3,553 research outputs found
The precession of the giant HH34 outflow: a possible jet deceleration mechanism
The giant jets represent a fundamental trace of the historical evolution of
the outflow activity over timescales which are comparable to the accretion time
of the outflow sources in their main protostellar phase. The study of such huge
jets provides the possibility of retrieving important elements related to the
life of the outflow sources. In this paper, we study the role of precession
(combined with jet velocity-variability and the resulting enhanced interaction
with the surrounding environment) as a deceleration mechanism for giant jets
using a numerical approach. We obtain predictions of H alpha intensity maps and
position-velocity diagrams from 3D simulations of the giant HH 34 jet
(including an appropriate ejection velocity time-variability and a precession
of the outflow axis), and we compare them with previously published
observations of this object. Our simulations represent a step forward from
previous numerical studies of HH objects, in that the use of a 7-level, binary
adaptive grid has allowed us to compute models which appropiately cover all
relevant scales of a giant jet, from the ~ 100 AU jet radius close to the
source to the ~ 1 pc length of the outflow. A good qualitative and quantitative
agreement is found between the model predictions and the observations.
Moreover, we show that a critical parameter for obtaining a better or worse
agreement with the observations is the ratio rho_j/rho_a between the jet and
the environmental densities. The implications of this result in the context of
the current star formation models are discussed (ABRIDGED).Comment: 19 pages, 8 eps figs.,uses aaspp4; accepted by the Ap
Multidimensional Hydrodynamical Simulations of radiative cooling SNRs-clouds interactions: an application to Starburst Environments
In this work we are interested to study the by-products of SNR-clouds in a
starburst (SB) system. These interactions can have an important role in the
recycling of matter from the clouds to the ISM and vice-versa. In the present
work, we have focused our attention on the global effects of the interactions
between clouds and SN shock waves in the ISM of SB environments, and performed
3-D radiative cooling hydrodynamical simulations with the adaptive YGUAZU grid
code. We have also considered the effects of the photo-evaporation due to the
presence of a high number of UV photons from hot stars and supernovae (SNe).
The results have shown that, in the presence of radiative cooling, instead of
an efficient gas mixing with the diffuse ISM, the interactions cause the
fragmentation of the clouds into smaller ones. The results have also revealed
that the SNR-clouds interactions are less efficient at producing substantial
mass loss from the clouds to the diffuse ISM than mechanisms such as the
photo-evaporation caused by the UV flux from the hot stars.Comment: 15 pages, 25 figures. Figures with higher resolution at the page:
http://www.astro.iag.usp.br/~dalpino/ Astronomy & Astrophysics accepte
On the Influence of Magnetic Fields on the Structure of Protostellar Jets
We here present the first results of fully three-dimensional (3-D) MHD
simulations of radiative cooling pulsed (time-variable) jets for a set of
parameters which are suitable for protostellar outflows. Considering different
initial magnetic field topologies in approximate with the
thermal gas, i.e., (i) a longitudinal, and (ii) a helical field, both of which
permeating the jet and the ambient medium; and (iii) a purely toroidal field
permeating only the jet, we find that the overall morphology of the pulsed jet
is not very much affected by the presence of the different magnetic field
geometries in comparison to a nonmagnetic calculation. Instead, the magnetic
fields tend to affect essentially the detailed structure and emission
properties behind the shocks at the head and at the pulse-induced internal
knots, particularly for the helical and toroidal geometries. In these cases, we
find, for example, that the emissivity behind the internal knots can
be about three to four times larger than that of the purely hydrodynamical jet.
