238 research outputs found
Two-Dimensional Hydrodynamic Models of Super Star Clusters with a Positive Star Formation Feedback
Using the hydrodynamic code ZEUS, we perform 2D simulations to determine the
fate of the gas ejected by massive stars within super star clusters. It turns
out that the outcome depends mainly on the mass and radius of the cluster. In
the case of less massive clusters, a hot high velocity ( km
s) stationary wind develops and the metals injected by supernovae are
dispersed to large distances from the cluster. On the other hand, the density
of the thermalized ejecta within massive and compact clusters is sufficiently
large as to immediately provoke the onset of thermal instabilities. These
deplete, particularly in the central densest regions, the pressure and the
pressure gradient required to establish a stationary wind, and instead the
thermally unstable parcels of gas are rapidly compressed, by a plethora of
re-pressurizing shocks, into compact high density condensations. Most of these
are unable to leave the cluster volume and thus accumulate to eventually feed
further generations of star formation.
The simulations cover an important fraction of the parameter-space, which
allows us to estimate the fraction of the reinserted gas which accumulates
within the cluster and the fraction that leaves the cluster as a function of
the cluster mechanical luminosity, the cluster size and heating efficiency.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ; 27 pages, 9 figures, 1 tabl
Interaction of Infall and Winds in Young Stellar Objects
The interaction of a stellar or disk wind with a collapsing environment holds
promise for explaining a variety of outflow phenomena observed around young
stars. In this paper we present the first simulations of these interactions.
The focus here is on exploring how ram pressure balance between wind and
ambient gas and post-shock cooling affects the shape of the resulting outflows.
In our models we explore the role of ram pressure and cooling by holding the
wind speed constant and adjusting the ratio of the inflow mass flux to the wind
mass flux (Mdot_a/Mdot_w) Assuming non-spherical cloud collapse, we find that
relatively strong winds can carve out wide, conical outflow cavities and that
relatively weak winds can be strongly collimated into jet-like structures. If
the winds become weak enough, they can be cut off entirely by the infalling
environment. We identify discrepancies between results from standard snowplow
models and those presented here that have important implications for molecular
outflows. We also present mass vs. velocity curves for comparison with
observations.Comment: 35 pages, 11 figures (PNG and EPS
NICMOS Images of the GG Tau Circumbinary Disk
We present deep, near-infrared images of the circumbinary disk surrounding
the pre-main-sequence binary star, GG Tau A, obtained with NICMOS aboard the
Hubble Space Telescope. The spatially resolved proto-planetary disk scatters
roughly 1.5% of the stellar flux, with a near-to-far side flux ratio of ~1.4,
independent of wavelength, and colors that are comparable to the central
source; all of these properties are significantly different from the earlier
ground-based observations. New Monte Carlo scattering simulations of the disk
emphasize that the general properties of the disk, such as disk flux, near side
to far side flux ratio and integrated colors, can be approximately reproduced
using ISM-like dust grains, without the presence of either circumstellar disks
or large dust grains, as had previously been suggested. A single parameter
phase function is fitted to the observed azimuthal variation in disk flux,
providing a lower limit on the median grain size of 0.23 micron. Our analysis,
in comparison to previous simulations, shows that the major limitation to the
study of grain growth in T Tauri disk systems through scattered light lies in
the uncertain ISM dust grain properties. Finally, we use the 9 year baseline of
astrometric measurements of the binary to solve the complete orbit, assuming
that the binary is coplanar with the circumbinary ring. We find that the
estimated 1 sigma range on disk inner edge to semi-major axis ratio, 3.2 <
Rin/a < 6.7, is larger than that estimated by previous SPH simulations of
binary-disk interactions.Comment: 40 pages, 8 postscript figures, accepted for publication in Ap
ROCker Models for Reliable Detection and Typing of Short-Read Sequences Carrying beta-Lactamase Genes
Identification of genes encoding beta-lactamases (BLs) from short-read sequences remains challenging due to the high frequency of shared amino acid functional domains and motifs in proteins encoded by BL genes and related non-BL gene sequences. Divergent BL homologs can be frequently missed during similarity searches, which has important practical consequences for monitoring antibiotic resistance. To address this limitation, we built ROCker models that targeted broad classes (e.g., class A, B, C, and D) and individual families (e.g., TEM) of BLs and challenged them with mock 150-bp- and 250-bp-read data sets of known composition. ROCker identifies most-discriminant bit score thresholds in sliding windows along the sequence of the target protein sequence and hence can account for nondiscriminative domains shared by unrelated proteins. BL