40 research outputs found
Testing population synthesis models with globular cluster colors
We have measured an extensive set of UBVRIJHK colors for M31 globular
clusters [Barmby et al. 2000]. We compare the predicted simple stellar
population colors of three population synthesis models to the intrinsic colors
of Galactic and M31 globular clusters. The best-fitting models fit the cluster
colors very well -- the weighted mean color offsets are all < 0.05 mag. The
most significant offsets between model and data are in the U and B passbands;
these are not unexpected and are likely due to problems with the spectral
libraries used by the models. The metal-rich clusters ([Fe/H] > -0.8) are best
fit by young (8 Gyr) models, while the metal-poor clusters are best fit by
older (12--16 Gyr) models. If this range of globular cluster ages is correct,
it implies that conditions for cluster formation must have existed for a
substantial fraction of the galaxies' lifetimes.Comment: To appear in ApJ Letters; 8 pages including 3 figures and 1 tabl
Analysis of interstellar fragmentation structure based on IRAS images
The goal of this project was to develop new tools for the analysis of the structure of densely sampled maps of interstellar star-forming regions. A particular emphasis was on the recognition and characterization of nested hierarchical structure and fractal irregularity, and their relation to the level of star formation activity. The panoramic IRAS images provided data with the required range in spatial scale, greater than a factor of 100, and in column density, greater than a factor of 50. In order to construct a densely sampled column density map of a cloud complex which is both self-gravitating and not (yet?) stirred up much by star formation, a column density image of the Taurus region has been constructed from IRAS data. The primary drawback to using the IRAS data for this purpose is that it contains no velocity information, and the possible importance of projection effects must be kept in mind
Analysis of interstellar cloud structure based on IRAS images
The goal of this project was to develop new tools for the analysis of the structure of densely sampled maps of interstellar star-forming regions. A particular emphasis was on the recognition and characterization of nested hierarchical structure and fractal irregularity, and their relation to the level of star formation activity. The panoramic IRAS images provided data with the required range in spatial scale, greater than a factor of 100, and in column density, greater than a factor of 50. In order to construct densely sampled column density maps of star-forming clouds, column density images of four nearby cloud complexes were constructed from IRAS data. The regions have various degrees of star formation activity, and most of them have probably not been affected much by the disruptive effects of young massive stars. The largest region, the Scorpius-Ophiuchus cloud complex, covers about 1000 square degrees (it was subdivided into a few smaller regions for analysis). Much of the work during the early part of the project focused on an 80 square degree region in the core of the Taurus complex, a well-studied region of low-mass star formation
Cloud fluid models of gas dynamics and star formation in galaxies
The large dynamic range of star formation in galaxies, and the apparently complex environmental influences involved in triggering or suppressing star formation, challenges the understanding. The key to this understanding may be the detailed study of simple physical models for the dominant nonlinear interactions in interstellar cloud systems. One such model is described, a generalized Oort model cloud fluid, and two simple applications of it are explored. The first of these is the relaxation of an isolated volume of cloud fluid following a disturbance. Though very idealized, this closed box study suggests a physical mechanism for starbursts, which is based on the approximate commensurability of massive cloud lifetimes and cloud collisional growth times. The second application is to the modeling of colliding ring galaxies. In this case, the driving processes operating on a dynamical timescale interact with the local cloud processes operating on the above timescale. The results is a variety of interesting nonequilibrium behaviors, including spatial variations of star formation that do not depend monotonically on gas density
The Effect of Star Formation History on the Inferred Initial Stellar Mass Function
Peaks and lulls in the star formation rate (SFR) over the history of the
Galaxy produce plateaux and declines in the present day mass function (PDMF)
where the main-sequence lifetime overlaps the age and duration of the SFR
variation. These PDMF features can be misinterpreted as the form of the
intrinsic stellar initial mass function (IMF) if the star formation rate is
assumed to be constant or slowly varying with time. This effect applies to all
regions that have formed stars for longer than the age of the most massive
stars, including OB associations, star complexes, and especially galactic field
stars. Related problems may apply to embedded clusters. Evidence is summarized
