210 research outputs found
The Distribution of Stellar Mass in the Pleiades
As part of an effort to understand the origin of open clusters, we present a
statistical analysis of the currently observed Pleiades. Starting with a
photometric catalog of the cluster, we employ a maximum likelihood technique to
determine the mass distribution of its members, including single stars and both
components of binary systems. We find that the overall binary fraction for
unresolved pairs is 68%. Extrapolating to include resolved systems, this
fraction climbs to about 76%, significantly higher than the accepted field-star
result. Both figures are sensitive to the cluster age, for which we have used
the currently favored value of 125 Myr. The primary and secondary masses within
binaries are correlated, in the sense that their ratios are closer to unity
than under the hypothesis of random pairing. We map out the spatial variation
of the cluster's projected and three-dimensional mass and number densities.
Finally, we revisit the issue of mass segregation in the Pleiades. We find
unambiguous evidence of segregation, and introduce a new method for quantifying
it.Comment: 41 pages, 14 figures To Be Published in The Astrophysical Journa
Trapped Protostellar Winds and their Breakout
Observations show that high-velocity jets stem from deeply embedded young
stars, which may still be experiencing infall from their parent cloud cores.
Yet theory predicts that, early in this buildup, any outgoing wind is trapped
by incoming material of low angular momentum. As collapse continues and brings
in more rapidly rotating gas, the wind can eventually break out. Here we model
this transition by following the motion of the shocked shell created by impact
of the wind and a rotating, collapsing envelope. We first demonstrate, both
analytically and numerically, that our previous, quasi-static solutions are
dynamically unstable. Our present, fully time-dependent calculations include
cases both where the wind is driven back by infall to the stellar surface, and
where it erupts as a true outflow. For the latter, we find that the time of
breakout is sim 50,000 yr for wind speeds of 200 km/s. The reason for the delay
is that the shocked material, including the swept-up infall, must be able to
climb out of the star's gravitational potential well.
We explore the critical wind speed necessary for breakout as a function of
the mass transport rates in the wind and infall, as well as the cloud rotation
rate Omega0 and time since the start of infall. Breakout does occur for
realistic parameter choices. The actual breakout times would change if we
relaxed the assumption of perfect mixing between the wind and infall material.
Our expanding shells do not exhibit the collimation of observed jets, but
continue to expand laterally. To halt this expansion, the density in the
envelope must fall off less steeply than in our model.Comment: 44 pages, 10 figures, accepted to Ap
Simulations of protostellar collapse using multigroup radiation hydrodynamics. I. The first collapse
Radiative transfer plays a major role in the process of star formation. Many
simulations of gravitational collapse of a cold gas cloud followed by the
formation of a protostellar core use a grey treatment of radiative transfer
coupled to the hydrodynamics. However, dust opacities which dominate extinction
show large variations as a function of frequency. In this paper, we used
frequency-dependent radiative transfer to investigate the influence of the
opacity variations on the properties of Larson's first core. We used a
multigroup M1 moment model in a 1D radiation hydrodynamics code to simulate the
spherically symmetric collapse of a 1 solar mass cloud core. Monochromatic dust
opacities for five different temperature ranges were used to compute Planck and
Rosseland means inside each frequency group. The results are very consistent
with previous studies and only small differences were observed between the grey
and multigroup simulations. For a same central density, the multigroup
simulations tend to produce first cores with a slightly higher radius and
central temperature. We also performed simulations of the collapse of a 10 and
0.1 solar mass cloud, which showed the properties of the first core to be
independent of the initial cloud mass, with again no major differences between
grey and multigroup models. For Larson's first collapse, where temperatures
remain below 2000 K, the vast majority of the radiation energy lies in the IR
regime and the system is optically thick. In this regime, the grey
approximation does a good job reproducing the correct opacities, as long as
there are no large opacity variations on scales much smaller than the width of
the Planck function. The multigroup method is however expected to yield more
important differences in the later stages of the collapse when high energy (UV
and X-ray) radiation is present and matter and radiation are strongly
decoupled.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Star Formation in the Milky Way and Nearby Galaxies
We review progress over the past decade in observations of large-scale star
formation, with a focus on the interface between extragalactic and Galactic
studies. Methods of measuring gas contents and star formation rates are
discussed, and updated prescriptions for calculating star formation rates are
provided. We review relations between star formation and gas on scales ranging
from entire galaxies to individual molecular clouds.Comment: 55 pages, 15 figures, in press for Annual Reviews of Astronomy and
Astrophysics; Updated with corrected equation 5, improved references, and
other minor change
On the Influence of Uncertainties in Chemical Reaction Rates on Results of the Astrochemical Modelling
With the chemical reaction rate database UMIST95 (Millar et al. 1997) we
analyze how uncertainties in rate constants of gas-phase chemical reactions
influence the modelling of molecular abundances in the interstellar medium.
Random variations are introduced into the rate constants to estimate the
scatter in theoretical abundances. Calculations are performed for dark and
translucent molecular clouds where gas phase chemistry is adequate. Similar
approach was used by Pineau des Forets & Roueff (2000) for the study of
chemical bistability. All the species are divided into 6 sensitivity groups
according to the value of the scatter in their model abundances computed with
varied rate constants. It is shown that the distribution of species within
these groups depends on the number of atoms in a molecule and on the adopted
physical conditions. The simple method is suggested which allows to single out
reactions that are most important for the evolution of a given species.Comment: 4 pages. To appear in the proceedings of the 4th Cologne-Bonn Zermatt
Symposiu
The role of the time step and overshooting in the modelling of PMS evolution: the case of EK Cephei
We have produced detailed evolutionary models of the binary EK Cep using the
CESAM stellar evolution code (Morel 1997). A -minimisation was
performed to derive the most reliable set of modelling parameters. We have
found that an evolutionary age of about 26.8 Myrs fits both components in the
same isochrone. The positions of EK Cep A and B in the HR diagram are
consistent (within the observational uncertainties) with our results.
Our revised calibration shows clearly that EK Cep is in the beginning of the
main sequence, while EK Cep B is indeed a PMS star. Such a combination allows
for a precise age determination of the binary, and provides a strict test of
the modelling. In particular we have found that the definition of the time step
in calculating the PMS evolution is crucial to reproduce the observations. A
discussion of the optimal time step for calculating PMS evolution is presented.
The fitting to the radii of both components is a more difficult task;
although we managed to do it for EK Cep B, EK Cep A has a lower radius than our
best models.
We further studied the effect of the inclusion of a moderate convective
overshooting; the calibration of the binary is not significantly altered, but
the effect of the inclusion of overshooting can be dramatic in the approach to
the main sequence of stars with masses high enough to burn hydrogen through the
CNO cycle on the main sequence.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
Hubble Space Telescope NICMOS Polarization Observations of Three Edge-on Massive YSOs
Massive young stellar objects (YSOs), like low-mass YSOs, appear to be
surrounded by optically thick envelopes and/or disks and have regions, often
bipolar, that are seen in polarized scattered light at near-infrared
wavelengths. We are using the 0.2'' spatial resolution of NICMOS on Hubble
Space Telescope to examine the structure of the disks and outflow regions of
massive YSOs in star-forming regions within a few kpc of the Sun. Here we
report on 2 micron polarimetry of NGC 6334 V and S255 IRS1. NGC 6334 V consists
of a double-lobed bright reflection nebula seen against a dark region, probably
an optically thick molecular cloud. Our polarization measurements show that the
illuminating star lies ~ 2'' south of the line connecting the two lobes; we do
not detect this star at 2 micron, but there are a small radio source and a
mid-infrared source at this location. S255 IRS1 consists of two YSOs (NIRS1 and
NIRS3) with overlapping scattered light lobes and luminosities corresponding to
early B stars. Included in IRS1 is a cluster of stars from whose polarization
we determine the local magnetic field direction. Neither YSO has its scattered
light lobes aligned with this magnetic field. The line connecting the scattered
light lobes of NIRS1 is twisted symmetrically around the star; the best
explanation is that the star is part of a close binary and the outflow axis of
NIRS1 is precessing as a result of non-coplanar disk and orbit. The star NIRS3
is also offset from the line connecting its two scattered light lobes. We
suggest that all three YSOs show evidence of episodic ejection of material as
they accrete from dense, optically thick envelopes.Comment: 39 pages, 7 figures, 4 tables To be published in The Astrophysical
Journa
Spectral imaging of the Central Molecular Zone in multiple 3-mm molecular lines
We have mapped 20 molecular lines in the Central Molecular Zone (CMZ) around
the Galactic Centre, emitting from 85.3 to 93.3 GHz. This work used the 22-m
Mopra radio telescope in Australia, equipped with the 8-GHz bandwidth UNSW-MOPS
digital filter bank, obtaining \sim 2 km/s spectral and \sim 40 arcsec spatial
resolution. The lines measured include emission from the c-C3H2, CH3CCH, HOCO+,
SO, H13CN, H13CO+, SO, H13NC, C2H, HNCO, HCN, HCO+, HNC, HC3N, 13CS and N2H+
molecules. The area covered is Galactic longitude -0.7 to 1.8 deg. and latitude
-0.3 to 0.2 deg., including the bright dust cores around Sgr A, Sgr B2, Sgr C
and G1.6-0.025. We present images from this study and conduct a principal
component analysis on the integrated emission from the brightest 8 lines. This
is dominated by the first component, showing that the large-scale distribution
of all molecules are very similar. We examine the line ratios and optical
depths in selected apertures around the bright dust cores, as well as for the
complete mapped region of the CMZ. We highlight the behaviour of the bright
HCN, HNC and HCO+ line emission, together with that from the 13C isotopologues
of these species, and compare the behaviour with that found in extra-galactic
sources where the emission is unresolved spatially. We also find that the
isotopologue line ratios (e.g. HCO+/H13CO+) rise significantly with increasing
red-shifted velocity in some locations. Line luminosities are also calculated
and compared to that of CO, as well as to line luminosities determined for
external galaxies.Comment: 27 pages, 15 figures, 12 tables, accepted by MNRA
Massive star formation in 100,000 years from turbulent and pressurized molecular clouds
Massive stars (with mass m_* > 8 solar masses) are fundamental to the
evolution of galaxies, because they produce heavy elements, inject energy into
the interstellar medium, and possibly regulate the star formation rate. The
individual star formation time, t_*f, determines the accretion rate of the
star; the value of the former quantity is currently uncertain by many orders of
magnitude, leading to other astrophysical questions. For example, the variation
of t_*f with stellar mass dictates whether massive stars can form
simultaneously with low-mass stars in clusters. Here we show that t_*f is
determined by conditions in the star's natal cloud, and is typically ~10^5 yr.
The corresponding mass accretion rate depends on the pressure within the cloud
- which we relate to the gas surface density - and on both the instantaneous
and final stellar masses. Characteristic accretion rates are sufficient to
overcome radiation pressure from ~100 solar mass protostars, while
simultaneously driving intense bipolar gas outflows. The weak dependence of
t_*f on the final mass of the star allows high- and low-mass star formation to
occur nearly simultaneously in clusters.Comment: 9 pages plus 2 figures, Nature, 416, 59 (7th March 2002
3 to 12 millimetre studies of dense gas towards the western rim of supernova remnant RX J1713.7-3946
The young X-ray and gamma-ray-bright supernova remnant RXJ1713.7-3946 (SNR
G347.3-0.5) is believed to be associated with molecular cores that lie within
regions of the most intense TeV emission. Using the Mopra telescope, four of
the densest cores were observed using high-critical density tracers such as
CS(J=1-0,J=2-1) and its isotopologue counterparts, NH3(1,1) and (2,2) inversion
transitions and N2H+(J=1-0) emission, confirming the presence of dense gas
>10^4cm^-3 in the region. The mass estimates for Core C range from 40M_{\odot}
(from CS(J=1-0)) to 80M_{\odot} (from NH3 and N2H+), an order of magnitude
smaller than published mass estimates from CO(J=1-0) observations. We also
modelled the energy-dependent diffusion of cosmic-ray protons accelerated by
RXJ1713.7-3946 into Core C, approximating the core with average density and
magnetic field values. We find that for considerably suppressed diffusion
coefficients (factors \chi=10^{-3} down to 10^{-5} the galactic average), low
energy cosmic-rays can be prevented from entering the inner core region. Such
an effect could lead to characteristic spectral behaviour in the GeV to TeV
gamma-ray and multi-keV X-ray fluxes across the core. These features may be
measurable with future gamma-ray and multi-keV telescopes offering arcminute or
better angular resolution, and can be a novel way to understand the level of
cosmic-ray acceleration in RXJ1713.7-3946 and the transport properties of
cosmic-rays in the dense molecular cores.Comment: 17 pages, 13 figures and 5 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRAS
2012 February 1
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