ROCker models showed a 0% false-positive rate (FPR), a 0% to 4% false-negative rate (FNR), and an up-to-50-fold-higher F1 score [2 x precision x recall/(precision + recall)] compared to alternative methods, such as similarity searches using BLASTx with various e-value thresholds and BL hidden Markov models, or tools like DeepARG, ShortBRED, and AMRFinder. The ROCker models and the underlying protein sequence reference data sets and phylogenetic trees for read placement are freely available through http://enve-omics.ce.gatech.edu/data/rocker-bla. Application of these BL ROCker models to metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, and high-throughput PCR gene amplicon data should facilitate the reliable detection and quantification of BL variants encoded by environmental or clinical isolates and microbiomes and more accurate assessment of the associated public health risk, compared to the current practice. IMPORTANCE Resistance genes encoding beta-lactamases (BLs) confer resistance to the widely prescribed antibiotic class beta-lactams. Therefore, it is important to assess the prevalence of BL genes in clinical or environmental samples for monitoring the spreading of these genes into pathogens and estimating public health risk. However, detecting BLs in short-read sequence data is technically challenging. Our ROCker model-based bioinformatics approach showcases the reliable detection and typing of BLs in complex data sets and thus contributes toward solving an important problem in antibiotic resistance surveillance. The ROCker models developed substantially expand the toolbox for monitoring antibiotic resistance in clinical or environmental settings
Clustered Star Formation in W75 N
We present 2" to 7" resolution 3 mm continuum and CO(J=1-0) line emission and
near infrared Ks, H2, and [FeII] images toward the massive star forming region
W75 N. The CO emission uncovers a complex morphology of multiple, overlapping
outflows. A total flow mass of greater than 255 Msun extends 3 pc from
end-to-end and is being driven by at least four late to early-B protostars.
More than 10% of the molecular cloud has been accelerated to high velocities by
the molecular flows (> 5.2 km/s relative to v{LSR}) and the mechanical energy
in the outflowing gas is roughly half the gravitational binding energy of the
cloud. The W75 N cluster members represent a range of evolutionary stages, from
stars with no apparent circumstellar material to deeply embedded protostars
that are actively powering massive outflows. Nine cores of
millimeter-wavelength emission highlight the locations of embedded protostars
in W75 N. The total mass of gas & dust associated with the millimeter cores
ranges from 340 Msun to 11 Msun. The infrared reflection nebula and shocked H2
emission have multiple peaks and extensions which, again, suggests the presence
of several outflows. Diffuse H2 emission extends about 0.6 parsecs beyond the
outer boundaries of the CO emission while the [FeII] emission is only detected
close to the protostars. The infrared line emission morphology suggests that
only slow, non-dissociative J-type shocks exist throughout the pc-scale
outflows. Fast, dissociative shocks, common in jet-driven low-mass outflows,
are absent in W75 N. Thus, the energetics of the outflows from the late to
early B protostars in W75 N differ from their low-mass counterparts -- they do
not appear to be simply scaled-up versions of low-mass outflows.Comment: Astrophysical Journal, in press. 23 pages plus 10 figures (jpg
format). See http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/~dshepher/science.shtml for reprint with
full resolution figure
HST NICMOS Images of the HH 7/11 Outflow in NGC1333
We present near infrared images in H2 at 2.12um of the HH 7/11 outflow and
its driving source SVS 13 taken with HST NICMOS 2 camera, as well as archival
Ha and [SII] optical images obtained with the WFPC2 camera. The NICMOS high
angular resolution observations confirm the nature of a small scale jet arising
from SVS 13, and resolve a structure in the HH 7 working surface that could
correspond to Mach disk H2 emission. The H2 jet has a length of 430 AU (at a
distance of 350 pc), an aspect ratio of 2.2 and morphologically resembles the
well known DG Tau optical micro-jet. The kinematical age of the jet (approx. 10
yr) coincides with the time since the last outburst from SVS 13. If we
interpret the observed H2 flux density with molecular shock models of 20-30
km/s, then the jet has a density as high as 1.e+5 cc. The presence of this
small jet warns that contamination by H2 emission from an outflow in studies
searching for H2 in circumstellar disks is possible. At the working surface,
the smooth H2 morphology of the HH 7 bowshock indicates that the magnetic field
is strong, playing a major role in stabilizing this structure. The H2 flux
density of the Mach disk, when compared with that of the bowshock, suggests
that its emission is produced by molecular shocks of less than 20 km/s. The
WFPC2 optical images display several of the global features already inferred
from groundbased observations, like the filamentary structure in HH 8 and HH
10, which suggests a strong interaction of the outflow with its cavity. The H2
jet is not detected in {SII] or Ha, however, there is a small clump at approx.
