1,567 research outputs found
No evidence for intense, cold accretion onto YSOs from measurements of Li in T-Tauri stars
We have used medium resolution spectra to search for evidence that
proto-stellar objects accrete at high rates during their early 'assembly
phase'. Models predict that depleted lithium and reduced luminosity in T-Tauri
stars are key signatures of 'cold' high-rate accretion occurring early in a
star's evolution.
We found no evidence in 168 stars in NGC 2264 and the Orion Nebula Cluster
for strong lithium depletion through analysis of veiling corrected 6708
angstrom lithium spectral line strengths. This suggests that 'cold' accretion
at high rates (M_dot > 5 x 10-4 M_sol yr-1) occurs in the assembly phase of
fewer than 0.5 per cent of 0.3 < M < 1.9 M_sol stars.
We also find that the dispersion in the strength of the 6708 angstrom lithium
line might imply an age spread that is similar in magnitude to the apparent age
spread implied by the luminosity dispersion seen in colour magnitude diagrams.
Evidence for weak lithium depletion (< 10 per cent in equivalent width) that is
correlated with luminosity is also apparent, but we are unable to determine
whether age spreads or accretion at rates less than 5 x 10-4 M_sol yr-1 are
responsible.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures; Accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of
the Royal Astronomical Society, 2013 June 0
Pre-main-sequence isochrones -- II. Revising star and planet formation timescales
We have derived ages for 13 young (<30 Myr) star-forming regions and find
they are up to a factor two older than the ages typically adopted in the
literature. This result has wide-ranging implications, including that
circumstellar discs survive longer (~10-12 Myr) and that the average Class I
lifetime is greater (~1 Myr) than currently believed.
For each star-forming region we derived two ages from colour-magnitude
diagrams. First we fitted models of the evolution between the zero-age
main-sequence and terminal-age main-sequence to derive a homogeneous set of
main-sequence ages, distances and reddenings with statistically meaningful
uncertainties. Our second age for each star-forming region was derived by
fitting pre-main-sequence stars to new semi-empirical model isochrones. For the
first time (for a set of clusters younger than 50 Myr) we find broad agreement
between these two ages, and since these are derived from two distinct mass
regimes that rely on different aspects of stellar physics, it gives us
confidence in the new age scale. This agreement is largely due to our adoption
of empirical colour-Teff relations and bolometric corrections for
pre-main-sequence stars cooler than 4000 K.
The revised ages for the star-forming regions in our sample are: ~2 Myr for
NGC 6611 (Eagle Nebula; M 16), IC 5146 (Cocoon Nebula), NGC 6530 (Lagoon
Nebula; M 8), and NGC 2244 (Rosette Nebula); ~6 Myr for {\sigma} Ori, Cep OB3b,
and IC 348; ~10 Myr for {\lambda} Ori (Collinder 69); ~11 Myr for NGC 2169; ~12
Myr for NGC 2362; ~13 Myr for NGC 7160; ~14 Myr for {\chi} Per (NGC 884); and
~20 Myr for NGC 1960 (M 36).Comment: 28 pages, 18 figures, 34 tables, accepted for publication in MNRAS.