We also find that some features, like the nose cones that often develop at the
jet head in 2-D calculations involving toroidal magnetic fields, are smoothed
out or absent in the 3-D calculations.Comment: 13 pages, 3 figures, Accepted by ApJ Letters after minor corrections
(for high resolution figures, see http://www.iagusp.usp.br/~adriano/h.tar
Galactic Outflows and the pollution of the Galactic Environment by Supernovae
We here explore the effects of the SN explosions into the environment of
star-forming galaxies like the Milky Way. Successive randomly distributed and
clustered SNe explosions cause the formation of hot superbubbles that drive
either fountains or galactic winds above the galactic disk, depending on the
amount and concentration of energy that is injected by the SNe. In a galactic
fountain, the ejected gas is re-captured by the gravitational potential and
falls back onto the disk. From 3D nonequilibrium radiative cooling
hydrodynamical simulations of these fountains, we find that they may reach
altitudes up to about 5 kpc in the halo and thus allow for the formation of the
so called intermediate-velocity-clouds (IVCs) which are often observed in the
halos of disk galaxies. The high-velocity-clouds that are also observed but at
higher altitudes (of up to 12 kpc) require another mechanism to explain their
production. We argue that they could be formed either by the capture of gas
from the intergalactic medium and/or by the action of magnetic fields that are
carried to the halo with the gas in the fountains. Due to angular momentum
losses to the halo, we find that the fountain material falls back to smaller
radii and is not largely spread over the galactic disk. Instead, the SNe ejecta
fall nearby the region where the fountain was produced, a result which is
consistent with recent chemical models of the galaxy. The fall back material
leads to the formation of new generations of molecular clouds and to supersonic
turbulence feedback in the disk.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figures; paper of invited talk for the Procs. of the 2007
WISER Workshop (World Space Environment Forum), Alexandria, Egypt, October
2007, Spa. Sci. Rev
Star formation triggered by SN explosions: an application to the stellar association of Pictoris
In the present study, considering the physical conditions that are relevant
in interactions between supernova remnants (SNRs) and dense molecular clouds
for triggering star formation we have built a diagram of SNR radius versus
cloud density in which the constraints above delineate a shaded zone where star
formation is allowed. We have also performed fully 3-D radiatively cooling
numerical simulations of the impact between SNRs and clouds under different
initial conditions in order to follow the initial steps of these interactions.
We determine the conditions that may lead either to cloud collapse and star
formation or to complete cloud destruction and find that the numerical results
are consistent with those of the SNR-cloud density diagram. Finally, we have
applied the results above to the Pictoris stellar association which is
composed of low mass Post-T Tauri stars with an age of 11 Myr. It has been
recently suggested that its formation could have been triggered by the shock
wave produced by a SN explosion localized at a distance of about 62 pc that may
have occurred either in the Lower Centaurus Crux (LCC) or in the Upper
Centaurus Lupus (UCL) which are both nearby older subgroups of that association
(Ortega and co-workers). Using the results of the analysis above we have shown
that the suggested origin for the young association at the proposed distance is
plausible only for a very restricted range of initial conditions for the parent
molecular cloud, i.e., a cloud with a radius of the order of 10 pc and density
of the order of 20 cm and a temperature of the order of 50100 K.Comment: 9 pages, 10 figures, to appear in MNRA
Vegetation productivity losses linked to mediterranean hot and dry events
Persistent hot and dry conditions play an important role in vegetation dynamics, being generally associated with reduced activity. In the Mediterranean region, ecosystems are adapted to such conditions. However, prolonged and intense heat and drought or the occurrence of compound hot and dry events may still have a negative impact on vegetation activity. This work aims to study how the productivity of Mediterranean vegetation is affected by hot and dry events, examining a set of severe episodes that occurred in three different regions (Iberian Peninsula, Eastern Mediterranean and Western Europe) between 2001 and 2019. The analysis relies on remote sensing products, namely Gross Primary Production from MODIS to detect and monitor vegetative stress and LST from MODIS and SM from ESA CCI to evaluate the influence of temperature and soil water availability on stressed vegetation. Of all events, the 2005 episode in the Iberian Peninsula was the most significant, affecting large sectors of low tree cover areas and crops and leading to reductions of annual plant productivity in affected vegetation of ~47 TgC/year. The obtained results highlight the influence of land-atmosphere coupling on vegetation productivity and clarified the role of warm springs on vegetation activity and soil moisture that may amplify summer temperatures. The functional recovery of affected vegetation productivity after these episodes varied across events, ranging from months to years. This work highlights the influence of hot and dry events on vegetation productivity in the Mediterranean basin and the usefulness of remote-sensing products to assess the response of different land covers to such episodes
Interactions between hot and dry fuel conditions and vegetation dynamics in the 2017 fire season in Portugal
Wildfires are a serious threat to ecosystems and human. In Portugal, during 2017, a catastrophic fire season burned more than 500 000 hectares and caused the death of more than 100 people. Previous studies have shown that hot and dry fuel conditions promoted widespread propagation of wildfires. However, burned area (BA) and mega-fires, such as the 2017 ones, depend not just on favourable meteorological conditions, but also on fuel accumulation and dryness. In this study, we will assess the influence of spring meteorological conditions on fire season BA, through their effects on fuel accumulation and dryness. Using satellite-based data, we show that the association of higher temperatures and water availability in spring can increase the risk of summer wildfires propagation, flammability and intensity through their influence on vegetation gross productivity. This study highlights the important role of fuel accumulation during the growing season in fire-prone regions like Portugal. Our results imply that fuel management may be an effective way to mitigate extreme fire seasons associated with warmer and drier conditions in the future
Comparing the impacts of wildfire and meteorological variability on hydrological and erosion responses in a Mediterranean catchment
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
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