5'' NE of SVS 13 that could be depicting the presence either of a different
outburst event or the north edge of the outflow cavity.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures (JPEGs
The lower mass function of the young open cluster Blanco 1: from 30 Mjup to 3 Mo
We performed a deep wide field optical survey of the young (~100-150 Myr)
open cluster Blanco1 to study its low mass population well down into the brown
dwarf regime and estimate its mass function over the whole cluster mass
range.The survey covers 2.3 square degrees in the I and z-bands down to I ~ z ~
24 with the CFH12K camera. Considering two different cluster ages (100 and 150
Myr), we selected cluster member candidates on the basis of their location in
the (I,I-z) CMD relative to the isochrones, and estimated the contamination by
foreground late-type field dwarfs using statistical arguments, infrared
photometry and low-resolution optical spectroscopy. We find that our survey
should contain about 57% of the cluster members in the 0.03-0.6 Mo mass range,
including 30-40 brown dwarfs. The candidate's radial distribution presents
evidence that mass segregation has already occured in the cluster. We took it
into account to estimate the cluster mass function across the
stellar/substellar boundary. We find that, between 0.03Mo and 0.6Mo, the
cluster mass distribution does not depend much on its exact age, and is well
represented by a single power-law, with an index alpha=0.69 +/- 0.15. Over the
whole mass domain, from 0.03Mo to 3Mo, the mass function is better fitted by a
log-normal function with m0=0.36 +/- 0.07Mo and sigma=0.58 +/- 0.06. Comparison
between the Blanco1 mass function, other young open clusters' MF, and the
galactic disc MF suggests that the IMF, from the substellar domain to the
higher mass part, does not depend much on initial conditions. We discuss the
implications of this result on theories developed to date to explain the origin
of the mass distribution.Comment: 18 pages, 15 figures and 5 tables accepted in A&
Extreme Active Molecular Jets in L1448C
The protostellar jet driven by L1448C was observed in the SiO J=8-7 and CO
J=3-2 lines and 350 GHz dust continuum at ~1" resolution with the Submillimeter
Array (SMA). A narrow jet from the northern source L1448C(N) was observed in
the SiO and the high-velocity CO. The jet consists of a chain of emission knots
with an inter-knot spacing of ~2" (500 AU) and a semi-periodic velocity
variation. The innermost pair of knots, which are significant in the SiO map
but barely seen in the CO, are located at ~1" (250 AU) from the central source,
L1448C(N). Since the dynamical time scale for the innermost pair is only ~10
yr, SiO may have been formed in the protostellar wind through the gas-phase
reaction, or been formed on the dust grain and directly released into the gas
phase by means of shocks. It is found that the jet is extremely active with a
mechanical luminosity of ~7 L_sun, which is comparable to the bolometric
luminosity of the central source (7.5 L_sun). The mass accretion rate onto the
protostar derived from the mass-loss rate is ~10^{-5} M_sun/yr. Such a high
mass accretion rate suggests that the mass and the age of the central star are
0.03-0.09 M_sun and (4-12)x10^3 yr, respectively, implying that the central
star is in the very early stage of protostellar evolution. The low-velocity CO
emission delineates two V-shaped shells with a common apex at L1448C(N). The
kinematics of these shells are reproduced by the model of a wide opening angle
wind. The co-existence of the highly-collimated jets and the wide-opening angle
shells can be explained by the unified X-wind model" in which highly-collimated
jet components correspond to the on-axis density enhancement of the
wide-opening angle wind. The CO =3--2 map also revealed the second outflow
driven by the southern source L1448C(S) located at ~8.3" (2000 AU) from
L1448C(N).Comment: 45 pages, 13 figures, Accepted for the publication in the
Astrophysical Journa
Climate instability and tipping points in the Late Devonian: Detection of the Hangenberg Event in an open oceanic island arc in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt
Sedimentary petrology and trace element geochemistry indicate that the Late Devonian to Early Carboniferous Heishantou Formation near Boulongour Reservoir (NW Xinjiang, China) was deposited on a steep slope, mid-latitude accreting island arc complex in an open oceanic system. Bulk 87Sr/86Sr ratios show excursion patterns that are consistent with excursions at the Devonian-Carboniferous (D-C) boundary in epicontinental margin sediments. Sedimentation rates for the Boulongour Reservoir sediments show highly variable rates that range from 0.5 cm/ky to 10 cm/ky, consistent with other Late Devonian sections and modern arc environments. Multiple whole rock geochemical proxies for anoxia and the size and distribution of pyrite framboids suggest the presence of the Hangenberg Event in the sediments associated with the D-C boundary, despite the lack of visible black shale. The presence of anoxia in an open ocean, island arc environment cannot be explained by upwelling of anoxic bottom waters at this paleolatitude, but can be explained by the global infliction of oceanic shallow water eutrophication on to a climate system in distress
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