive stellar populations in star-forming regions currently
accessible. Simultaneously, the analysis of the extended emission allows the
characterization of the environmental conditions. The Formation and Early
Evolution of Massive Stars (FEMS) collaboration aims at setting up a large
observing campaign to obtain a full census of the stellar content, ionized
material, outflows and PDR's over a sample of regions that covers a large
parameter space. Complementary radio, mm and infrared observations will be used
for the characterization of the deeply embedded population. For the first eight
regions we have obtained 40 hours of SINFONI observations. In this
contribution, we present the first results on three regions that illustrate the
potential of this strategy.Comment: To appear in ASP Conf. Proceedings of "Massive Star Formation:
Observations confront Theory", H. Beuther et al. (eds.), held in Heidelberg,
September 200
Massive Stars In The W33 Giant Molecular Complex
Rich in H II regions, giant molecular clouds are natural laboratories to study massive stars and sequential star formation. The Galactic star-forming complex W33 is located at = ∼ ◦ l 12.8 and at a distance of 2.4 kpc and has a size of ≈10 pc and a total mass of ≈(0.8−8.0) × 105 M⊙. The integrated radio and IR luminosity of W33—when combined with the direct detection of methanol masers, the protostellar object W33A, and the protocluster embedded within the radio source W33 main—mark the region as a site of vigorous ongoing star formation. In order to assess the long-term star formation history, we performed an infrared spectroscopic search for massive stars, detecting for the first time 14 early-type stars, including one WN6 star and four O4–7 stars. The distribution of spectral types suggests that this population formed during the past ∼2–4 Myr, while the absence of red supergiants precludes extensive star formation at ages 6–30 Myr. This activity appears distributed throughout the region and does not appear to
have yielded the dense stellar clusters that characterize other star-forming complexes such as Carina and G305. Instead, we anticipate that W33 will eventually evolve into a loose stellar aggregate, with Cyg OB2 serving as a useful, albeit richer and more massive, comparator. Given recent distance estimates, and despite a remarkably similar stellar population, the rich cluster Cl 1813–178 located on the northwest edge of W33 does not appear to be physically associated with W33
The heritability of beta cell function parameters in a mixed meal test design
Aims/hypothesis: We estimated the heritability of individual differences in beta cell function after a mixed meal test designed to assess a wide range of classical and model-derived beta cell function parameters. Methods: A total of 183 healthy participants (77 men), recruited from the Netherlands Twin Register, took part in a 4 h protocol, which included a mixed meal test. Participants were Dutch twin pairs and their siblings, aged 20 to 49 years. All members within a family were of the same sex. Insulin sensitivity, insulinogenic index, insulin response and postprandial glycaemia were assessed, as well as model-derived parameters of beta cell function, in particular beta cell glucose sensitivity and insulin secretion rates. Genetic modelling provided the heritability of all traits. Multivariate genetic analyses were performed to test for overlap in the genetic factors influencing beta cell function, waist circumference and insulin sensitivity. Results: Significant heritabilities were found for insulinogenic index (63%), beta cell glucose sensitivity (50%), insulin secretion during the first 2 h postprandial (42-47%) and postprandial glycaemia (43-52%). Genetic factors influencing beta cell glucose sensitivity and insulin secretion during the first 30 postprandial min showed only negligible overlap with the genetic factors that influence waist circumference and insulin sensitivity. Conclusions/interpretation: The highest heritability for postprandial beta cell function was found for the insulinogenic index, but the most specific indices of heritability of beta cell function appeared to be beta cell glucose sensitivity and the insulin secretion rate during the first 30 min after a mixed meal. © The Author(s) 2011
- …