187 research outputs found
Ancient eruptions of Eta Carinae: A tale written in proper motions
We analyze eight epochs of Hubble Space Telescope H+[N II] imaging of
Eta Carinae's outer ejecta. Proper motions of nearly 800 knots reveal that the
detected ejecta are divided into three apparent age groups, dating to around
1250 A.D., to around 1550 A.D., and to during or shortly before the Great
Eruption of the 1840s. Ejecta from these groups reside in different locations
and provide a firm constraint that Eta Car experienced multiple major eruptions
prior to the 19th century. The 1250 and 1550 events did not share the same
axisymmetry as the Homunculus; the 1250 event was particularly asymmetric, even
one-sided. In addition, the ejecta in the S ridge, which have been associated
with the Great Eruption, appear to predate the ejection of the Homunculus by
several decades. We detect essentially ballistic expansion across multiple
epochs. We find no evidence for large-scale deceleration of the observed knots
that could power the soft X-ray shell by plowing into surrounding material,
suggesting that the observed X-rays arise instead from fast, rarefied ejecta
from the 1840s overtaking the older dense knots. Early deceleration and
subsequent coasting cannot explain the origin of the older outer
ejecta---significant episodic mass loss prior to the 19th century is required.
The timescale and geometry of the past eruptions provide important constraints
for any theoretical physical mechanisms driving Eta Car's behavior.
Non-repeating mechanisms such as the merger of a close binary in a triple
system would require additional complexities to explain the observations.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Proper motions of collimated jets from intermediate-mass protostars in the Carina Nebula
We present proper motion measurements of 37 jets and HH objects in the Carina
Nebula measured in two epochs of H images obtained yrs apart
with HST/ACS. Transverse velocities in all but one jet are faster than km s, confirming that the jet-like H features identified by
Smith et al. (2010) trace outflowing gas. Proper motions constrain the location
of the jet-driving source and provide kinematic confirmation of the
intermediate-mass protostars that we identify for 20/37 jets. Jet velocities do
not correlate with the estimated protostar mass and embedded driving sources do
not have slower jets. Instead, transverse velocities (median km
s) are similar to those in jets from low-mass stars. Assuming a constant
velocity since launch, we compute jet dynamical ages (median yr).
If continuous emission from inner jets traces the duration of the most recent
accretion bursts, then these episodes are sustained longer (median
yr) than the typical decay time of an FU Orionis outburst. These jets can carry
appreciable momentum that may be injected into the surrounding environment. The
resulting outflow force, , lies between that measured in low- and
high-mass sources, despite the very different observational tracers used.
Smooth scaling of the outflow force argues for a common physical process
underlying outflows from protostars of all masses. This latest kinematic result
adds to a growing body of evidence that intermediate-mass star formation
proceeds like a scaled-up version of the formation of low-mass stars.Comment: accepted to MNRAS, 29 pages, 30 figures, 3 table
Proper motions of five OB stars with candidate dusty bow shocks in the Carina Nebula
We constrain the proper motions of five OB stars associated with candidate
stellar wind bow shocks in the Carina Nebula using HST ACS imaging over 9--10
year baselines. These proper motions allow us to directly compare each star's
motion to the orientation of its candidate bow shock. Although these stars are
saturated in our imaging, we assess their motion by the shifts required to
minimize residuals in their Airy rings. The results limit the direction of each
star's motion to sectors less than 90 degrees wide. None of the five stars are
moving away from the Carina Nebula's central clusters as runaway stars would
be, confirming that a candidate bow shock is not necessarily indicative of a
runaway star. Two of the five stars are moving tangentially relative to the
orientation of their candidate bow shocks, both of which point at the OB
cluster Trumpler 14. In these cases, the large-scale flow of the interstellar
medium, powered by feedback from the cluster, appears to dominate over the
motion of the star in producing the observed candidate bow shock. The remaining
three stars all have some component of motion toward the central clusters,
meaning that we cannot distinguish whether their candidate bow shocks are
indicators of stellar motion, of the flow of ambient gas, or of density
gradients in their surroundings. In addition, these stars' lack of outward
motion hints that the distributed massive-star population in Carina's South
Pillars region formed in place, rather than migrating out from the
association's central clusters.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA
Additional Massive Binaries in the Cygnus OB2 Association
We report the discovery and orbital solutions for two new OB binaries in the
Cygnus OB2 Association, MT311 (B2V+B3V) and MT605 (B0.5V+B2.5:V). We also
identify the system MT429 as a probable triple system consisting of a tight
eclipsing 2.97 day B3V+B6V pair and a B0V at a projected separation of 138 AU.
