scholarly journals The Stellar Content of SCO OB2

1987 ◽  
Vol 115 ◽  
pp. 205-206
Author(s):  
Eugène de Geus ◽  
Tim de Zeeuw
Keyword(s):  
Spectral Type ◽  
Main Sequence ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Apparent Magnitude ◽  
Proper Motions ◽  
Stellar Content ◽  
Angular Extent ◽  
Motion Measurements ◽  
Ob Associations

The study of the stellar content of nearby OB associations is important for understanding the Initial Mass Function, the study of differential age effects and for a better knowledge of the ambient radiation field, which plays an important role in the interpretation of measurements of gas and dust. Unfortunately, even for the nearest OB associations membership is known very poorly. In most cases no main sequence members of spectral type later than B5 are known. Membership determination using colour-magnitude diagrams suffers from the large intrinsic distance spread. The large angular extent on the sky of most associations makes proper motion measurements difficult to compare because of problems connecting photographic plates with different plate centers. In order to remedy this situation a consortium called SPECTER has been formed at Leiden Observatory. It has been granted observing time on the HIPPARCOS satellite for measuring proper motions of about 10000 candidate members of the OB associations within 600 pc of the Sun. Candidates were selected according to spectral type (not later than F8) apparent magnitude, and location. In anticipation of the HIPPARCOS results, SPECTER will gather a variety of other data. We have nearly completed a program aimed at obtaining VBLUW-photometry (Lub and Pel 1977) of all candidate stars visible from the Southern Hemisphere. Here we discuss the preliminary results for the association Sco OB2.

scholarly journals Massive Stars in the MCs: What They Tell Us about the IMF, Stellar Evolution, and Upper Mass “Cutoffs”

1999 ◽  
Vol 190 ◽  
pp. 173-180
Author(s):  
Philip Massey
Keyword(s):  
Main Sequence ◽  
Massive Stars ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Mass Star ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Ob Associations ◽  
Mixed Age ◽  
Stellar Density ◽  
The Imf

Studies over the past decade have shown that the initial mass function (IMF) is the same for massive stars born in the OB associations of the LMC and SMC as in the associations of the Milky Way: the slope of the IMF is essentially Salpeter (Γ ~ −1.3), despite the factor of 4 difference in metallicity between these systems, and despite a factor of several hundred in stellar density between the sparsest and richest OB associations. However, there does appear to be a number of massive stars that are born in relative isolation, and the IMF of this mixed-age, field population is quite different than that of OB associations, with Γ ~ −4 in all three galaxies. The distribution of stars in the HR diagram is in excellent agreement with the Geneva group's evolutionary models for stars with masses with no “main-sequence widening problem” left to be solved. The massive stars born in clusters are formed quite coevally (Δτ < 1–2Myr), which allows us to use the “turn-off masses” to determine what mass objects become Wolf-Rayet stars of various types, and new results are briefly described. For the LMC, WNEs come from a wide range of masses, WCs come only from the highest mass stars, and Ofpe/WN9 “slash” stars come from lower mass OBs. Recent work on the R136a cluster (described in Hunter's review talk) suggest that there is no such thing as an upper mass cutoff to the IMF, at least not one that has been found observationally: for the youngest clusters (2 Myr and younger), the mass of the highest mass star present is simply dependent upon how populous the cluster is; i.e., the IMF is truncated by statistics, not physics.

scholarly journals The VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (S329) ◽  
pp. 279-286
Author(s):  
Jorick S. Vink ◽  
C.J. Evans ◽  
J. Bestenlehner ◽  
C. McEvoy ◽  
O. Ramírez-Agudelo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Main Sequence ◽  
Massive Stars ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Large Magellanic Cloud ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Large Program ◽  
Medium Resolution ◽  
Key Questions

AbstractWe present a number of notable results from the VLT-FLAMES Tarantula Survey (VFTS), an ESO Large Program during which we obtained multi-epoch medium-resolution optical spectroscopy of a very large sample of over 800 massive stars in the 30 Doradus region of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). This unprecedented data-set has enabled us to address some key questions regarding atmospheres and winds, as well as the evolution of (very) massive stars. Here we focus on O-type runaways, the width of the main sequence, and the mass-loss rates for (very) massive stars. We also provide indications for the presence of a top-heavy initial mass function (IMF) in 30 Dor.

