4,030 research outputs found
HII Shells Surrounding Wolf-Rayet stars in M31
We present the results of an ongoing investigation to provide a detailed view
of the processes by which massive stars shape the surrounding interstellar
medium (ISM), from pc to kpc scales. In this paper we have focused on studying
the environments of Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars in M31 to find evidence for WR
wind-ISM interactions, through imaging ionized hydrogen nebulae surrounding
these stars.
We have conducted a systematic survey for HII shells surrounding 48 of the 49
known WR stars in M31. There are 17 WR stars surrounded by single shells, or
shell fragments, 7 stars surrounded by concentric limb brightened shells, 20
stars where there is no clear physical association of the star with nearby
H-alpha emission, and 4 stars which lack nearby H-alpha emission. For the 17+7
shells above, there are 12 which contain one or two massive stars (including a
WR star) and that are <=40 pc in radius. These 12 shells may be classical WR
ejecta or wind-blown shells. Further, there may be excess H-alpha point source
emission associated with one of the 12 WR stars surrounded by putative ejecta
or wind-blown shells. There is also evidence for excess point source emission
associated with 11 other WR stars. The excess emission may arise from
unresolved circumstellar shells, or within the extended outer envelopes of the
stars themselves.
In a few cases we find clear morphological evidence for WR shells interacting
with each other. In several H-alpha images we see WR winds disrupting, or
punching through, the walls of limb-brightened HII shells.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figures (in several parts: some .jpg and others .ps),
accepted to AJ (appearing Oct, 1999
Towards a historical ecology of intertidal foraging in the Mafia Archipelago: archaeomalacology and implications for marine resource management
Understanding the timing and nature of human influence on coastal and island ecosystems is becoming a central concern in archaeological research, particularly when investigated within a historical ecology framework. Unfortunately, the coast and islands of eastern Africa have not figured significantly within this growing body of literature, but are important given their historically contingent environmental, social, and political contexts, as well as the considerable threats now posed to marine ecosystems. Here, we begin developing a longer-term understanding of past marine resource use in the Mafia Archipelago (eastern Africa), an area of high ecological importance containing the Mafia Island Marine Park. Focusing on the comparatively less researched marine invertebrates provides a means for initiating discussion on potential past marine ecosystem structure, human foraging and environmental shifts, and the implications for contemporary marine resource management. The available evidence suggests that human-environment interactions over the last 2000 years were complex and dynamic; however, these data raise more questions than answers regarding the specific drivers of changes observed in the archaeomalacological record. This is encouraging as a baseline investigation and emphasizes the need for further engagement with historical ecology by a range of cognate disciplines to enhance our understanding of these complex issues
Combined Palladium-Silver and Iodine-Xenon Isotope Systematics for Allegan (H5) and Dhofar 125 (Acapulcoite)
SwSt 1: an O-rich planetary nebula around a C-rich central star
The hydrogen-deficient carbon-rich [WCL] type central star HD167362 and its
oxygen-rich planetary nebula (PN) SwSt~1 are investigated. The nebular
chemistry might indicate a recent origin for the carbon-rich stellar spectrum.
Its stellar and nebular properties might therefore provide further
understanding of the origin of the [WCL] central star class. The UV-IR stellar
spectra are modelled with state of the codes and show ~40kK central star with a
wind and a C/O~3, indicative of efficient third dredge-up. The synthetic
stellar flux distribution is used to model the high density, compact PN, which
has a solar C/O ratio, is still enshrouded by 1200K and 230K dust shells and,
reported here for the first time, in molecular hydrogen. Although it appears
that the change in C/O ratio has been recent, the published spectroscopy since
1895 has been re-examined and no clear spectral change is seen. If an event
occurred that has turned it into a hydrogen-deficient central star, it did not
happen in the last 100 years.Comment: 31 pages, 19 figures (some are gif files), MNRAS in pres
A Spectroscopic Study of a Large Sample of Wolf-Rayet Galaxies
We analyze long-slit spectral observations of 39 Wolf-Rayet (WR) galaxies
with heavy element mass fraction ranging over 2 orders of magnitude, from
Zsun/50 to 2Zsun. Nearly all galaxies in our sample show broad WR emission in
the blue region of the spectrum (the blue bump) consisting of an unresolved
blend of N III 4640, C III 4650, C IV 4658 and He II 4686 emission lines. Broad
C IV 5808 emission (the red bump) is detected in 30 galaxies. Additionally,
weaker WR emission lines are identified, most often the N III 4512 and Si III
4565 lines, which have very rarely or never been seen and discussed before in
WR galaxies. These emission features are characteristic of WN7-WN8 and WN9-WN11
stars respectively.
We derive the numbers of early WC (WCE) and late WN (WNL) stars from the
luminosities of the red and blue bumps, and the number of O stars from the
luminosity of the Hbeta emission line. Additionally, we propose a new technique
for deriving the numbers of WNL stars from the N III 4512 and Si III 4565
emission lines. This technique is potentially more precise than the blue bump
method because it does not suffer from contamination of WCE and early WN (WNE)
stars and nebular gaseous emission.
The N(WR)/N(O+WR) ratio decreases with decreasing metallicity, in agreement
with predictions of evolutionary synthesis models. The N(WC)/N(WN) ratios and
the equivalent widths of the blue bump EW(4650) and of the red bump EW(5808)
derived from observations are also in satisfactory agreement with theoretical
predictions.Comment: 49 pages, 9 figures, to appear in Astrophys.
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