We further provide the first spectroscopic orbital solutions to the eclipsing,
double-lined, O-star binary MT696 (O9.5V+B1:V), the double-lined, early B
binary MT720 (B0-1V+B1-2V), and the double-lined, O-star binary MT771
(O7V+O9V). These systems exhibit orbital periods between 1.5 days and 12.3
days, with the majority having P<6 days. The two new binary discoveries and six
spectroscopic solutions bring the total number of known massive binaries in the
central region of the Cygnus OB2 Association to 20, with all but two having
full orbital solutions.Comment: 42 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journal, minor typos have been fixe
Five More Massive Binaries in the Cygnus OB2 Association
We present the orbital solutions for four OB spectroscopic binaries, MT145,
GSC 03161-00815, 2MASS J20294666+4105083, and Schulte 73, and the partial
orbital solution to the B spectroscopic binary, MT372, as part of an ongoing
study to determine the distribution of orbital parameters for massive binaries
in the Cygnus OB2 Association. MT145 is a new, single-lined, moderately
eccentric (e=0.291+/-0.009) spectroscopic binary with period of 25.140+/-0.008
days. GSC 03161-00815 is a slightly eccentric (e=0.10+/-0.01), eclipsing,
interacting and double-lined spectroscopic binary with a period of
4.674+/-0.004 days. 2MASS J20294666+4105083 is a moderately eccentric
(e=0.273+/-0.002) double-lined spectroscopic binary with a period of
2.884+/-0.001 days. Schulte 73 is a slightly eccentric (e=0.169+/-0.009),
double-lined spectroscopic binary with a period of 17.28+/-0.03 days and the
first "twin" in our survey with a mass ratio of q=0.99+/-0.02. MT372 is a
single-lined, eclipsing system with a period of 2.228 days and low eccentricity
(e~0). Of the now 18 known OB binaries in Cyg OB2, 14 have periods and mass
ratios. Emerging evidence also shows that the distribution of log(P) is flat
and consistent with Oepik's Law.Comment: Accepted to Astronomical Journa
An R- and I-Band Photometric Variability Survey of the Cygnus OB2 Association
We present a catalog of photometrically variable stars discovered within two
21'.3 X 21'.3 fields centered on the Cygnus OB2 association. There have
hitherto been no deep optical variability studies of Cyg OB2 despite it being
replete with early-type massive stars, perhaps due to the high and variable
extinction (up to A_V ~ 20) that permeates much of the region. Here we provide
results of the first variability study with this combination of spatial
coverage (~ 0.5 deg) and photometric depth (R ~ 21 mag). We find 121 stars to
be variable in both R- and I-band, 116 of them newly discovered. Of the 121
variables, we identify 27 eclipsing binaries (EBs) and eclipsing binary
candidates, 20 potential Herbig Ae/Be stars, and 52 pulsating variables.
Confirming both the status and the cluster membership of the Herbig Ae/Be stars
would address the uncertainty regarding the age and star formation history of
Cyg OB2. We match our catalog to known variables and binaries in the region,
2MASS near-IR (NIR) data, and Chandra X-ray observations to find counterparts
to new variables in other wavelengths.Comment: 34 pages, 12 figures, submitted to Ap
OB Stars & Stellar Bowshocks in Cygnus-X: A Novel Laboratory Estimating Stellar Mass Loss Rates
We use mid-IR images from the Spitzer Cygnus~X Legacy Survey to search for
stellar bowshocks, a signature of early type "runaway" stars with high space
velocities. We identify ten arc-shaped nebulae containing centrally located
stars as candidate bowshocks. New spectroscopic observations of five stars show
that all are late O to early B dwarfs. Our morphologically selected sample of
bowshock candidates encompasses diverse physical phenomena. Three of the stars
appear to be pre-main-sequence objects on the basis of rising SEDs in the
mid-IR, and their nebulae may be photon-dominated regions (PDRs). Four objects
have ambiguous classification. These may be partial dust shells or bubbles. We
conclude that three of the objects are probable bowshocks, based on their
morphological similarity to analytic prescriptions. Their nebular morphologies
reveal no systematic pattern of orientations that might indicate either a
population of stars ejected from or large-scale hydrodynamic outflows from Cyg
OB2. The fraction of runaways among OB stars near Cyg OB2 identified either by
radial velocity or bowshock techniques is ~0.5%, much smaller than the 8%
estimated among field OB stars. We also obtained a heliocentric radial velocity
for the previously known bowshock star, BD+43\degr3654, of -66.2+/-9.4 km/s,
solidifying its runaway status and implying a space velocity of 77+/-10 km/s.
We use the principles of momentum-driven bowshocks to arrive at a novel method
for estimating stellar mass loss rates. Derived mass loss rates range between
10^-7 and few x10^-6 solar masses/yr for the three O5V -- ~B2V stars identified
as generating bowshocks. These values are at the upper range of, but broadly
consistent with, estimates from other methods. (Abridged)Comment: 49 pages, 19 figures; Accepted for publication in ApJ;
full-resolution color figure version available at
http://physics.uwyo.edu/~chip/Papers/CygXBowshocks; comments invite
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