scholarly journals The Arches cluster revisited

2019 ◽  
Vol 623 ◽  
pp. A84 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. S. Clark ◽  
M. E. Lohr ◽  
L. R. Patrick ◽  
F. Najarro
Keyword(s):  
Main Sequence ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Galactic Centre ◽  
Complete Dataset ◽  
Subsequent Determination ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
First Time ◽  
Massive Clusters

The Arches is one of the youngest, densest and most massive clusters in the Galaxy. As such it provides a unique insight into the lifecycle of the most massive stars known and the formation and survival of such stellar aggregates in the extreme conditions of the Galactic Centre. In a previous study we presented an initial stellar census for the Arches and in this work we expand upon this, providing new and revised classifications for ∼30% of the 105 spectroscopically identified cluster members as well as distinguishing potential massive runaways. The results of this survey emphasise the homogeneity and co-evality of the Arches and confirm the absence of H-free Wolf-Rayets of WC sub-type and predicted luminosities. The increased depth of our complete dataset also provides significantly better constraints on the main sequence population; with the identification of O9.5 V stars for the first time we now spectroscopically sample stars with initial masses ranging from ∼16 M⊙ to ≥120 M⊙. Indeed, following from our expanded stellar census we might expect ≳50 stars within the Arches to have been born with masses ≳60 M⊙, while all 105 spectroscopically confirmed cluster members are massive enough to leave relativistic remnants upon their demise. Moreover the well defined observational properties of the main sequence cohort will be critical to the construction of an extinction law appropriate for the Galactic Centre and consequently the quantitative analysis of the Arches population and subsequent determination of the cluster initial mass function.

scholarly journals Galactic starburst NGC 3603 from X-rays to radio

2003 ◽  
Vol 212 ◽  
pp. 515-522
Author(s):  
Anthony F.J. Moffat ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
X Rays ◽  
Stellar Content ◽  
Near Ir ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
The Status ◽  
H Ii Region ◽  
Mass Segregation ◽  
Colliding Winds

While NGC 3603 is often quoted as the most massive visible Giant H ii Region in the Galaxy, there are other similar and even more massive regions now being found towards the inner Galaxy in the near-IR. Nevertheless, NGC 3603 still retains the status of clone to the dense core-object in 30 Dor, R 136 — but 7x closer and 49x less crowded! This paper summarizes the most recent findings concerning NGC 3603's color-magnitude diagram (CMD), initial mass function (IMF), mass segregation and stellar content — including its unusually luminous H-rich WNL members — down to its pre-main-sequence stars near the H-burning limit. Of special relevance are new high-resolution X-ray and radio images as related to merging/colliding winds and three massive proplyd-like objects. NGC 3603 is a somewhat younger, hotter, scaled-down version of typical starbursts found in other galaxies.

scholarly journals Supernova Nucleosynthesis in Massive Stars

1996 ◽  
Vol 145 ◽  
pp. 157-164
Author(s):  
M. Hashimoto ◽  
K. Nomoto ◽  
T. Tsujimoto ◽  
F.-K. Thielemann
Keyword(s):  
Main Sequence ◽  
Massive Stars ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Stellar Mass ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Explosion Energy ◽  
Initial Mass ◽  
Explosive Nucleosynthesis ◽  
Solar Abundances

Presupernova evolution and explosive nucleosynthesis in massive stars for main-sequence masses from 13 Mʘ to 70 Mʘ are calculated. We examine the dependence of the supernova yields on the stellar mass, 12C(α, γ)16O rate, and explosion energy. The supernova yields integrated over the initial mass function are compared with the solar abundances.

scholarly journals Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope Observations of the Magellanic Clouds

1999 ◽  
Vol 190 ◽  
pp. 237-238
Author(s):  
Joel Wm. Parker ◽  
Jesse K. Hill ◽  
Robert Cornett ◽  
Joan Hollis ◽  
Emily Zamkoff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Massive Star ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Wide Field ◽  
Imaging Telescope ◽  
Statistical Studies ◽  
Ob Associations ◽  
Far Ultraviolet ◽  
Range Of Values

We present an analysis of wide-field, far-ultraviolet images of the LMC and SMC obtained by the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope. The photometric catalog of over 37,000 stars allows us to make large-scale, statistical studies of massive star formation in OB associations and in the field population. Our results show that: (1) the most probable slope for the initial mass function (IMF) of field stars is Γ = −1.80, slightly steeper than the Salpeter slope; and (2) there doesn't seem to be a single, unique IMF slope for stars in OB associations, with a range of values from Γ = −1.0 to −2.0. We also analyze the stellar vs. diffuse UV flux, and the population of OB star candidates in the field.

