Orbital Decay and Tidal Disruption of a Star Cluster: Analytical Calculation

The orbital decay and tidal disruption of a star cluster in a galaxy is studied in an analytical manner. Owing to dynamical friction, the star cluster spirals in toward the center of the galaxy. Simultaneously, the galactic tidal field strips stars from the outskirts of the star cluster. Under an assumption that the star cluster undergoes a self-similar evolution, we obtain the condition and timescale for the star cluster to reach the galaxy center before its disruption. The result is used to discuss the fate of so-called intermediate-mass black holes with >10^3 M(sun) found recently in young star clusters of starburst galaxies and also the mass function of globular clusters in galaxies.Comment: 12 pages, 1 PS file for 2 figures, to appear in The Astrophysical Journa

Grain Survival in Supernova Remnants and Herbig-Haro Objects

By using the flux ratio [FeII]8617/[OI]6300, we demonstrate that most of the interstellar dust grains survive in shocks associated with supernova remnants and Herbig-Haro objects. The [FeII]/[OI] flux ratio is sensitive to the gas-phase Fe/O abundance ratio, but is insensitive to the ionization state, temperature, and density of the gas. We calculate the [FeII]/[OI] flux ratio in shocks, and compare the results with the observational data. When only 20% of iron is in the gas phase, the models reproduce most successfully the observations. This finding is in conflict with the current consensus that shocks destroy almost all the grains and 100% of metals are in the gas phase. We comment on previous works on grain destruction, and discuss why grains are not destroyed in shocks.Comment: 8 pages (AASTex v5.0), 3 figures. To be published in ApJ Letters (accepted 3/10/2000

Vortex Tubes in Turbulence Velocity Fields at Reynolds Numbers 300-1300

The most elementary structures of turbulence, i.e., vortex tubes, are studied using velocity data obtained in a laboratory experiment for boundary layers with microscale Reynolds numbers 295-1258. We conduct conditional averaging for enhancements of a small-scale velocity increment and obtain the typical velocity profile for vortex tubes. Their radii are of the order of the Kolmogorov length. Their circulation velocities are of the order of the root-mean-square velocity fluctuation. We also obtain the distribution of the interval between successive enhancements of the velocity increment as the measure of the spatial distribution of vortex tubes. They tend to cluster together below about the integral length and more significantly below about the Taylor microscale. These properties are independent of the Reynolds number and are hence expected to be universal.Comment: 8 pages, to appear in Physical Review

Probability density function of turbulent velocity fluctuations in rough-wall boundary layer

The probability density function of single-point velocity fluctuations in turbulence is studied systematically using Fourier coefficients in the energy-containing range. In ideal turbulence where energy-containing motions are random and independent, the Fourier coefficients tend to Gaussian and independent of each other. Velocity fluctuations accordingly tend to Gaussian. However, if energy-containing motions are intermittent or contaminated with bounded-amplitude motions such as wavy wakes, the Fourier coefficients tend to non-Gaussian and dependent of each other. Velocity fluctuations accordingly tend to non-Gaussian. These situations are found in our experiment of a rough-wall boundary layer.Comment: 6 pages, to appear in Physical Review

Molecular Hydrogen and [FeII] in Active Galactic Nuclei

(Abridge) Near-infrared spectroscopy is used to study the kinematics and excitation mechanisms of the H2 and [FeII] gas in a sample of AGN. The H2 lines are unresolved in all objects in which they were detected while the [FeII] lines have widths implying gas velocities of up to 650 km/s. This suggests that, very likely, the H2 and [FeII] emission does not originate from the same parcel of gas. Molecular H2 were detected in 90% of the sample, including PG objects, indicating detectavel amounts of molecular material even in objects with low levels of circumnuclear starburst activity. The data favors thermal excitation for the H2 lines. Indeed, in NGC3227, Mrk766, NGC4051 and NGC4151, the molecular emission is found to be purely thermal. This result is also confirmed by the rather similar vibrational and rotational temperatures in the objects for which they were derived. [FeII] lines are detected in all of the AGN. The [FeII] 1.254mu/Pa-beta ratio is compatible with excitation of the [FeII] by the active nucleus, but in Mrk 766 it implies a stellar origin. A correlation between H2/Br-gamma and [FeII]/Pa-beta is found. We confirm that it is a useful diagnostic tool in the NIR to separate emitting line objects by their level of nuclear activity. X-ray excitation models are able to explain the observed H2 and part of the [FeII] emission. Most likely, a combination of X-ray heating, shocks driven by the radio jet, and circumnuclear star formation contributes, in different proportions, to the H2 and [FeII] emission. In most of our spectra, the [FeII] 1.257mu/1.644mu ratio is found to be 30% lower than the intrinsic value based on current atomic data. This implies either than the extinction towards the [FeII] emitting clouds is very similar in most objects or there are possible inaccuracies in the A-values in the [FeII] transitions.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures, Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic