461 research outputs found
Formation and Collapse of Nonaxisymmetric Protostellar Cores in Planar Magnetic Interstellar Clouds: Formulation of the Problem and Linear Analysis
We formulate the problem of the formation and collapse of nonaxisymmetric
protostellar cores in weakly ionized, self-gravitating, magnetic molecular
clouds. In our formulation, molecular clouds are approximated as isothermal,
thin (but with finite thickness) sheets. We present the governing dynamical
equations for the multifluid system of neutral gas and ions, including
ambipolar diffusion, and also a self-consistent treatment of thermal pressure,
gravitational, and magnetic (pressure and tension) forces. The dimensionless
free parameters characterizing model clouds are discussed. The response of
cloud models to linear perturbations is also examined, with particular emphasis
on length and time scales for the growth of gravitational instability in
magnetically subcritical and supercritical clouds. We investigate their
dependence on a cloud's initial mass-to-magnetic-flux ratio (normalized to the
critical value for collapse), the dimensionless initial neutral-ion collision
time, and also the relative external pressure exerted on a model cloud. Among
our results, we find that nearly-critical model clouds have significantly
larger characteristic instability lengthscales than do more distinctly sub- or
supercritical models. Another result is that the effect of a greater external
pressure is to reduce the critical lengthscale for instability. Numerical
simulations showing the evolution of model clouds during the linear regime of
evolution are also presented, and compared to the results of the dispersion
analysis. They are found to be in agreement with the dispersion results, and
confirm the dependence of the characteristic length and time scales on
parameters such as the initial mass-to-flux ratio and relative external
pressure.Comment: 30 pages, 7 figures Accepted by Ap
Dynamical Collapse of Nonrotating Magnetic Molecular Cloud Cores: Evolution Through Point-Mass Formation
We present a numerical simulation of the dynamical collapse of a nonrotating
magnetic molecular cloud core and follow the core's evolution through the
formation of a central point mass and its subsequent growth to a 1 solar-mass
protostar. The epoch of point-mass formation (PMF) is investigated by a self-
consistent extension of previously presented models of core formation and
contraction in axisymmetric, self-gravitating, isothermal, magnetically
supported interstellar molecular clouds. Prior to PMF, the core is dynamically
contracting and is not well approximated by a quasistatic equilibrium model.
Ambipolar diffusion, which plays a key role in the early evolution of the core,
is unimportant during the dynamical pre-PMF collapse phase. However, the
appearance of a central mass, through its effect on the gravitational field in
the inner core regions, leads to a "revitalization" of ambipolar diffusion in
the weakly ionized gas surrounding the central protostar. This process is so
efficient that it leads to a decoupling of the field from the matter and
results in an outward propagating hydromagnetic C-type shock. The existence of
an ambipolar diffusion-mediated shock was predicted by Li & McKee (1996), and
we find that the basic shock structure given by their analytical model is well
reproduced by our more accurate numerical results. Our calculation also
demonstrates that ambipolar diffusion, rather than Ohmic diffusivity operating
in the innermost core region, is the main field decoupling mechanism
responsible for driving the shock after PMF.Comment: 59 pages, 10 figures, AASTeX4.0 accepted for publication in The
Astrophysical Journa
Self-Similar Collapse of Nonrotating Magnetic Molecular Cloud Cores
We obtain self-similar solutions that describe the gravitational collapse of
nonrotating, isothermal, magnetic molecular cloud cores. We use simplifying
assumptions but explicitly include the induction equation, and the semianalytic
solutions we derive are the first to account for the effects of ambipolar
diffusion following the formation of a central point mass. Our results
demonstrate that, after the protostar first forms, ambipolar diffusion causes
the magnetic flux to decouple in a growing region around the center. The
decoupled field lines remain approximately stationary and drive a hydromagnetic
C-shock that moves outward at a fraction of the speed of sound (typically a few
tenths of a kilometer per second), reaching a distance of a few thousand AU at
the end of the main accretion phase for a solar-mass star. We also show that,
in the absence of field diffusivity, a contracting core will not give rise to a
shock if, as is likely to be the case, the inflow speed near the origin is
nonzero at the time of point-mass formation. Although the evolution of
realistic molecular cloud cores will not be exactly self-similar, our results
reproduce the main qualitative features found in detailed core-collapse
simulations (Ciolek & Konigl 1998)Comment: 25 pages, 3 figures, AASTeXv4.0 Accepted for publication in The
Astrophysical Journa
J/psi suppression at forward rapidity in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN)=39 and 62.4 GeV
We present measurements of the J/psi invariant yields in sqrt(s_NN)=39 and
62.4 GeV Au+Au collisions at forward rapidity (1.2<|y|<2.2). Invariant yields
are presented as a function of both collision centrality and transverse
momentum. Nuclear modifications are obtained for central relative to peripheral
Au+Au collisions (R_CP) and for various centrality selections in Au+Au relative
to scaled p+p cross sections obtained from other measurements (R_AA). The
observed suppression patterns at 39 and 62.4 GeV are quite similar to those
previously measured at 200 GeV. This similar suppression presents a challenge
to theoretical models that contain various competing mechanisms with different
energy dependencies, some of which cause suppression and others enhancement.Comment: 365 authors, 10 pages, 11 figures, 4 tables. Submitted to Phys. Rev.
C. Plain text data tables for the points plotted in figures for this and
previous PHENIX publications are (or will be) publicly available at
http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm
Observation of direct-photon collective flow in sqrt(s_NN)=200 GeV Au+Au collisions
The second Fourier component v_2 of the azimuthal anisotropy with respect to
the reaction plane was measured for direct photons at midrapidity and
transverse momentum (p_T) of 1--13 GeV/c in Au+Au collisions at sqr(s_NN)=200
GeV. Previous measurements of this quantity for hadrons with p_T < 6 GeV/c
indicate that the medium behaves like a nearly perfect fluid, while for p_T > 6
GeV/c a reduced anisotropy is interpreted in terms of a path-length dependence
for parton energy loss. In this measurement with the PHENIX detector at the
Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider we find that for p_T > 4 GeV/c the anisotropy
for direct photons is consistent with zero, as expected if the dominant source
of direct photons is initial hard scattering. However, in the p_T < 4 GeV/c
region dominated by thermal photons, we find a substantial direct photon v_2
comparable to that of hadrons, whereas model calculations for thermal photons
in this kinematic region significantly underpredict the observed v_2.Comment: 384 authors, 6 pages, 3 figures, and 1 table. Submitted to Phys. Rev.
Lett. v2 has minor changes to match the submission version. Plain text data
tables for the points plotted in the figures are publicly available at
http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/phenix/WWW/info/data/ppg126_data.htm
Azimuthal anisotropy of pi^0 and eta mesons in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN)=200 GeV
The azimuthal anisotropy coefficients v_2 and v_4 of pi^0 and eta mesons are
measured in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN)=200 GeV, as a function of transverse
momentum p_T (1-14 GeV/c) and centrality. The extracted v_2 coefficients are
found to be consistent between the two meson species over the measured p_T
range. The ratio of v_4/v_2^2 for pi^0 mesons is found to be independent of p_T
for 1-9 GeV/c, implying a lack of sensitivity of the ratio to the change of
underlying physics with p_T. Furthermore, the ratio of v_4/v_2^2 is
systematically larger in central collisions, which may reflect the combined
effects of fluctuations in the initial collision geometry and finite viscosity
in the evolving medium.Comment: 384 authors, 71 institutions, 11 pages, 9 figures, and 2 tables.
Submitted to Physical Review C. Plain text data tables for the points plotted
in figures for this and previous PHENIX publications are (or will be)
publicly available at http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm
Double Spin Asymmetry of Electrons from Heavy Flavor Decays in p+p Collisions at sqrt(s)=200 GeV
We report on the first measurement of double-spin asymmetry, A_LL, of
electrons from the decays of hadrons containing heavy flavor in longitudinally
polarized p+p collisions at sqrt(s)=200 GeV for p_T= 0.5 to 3.0 GeV/c. The
asymmetry was measured at mid-rapidity (|eta|<0.35) with the PHENIX detector at
the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The measured asymmetries are consistent
with zero within the statistical errors. We obtained a constraint for the
polarized gluon distribution in the proton of |Delta g/g(log{_10}x=
-1.6^+0.5_-0.4, {mu}=m_T^c)|^2 < 0.033 (1 sigma), based on a leading-order
perturbative-quantum-chromodynamics model, using the measured asymmetry.Comment: 385 authors, 17 pages, 15 figures, 5 tables. Submitted to Phys. Rev.
D. Plain text data tables for the points plotted in figures for this and
previous PHENIX publications are (or will be) publicly available at
http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm
Azimuthal anisotropy of neutral pion production in Au+Au collisions at sqrt(s_NN) = 200 GeV: Path-length dependence of jet quenching and the role of initial geometry
We have measured the azimuthal anisotropy of pi0's for 1 < pT < 18 GeV/c for
Au+Au collisions at sqrt s_NN = 200 GeV. The observed anisotropy shows a
gradual decrease in 3 < pT < 7 - 10 GeV/c, but remains positive beyond 10
GeV/c. The magnitude of this anisotropy is under-predicted, up to at least 10
GeV/c, by current perturbative QCD (pQCD) energy-loss model calculations. An
estimate of the increase in anisotropy expected from initial-geometry
modification due to gluon saturation effects and initial-geometry fluctuations
is insufficient to account for this discrepancy. Calculations which implement a
path length dependence steeper than what is implied by current pQCD energy-loss
models, show reasonable agreement with the data.Comment: 384 authors, 6 pages text, 3 figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett.
Plain text data tables for the points plotted in figures for this and
previous PHENIX publications are (or will be) publicly available at
http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm
Quadrupole Anisotropy in Dihadron Azimuthal Correlations in Central Au Collisions at =200 GeV
The PHENIX collaboration at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC)
reports measurements of azimuthal dihadron correlations near midrapidity in
Au collisions at =200 GeV. These measurements
complement recent analyses by experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)
involving central Pb collisions at =5.02 TeV, which
have indicated strong anisotropic long-range correlations in angular
distributions of hadron pairs. The origin of these anisotropies is currently
unknown. Various competing explanations include parton saturation and
hydrodynamic flow. We observe qualitatively similar, but larger, anisotropies
in Au collisions compared to those seen in Pb collisions at the
LHC. The larger extracted values in Au collisions at RHIC are
consistent with expectations from hydrodynamic calculations owing to the larger
expected initial-state eccentricity compared with that from Pb
collisions. When both are divided by an estimate of the initial-state
eccentricity the scaled anisotropies follow a common trend with multiplicity
that may extend to heavy ion data at RHIC and the LHC, where the anisotropies
are widely thought to arise from hydrodynamic flow.Comment: 375 authors, 7 pages, 5 figures. Published in Phys. Rev. Lett. v2 has
minor changes to text and figures in response to PRL referee suggestions.
Plain text data tables for the points plotted in figures for this and
previous PHENIX publications are (or will be) publicly available at
http://www.phenix.bnl.gov/papers.htm
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