All photometric catalogues presented in this paper are available online at
the Cluster Collaboration homepage
http://www.astro.ex.ac.uk/people/timn/Catalogues
Observational indicators of the transition from fully convective stars to stars with radiative cores
We present a discussion of the similarities and key differences between the
transition onto (at the turn-on) and away from (at the turn-off) the main
sequence, the latter termed the Hertzsprung gap. Using a set of model
isochrones and adopting an initial mass function leads us to predict a dearth
of G-type stars for any star forming region. This is caused by the (relatively)
constant spectral type at which the transition from a fully convective star to
a star with a radiative core begins. We also present analysis of the details of
this transition in the ONC. In particular we show that a gap in the photometric
and spectral type distributions is centred on, and a change in the fractional
X-ray luminosity and rotation rate distribution occurs approximately at, the
position of a peak in radiative core size as a function of mass. Whilst
photometric signatures of this transition are lost at ages over ~20 Myrs, we
show that changes in fractional X-ray luminosity and magnetic field
configuration persist to older ages. Analysis of literature data show that the
mass at which the change in fractional X-ray luminosity is observed decreases
with age.Comment: 9 pages and 6 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA
A lithium depletion boundary age of 22 Myr for NGC 1960
We present a deep Cousins RI photometric survey of the open cluster NGC 1960,
complete to R_C \simeq 22, I_C \simeq 21, that is used to select a sample of
very low-mass cluster candidates. Gemini spectroscopy of a subset of these is
used to confirm membership and locate the age-dependent "lithium depletion
boundary" (LDB) --the luminosity at which lithium remains unburned in its
low-mass stars. The LDB implies a cluster age of 22 +/-4 Myr and is quite
insensitive to choice of evolutionary model. NGC 1960 is the youngest cluster
for which a LDB age has been estimated and possesses a well populated upper
main sequence and a rich low-mass pre-main sequence. The LDB age determined
here agrees well with precise age estimates made for the same cluster based on
isochrone fits to its high- and low-mass populations. The concordance between
these three age estimation techniques, that rely on different facets of stellar
astrophysics at very different masses, is an important step towards calibrating
the absolute ages of young open clusters and lends confidence to ages
determined using any one of them.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRA
Using the UM dynamical cores to reproduce idealised 3D flows
We demonstrate that both the current (New Dynamics), and next generation
(ENDGame) dynamical cores of the UK Met Office global circulation model, the
UM, reproduce consistently, the long-term, large-scale flows found in several
published idealised tests. The cases presented are the Held-Suarez test, a
simplified model of Earth (including a stratosphere), and a hypothetical
tidally locked Earth. Furthermore, we show that using simplifications to the
dynamical equations, which are expected to be justified for the physical
domains and flow regimes we have studied, and which are supported by the
ENDGame dynamical core, also produces matching long-term, large-scale flows.
Finally, we present evidence for differences in the detail of the planetary
flows and circulations resulting from improvements in the ENDGame formulation
over New Dynamics.Comment: 34 Pages, 23 Figures. Accepted for publication in Geoscientific Model
Development (pre-proof version
Eigenvectors, Circulation and Linear Instabilities for Planetary Science in 3 Dimensions (ECLIPS3D)
This is the final version. Available on open access from EDP Sciences via the DOI in this recordContext. The study of linear waves and instabilities is necessary to understand the physical evolution of an atmosphere, and can provide physical interpretation of the complex flows found in simulations performed using Global Circulation Models (GCM). In particular, the acceleration of superrotating flow at the equator of hot Jupiters has mostly been studied under several simplifying assumptions, the relaxing of which may impact final results. Aims. We develop and benchmark a publicly available algorithm to identify the eigenmodes of an atmosphere around any initial steady state. We also solve for linear steady states. Methods. We linearise the hydrodynamical equations of a planetary atmosphere in a steady state with arbitrary velocities and thermal profile. We then discretise the linearised equations on an appropriate staggered grid, and solve for eigenvectors and linear steady solutions with the use of a parallel library for linear algebra: ScaLAPACK. We also implement a posteriori calculation of an energy equation in order to obtain more information on the underlying physics of the mode. Results. Our code is benchmarked against classical wave and instability test cases in multiple geometries. The steady linear circulation calculations also reproduce expected results for the atmosphere of hot Jupiters. We finally show the robustness of our energy equation, and its power to obtain physical insight into the modes. Conclusions. We have developed and benchmarked a code for the study of linear processes in planetary atmospheres, with an arbitrary steady state. The calculation of an a posteriori energy equation provides both increased robustness and physical meaning to the obtained eigenmodes. This code can be applied to various problems, and notably to further study the initial spin up of superrotation of GCM simulations of hot Jupiter.European Union Horizon 2020Leverhulme TrustScience and Technology Facilities Council (STFC
Results from a set of three-dimensional numerical experiments of a hot Jupiter atmosphere
We present highlights from a large set of simulations of a hot Jupiter
atmosphere, nominally based on HD 209458b, aimed at exploring both the
evolution of the deep atmosphere, and the acceleration of the zonal flow or
jet. We find the occurrence of a super-rotating equatorial jet is robust to
changes in various parameters, and over long timescales, even in the absence of
strong inner or bottom boundary drag. This jet is diminished in one simulation
only, where we strongly force the deep atmosphere equator-to-pole temperature
gradient over long timescales. Finally, although the eddy momentum fluxes in
our atmosphere show similarities with the proposed mechanism for accelerating
jets on tidally-locked planets, the picture appears more complex. We present
tentative evidence for a jet driven by a combination of eddy momentum transport
and mean flow.Comment: 26 pages, 22 Figures. Accepted for publication in Astronomy and
Astrophysic
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