for temporal SFR variations from parsec scales to entire galaxies, all of which
should contribute to inferred IMF distortions. We give examples of various star
formation histories to demonstrate the types of false IMF structures that might
be seen. These include short-duration bursts, stochastic histories with
log-normal amplitude distributions, and oscillating histories with various
periods and phases. The inferred IMF should appear steeper than the intrinsic
IMF over mass ranges where the stellar lifetimes correspond to times of
decreasing SFRs; shallow portions of the inferred IMF correspond to times of
increasing SFRs. If field regions are populated by dispersed clusters and
defined by their low current SFRs, then they should have steeper inferred IMFs
than the clusters. The SFRs required to give the steep field IMFs in the LMC
and SMC are determined. Structure observed in several determinations of the
Milky Way field star IMF can be accounted for by a stochastic and bursty star
formation history.Comment: accepted by ApJ for 1 Jan 2006, Vol 636, 12 pages + 6 figure
Pre-Existing Superbubbles as the Sites of Gamma-Ray Bursts
According to recent models, gamma-ray bursts apparently explode in a wide
variety of ambient densities ranging from ~ 10^{-3} to 30 cm^{-3}. The lowest
density environments seem, at first sight, to be incompatible with bursts in or
near molecular clouds or with dense stellar winds and hence with the
association of gamma-ray bursts with massive stars. We argue that low ambient
density regions naturally exist in areas of active star formation as the
interiors of superbubbles. The evolution of the interior bubble density as a
function of time for different assumptions about the evaporative or
hydrodynamical mass loading of the bubble interior is discussed. We present a
number of reasons why there should exist a large range of inferred afterglow
ambient densities whether gamma-ray bursts arise in massive stars or some
version of compact star coalescence. We predict that many gamma-ray bursts will
be identified with X-ray bright regions of galaxies, corresponding to
superbubbles, rather than with blue localized regions of star formation.
Massive star progenitors are expected to have their own circumstellar winds.
The lack of evidence for individual stellar winds associated with the
progenitor stars for the cases with afterglows in especially low density
environments may imply low wind densities and hence low mass loss rates
combined with high velocities. If gamma-ray bursts are associated with massive
stars, this combination might be expected for compact progenitors with
atmospheres dominated by carbon, oxygen or heavier elements, that is,
progenitors resembling Type Ic supernovae.Comment: 14 pages, no figures, submitted to The Astrophysical Journa
The M31 Globular Cluster Luminosity Function
We combine our compilation of photometry of M31 globular cluster and probable
cluster candidates with new near-infrared photometry for 30 objects. Using
these data we determine the globular cluster luminosity function (GCLF) in
multiple filters for the M31 halo clusters. We find a GCLF peak and dispersion
of V_0^0=16.84 +/-0.11, sigma_t=0.93 +/- 0.13 (Gaussian sigma = 1.20 +/- 0.14),
consistent with previous results. The halo GCLF peak colors (e.g., B^0_0 -
V^0_0) are consistent with the average cluster colors. We also measure V-band
GCLF parameters for several other subsamples of the M31 globular cluster
population. The inner third of the clusters have a GCLF peak significantly
brigher than that of the outer clusters (delta V =~ 0.5mag). Dividing the
sample by both galacticentric distance and metallicity, we find that the GCLF
also varies with metallicity, as the metal-poor clusters are on average 0.36
mag fainter than the metal-rich clusters. Our modeling of the catalog selection
effects suggests that they are not the cause of the measured differences, but a
more complete, less-contaminated M31 cluster catalog is required for
confirmation. Our results imply that dynamical destruction is not the only
factor causing variation in the M31 GCLF: metallicity, age, and cluster initial
mass function may also be important.Comment: AJ, in press. 36 pages, including 7 figure
The young stellar population of NGC 4214 as observed with HST. II. Results
We present the results of a detailed UV-optical study of the nearby dwarf
starburst galaxy NGC 4214 using multifilter HST/WFPC2+STIS photometry. The
stellar extinction is found to be quite patchy, with some areas having values
of E(4405-5495)< 0.1 mag and others, associated with star forming regions, much
more heavily obscured, a result which is consistent with previous studies of
the nebular extinction. We determined the ratio of blue-to-red supergiants and
found it to be consistent with theoretical models for the metallicity of the
SMC. The stellar IMF of the field in the range 20-100 solar masses is found to
be steeper than Salpeter. A number of massive clusters and associations with
ages between a few and 200 million years are detected and their properties are
discussed.Comment: 49 pages, 12 figures, 6 table