The Influence of Metallicity on Star Formation in Protogalaxies

In cold dark matter cosmological models, the first stars to form are believed to do so within small protogalaxies. We wish to understand how the evolution of these early protogalaxies changes once the gas forming them has been enriched with small quantities of heavy elements, which are produced and dispersed into the intergalactic medium by the first supernovae. Our initial conditions represent protogalaxies forming within a fossil H II region, a previously ionized region that has not yet had time to cool and recombine. We study the influence of low levels of metal enrichment on the cooling and collapse of ionized gas in small protogalactic halos using three-dimensional, smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) simulations that incorporate the effects of the appropriate chemical and thermal processes. Our previous simulations demonstrated that for metallicities Z < 0.001 Z_sun, metal line cooling alters the density and temperature evolution of the gas by less than 1% compared to the metal-free case at densities below 1 cm-3) and temperatures above 2000 K. Here, we present the results of high-resolution simulations using particle splitting to improve resolution in regions of interest. These simulations allow us to address the question of whether there is a critical metallicity above which fine structure cooling from metals allows efficient fragmentation to occur, producing an initial mass function (IMF) resembling the local Salpeter IMF, rather than only high-mass stars.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures, First Stars III conference proceeding

Solenoidal versus compressive turbulence forcing

We analyze the statistics and star formation rate obtained in high-resolution numerical experiments of forced supersonic turbulence, and compare with observations. We concentrate on a systematic comparison of solenoidal (divergence-free) and compressive (curl-free) forcing, which are two limiting cases of turbulence driving. Our results show that for the same RMS Mach number, compressive forcing produces a three times larger standard deviation of the density probability distribution. When self-gravity is included in the models, the star formation rate is more than one order of magnitude higher for compressive forcing than for solenoidal forcing.Comment: 1 page, to appear in the proceedings of the IAU General Assembly Joint Discussion 14 "FIR2009: The ISM of Galaxies in the Far-Infrared and Sub-Millimetre", ed. M. Cunningha

Temperature Fluctuations driven by Magnetorotational Instability in Protoplanetary Disks

The magnetorotational instability (MRI) drives magnetized turbulence in sufficiently ionized regions of protoplanetary disks, leading to mass accretion. The dissipation of the potential energy associated with this accretion determines the thermal structure of accreting regions. Until recently, the heating from the turbulence has only been treated in an azimuthally averaged sense, neglecting local fluctuations. However, magnetized turbulence dissipates its energy intermittently in current sheet structures. We study this intermittent energy dissipation using high resolution numerical models including a treatment of radiative thermal diffusion in an optically thick regime. Our models predict that these turbulent current sheets drive order unity temperature variations even where the MRI is damped strongly by Ohmic resistivity. This implies that the current sheet structures where energy dissipation occurs must be well resolved to correctly capture the flow structure in numerical models. Higher resolutions are required to resolve energy dissipation than to resolve the magnetic field strength or accretion stresses. The temperature variations are large enough to have major consequences for mineral formation in disks, including melting chondrules, remelting calcium-aluminum rich inclusions, and annealing silicates; and may drive hysteresis: current sheets in MRI active regions could be significantly more conductive than the remainder of the disk.Comment: 16 pages, 13 figures, ApJ In Press, updated to match proof

Wolf-Rayet and LBV Nebulae as the Result of Variable and Non-Spherical Stellar Winds

The physical basis for interpreting observations of nebular morphology around massive stars in terms of the evolution of the central stars is reviewed, and examples are discussed, including NGC 6888, OMC-1, and eta Carinae.Comment: To be published in the Proceedings of IAU Colloquium 169 on Variable and Non-Spherical Stellar Winds in Luminous Hot Stars, ed. B. Wolf (Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg). 7 pages, including 5 figures. A full-resolution version of fig 4 is available in the version at http://www.mpia-hd.mpg.de/theory/preprints.html#maclo

2,6-Diiodo-4-nitrophenol, 2,6-diiodo-4-nitrophenyl acetate and 2,6-diiodo-4-nitroanisole: interplay of hydrogen bonds, iodo-nitro interactions and aromatic [pi]-[pi]-stacking interactions to give supramolecular structures in one, two and three dimensions

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Nearby Clumpy, Gas Rich, Star Forming Galaxies: Local Analogs of High Redshift Clumpy Galaxies

Luminous compact blue galaxies (LCBGs) have enhanced star formation rates and compact morphologies. We combine Sloan Digital Sky Survey data with HI data of 29 LCBGs at redshift z~0 to understand their nature. We find that local LCBGs have high atomic gas fractions (~50%) and star formation rates per stellar mass consistent with some high redshift star forming galaxies. Many local LCBGs also have clumpy morphologies, with clumps distributed across their disks. Although rare, these galaxies appear to be similar to the clumpy star forming galaxies commonly observed at z~1-3. Local LCBGs separate into three groups: 1. Interacting galaxies (~20%); 2. Clumpy spirals (~40%); 3. Non-clumpy, non-spirals with regular shapes and smaller effective radii and stellar masses (~40%). It seems that the method of building up a high gas fraction, which then triggers star formation, is not the same for all local LCBGs. This may lead to a dichotomy in galaxy characteristics. We consider possible gas delivery scenarios and suggest that clumpy spirals, preferentially located in clusters and with companions, are smoothly accreting gas from tidally disrupted companions and/or intracluster gas enriched by stripped satellites. Conversely, as non-clumpy galaxies are preferentially located in the field and tend to be isolated, we suggest clumpy, cold streams, which destroy galaxy disks and prevent clump formation, as a likely gas delivery mechanism for these systems. Other possibilities include smooth cold streams, a series of minor mergers, or major interactions.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figure

Corrections to deuterium hyperfine structure due to deuteron excitations

We consider the corrections to deuterium hyperfine structure originating from the two-photon exchange between electron and deuteron, with the deuteron excitations in the intermediate states. In particular, the motion of the two intermediate nucleons as a whole is taken into account. The problem is solved in the zero-range approximation. The result is in good agreement with the experimental value of the deuterium hyperfine splitting.Comment: 7 pages, LaTe

NICMOS Observations of the Pre-Main-Sequence Planetary Debris System HD 98800

Spectral energy distributions (SEDs) from 0.4 to 4.7 microns are presented for the two principal stellar components of HD~98800, A and B. The third major component, an extensive planetary debris system (PDS), emits > 20% of the luminosity of star B in a blackbody SED at 164 +/- 5K extending from mid-IR to millimeter-wavelengths. At 0.95 microns a preliminary upper limit of < 0.06 is obtained for the ratio of reflected light to the total from star B. This result limits the albedo of the PDS to < 0.3. Values are presented for the temperature, luminosity, and radius of each major systemic component. Remarkable similarities are found between the PDS and the interplanetary debris system around the Sun as it could have appeared a few million years after its formation.Comment: LaTeX, 9 pages with 1 encapsulated postscript figure and one specially formatted Table which is rendered as a postscript file and included as a figure. Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal Letter