scholarly journals Bimodal Star Formation and Remnant-Dominated Galactic Models

1987 ◽  
Vol 117 ◽  
pp. 413-413
Author(s):  
Richard B. Larson
Keyword(s):  
Star Formation ◽  
Formation Rate ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Solar Neighborhood ◽  
Gas Content ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Stellar Content ◽  
Stellar Initial Mass Function

Current data on the luminosity function of nearby stars allow the possibility that the stellar initial mass function (IMF) is double-peaked and that the star formation rate (SFR) has decreased substantially with time. It is then possible to account for all of the unseen mass in the solar vicinity as stellar remnants. A model for the solar neighborhood has been constructed in which the IMF is bimodal, the SFR is constant for the low-mass mode and strongly decreasing for the high-mass mode, and the mass in remnants is equal to the column density of unseen matter; this model is found to be consistent with all of the available constraints on the evolution and stellar content of the solar neighborhood. In particular, the observed chemical evolution is satisfactorily reproduced without infall. The total SFR in the model decreases roughly with the 1.4 power of the gas content, which is more plausible than the nearly constant SFR required by models with a monotonic IMF.

scholarly journals The highly variable time evolution of star-forming cores identified with dendrograms

2020 ◽  
Vol 497 (4) ◽  
pp. 4517-4534
Author(s):  
Rachel A Smullen ◽  
Kaitlin M Kratter ◽  
Stella S R Offner ◽  
Aaron T Lee ◽  
Hope How-Huan Chen
Keyword(s):  
Time Evolution ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Density Field ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
Stellar Content ◽  
Core Mass ◽  
Structure Variation ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
The Core ◽  
Dense Cores

ABSTRACT We investigate the time evolution of dense cores identified in molecular cloud simulations using dendrograms, which are a common tool to identify hierarchical structure in simulations and observations of star formation. We develop an algorithm to link dendrogram structures through time using the three-dimensional density field from magnetohydrodynamical simulations, thus creating histories for all dense cores in the domain. We find that the population-wide distributions of core properties are relatively invariant in time, and quantities like the core mass function match with observations. Despite this consistency, an individual core may undergo large (&gt;40 per cent), stochastic variations due to the redefinition of the dendrogram structure between time-steps. This variation occurs independent of environment and stellar content. We identify a population of short-lived (&lt;200 kyr) overdensities masquerading as dense cores that may comprise $\sim\!20$ per cent of any time snapshot. Finally, we note the importance of considering the full history of cores when interpreting the origin of the initial mass function; we find that, especially for systems containing multiple stars, the core mass defined by a dendrogram leaf in a snapshot is typically less than the final system stellar mass. This work reinforces that there is no time-stable density contour that defines a star-forming core. The dendrogram itself can induce significant structure variation between time-steps due to small changes in the density field. Thus, one must use caution when comparing dendrograms of regions with different ages or environment properties because differences in dendrogram structure may not come solely from the physical evolution of dense cores.

scholarly journals IAU Focus Meeting 7: Stellar Physics in Galaxies throughout the Universe

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (A29B) ◽  
pp. 139-141
Author(s):  
Claus Leitherer ◽  
Stéphane Charlot ◽  
Claudia Maraston
Keyword(s):  
Stellar Evolution ◽  
Binary Stars ◽  
Main Sequence ◽  
High Redshift ◽  
Mass Function ◽  
Initial Mass Function ◽  
General Assembly ◽  
Dust Production ◽  
Chemical Enrichment ◽  
The Universe

AbstractA 3-day Focus Meeting entitled “Stellar Physics in Galaxies throughout the Universe” was held during the IAU XXIX General Assembly. The meeting brought together astrophysicists from the stellar physics, extragalactic astrophysics and cosmology communities to discuss how current and future results can foster progress in these disjoint science areas. Areas covered include stellar evolution of single and binary stars from the zero-age main-sequence to the terminal stage, the feedback of stars to the interstellar medium via radiation, dust production and chemical enrichment, and the properties of the most massive stars and of cosmologically significant stellar phases such as AGB and Wolf-Rayet stars. The limitations of our understanding of the physics of local stars and their effects on, e.g., ages, chemical composition and the initial mass function of galaxies at low to high redshift were evaluated.

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