scholarly journals Wolf-Rayet Binaries: Evolutionary Causes for their Distribution in the Galaxy

1984 ◽  
Vol 80 ◽  
pp. 175-190
Author(s):  
Bambang Hidayat ◽  
A. Gunawan Admiranto ◽  
Karel A. Van Der Hucht
Keyword(s):  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Small Mass ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Galactocentric Distance ◽  
Evolutionary Scenario ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Binary Evolution ◽  
Mass Functions ◽  
Galactic Distribution

AbstractOn the basis of the most recent data, the fraction of known Wolf-Rayet binaries is 0.22. In the solar neighbourhood (d < 2.5 kpc) this fraction is 0.34In order to assess the relative importance of massive binary evolution as one of the ways to produce WR stars, the galactic distribution of WR binaries is compared with that of single WR stars using improved intrinsic parameters and new data for the fainter WR stars.In the galactic plane the increase of the binary frequency with galactocentric distance is confirmed.In a direction perpendicular to the galactic plane it is demonstrated at all distances from the Sun that the single-line spectroscopic WR binaries with small mass functions have definitely larger |z|-distances than the ‘single’ WR stars and the WR binaries with massive companions. This is consistent with the evolutionary scenario for massive binaries summarized by van den Heuvel (1976). Among the ‘single’ WR stars the fraction of those with large |z|-distances is increasing with galactocentric distance, like the fraction of the known binaries. This implies that among the high-ļzļ ‘single’ WR stars as well as among the WR stars with lower |z|-values many binaries are still to be discovered.The total WR binary frequency in the Galaxy could be well above 50 %.

scholarly journals The spiral potential of the Milky Way

2018 ◽  
Vol 619 ◽  
pp. A50 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Grosbøl ◽  
G. Carraro
Keyword(s):  
Radial Velocity ◽  
Galactic Center ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Small Mass ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Star Forming ◽  
Star Forming Regions ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Best Fit ◽  
Armed Spiral

Context. The location of young sources in the Galaxy suggests a four-armed spiral structure, whereas tangential points of spiral arms observed in the integrated light at infrared and radio wavelengths indicate that only two arms are massive. Aims. Variable extinction in the Galactic plane and high light-to-mass ratios of young sources make it difficult to judge the total mass associated with the arms outlined by such tracers. The current objective is to estimate the mass associated with the Sagittarius arm by means of the kinematics of the stars across it. Methods. Spectra of 1726 candidate B- and A-type stars within 3◦ of the Galactic center (GC) were obtained with the FLAMES instrument at the VLT with a resolution of ≈6000 in the spectral range of 396–457 nm. Radial velocities were derived by least-squares fits of the spectra to synthetic ones. The final sample was limited to 1507 stars with either Gaia DR2 parallaxes or main-sequence B-type stars having reliable spectroscopic distances. Results. The solar peculiar motion in the direction of the GC relative to the local standard of rest (LSR) was estimated to U⊙ = 10.7 ± 1.3kms−1. The variation in the median radial velocity relative to the LSR as a function of distance from the sun shows a gradual increase from slightly negative values near the sun to almost 5 km s−1 at a distance of around 4 kpc. A sinusoidal function with an amplitude of 3.4 ± 1.3kms−1 and a maximum at 4.0 ± 0.6 kpc inside the sun is the best fit to the data. A positive median radial velocity relative to the LSR around 1.8 kpc, the expected distance to the Sagittarius arm, can be excluded at a 99% level of confidence. A marginal peak detected at this distance may be associated with stellar streams in the star-forming regions, but it is too narrow to be associated with a major arm feature. Conclusions. A comparison with test-particle simulations in a fixed galactic potential with an imposed spiral pattern shows the best agreement with a two-armed spiral potential having the Scutum–Crux arm as the next major inner arm. A relative radial forcing dFr ≈ 1.5% and a pattern speed in the range of 20–30 km s−1 kpc−1 yield the best fit. The lack of a positive velocity perturbation in the region around the Sagittarius arm excludes it from being a major arm. Thus, the main spiral potential of the Galaxy is two-armed, while the Sagittarius arm is an inter-arm feature with only a small mass perturbation associated with it.

scholarly journals Asymmetries in the Galactic Distribution of Pulsars

1981 ◽  
Vol 95 ◽  
pp. 439-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice K. Harding
Keyword(s):  
Electron Density ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Dispersion Measure ◽  
High Electron ◽  
The Sun ◽  
High Electron Density ◽  
Spiral Arms ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Galactic Distribution

The distribution of pulsars in galactocentric radius and z distance has been determined for opposite halves of the Galaxy, using data on 328 pulsars from three surveys. The distributions in galactocentric radius are found to be significantly different at positive and negative longitudes, although both show strong peaks between 5 and 6 kpc. There is also some indication that pulsars are located preferentially along spiral arms. Distributions in the z component of dispersion measure above and below the galactic plane also show asymmetry, with higher dispersion occurring at negative z. This may imply the existence of a narrow (~ 100 pc), high electron density layer below the plane of the Sun in the inner galaxy.

scholarly journals Probing the structure of the Galactic disk through open clusters

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (S266) ◽  
pp. 482-482
Author(s):  
Xiaoying Pang ◽  
Chenggang Shu
Keyword(s):  
Galactic Center ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Galactic Disk ◽  
Age Distribution ◽  
Outer Part ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Open Clusters ◽  
Galactocentric Distance ◽  
Distance Measurements ◽  
The Galaxy

AbstractThe WEBDA database of open clusters (hereafter OCs) in the Galaxy contains 970 OCs, of which 911 have age determinations, 920 have distance measurements, and 911 have color-excess data. Base on the statistical analysis of global properties of open clusters, we investigate disk properties such as the height above the Galactic plane. We find that old open clusters (age ≥ 1 Gyr) are preferentially located far from the Galactic plane with 〈|z|〉~394.5 pc. They lie in the outer part of the Galactic disk. The young open clusters are distributed in the Galactic plane almost symmetrically with respect to the Sun, with a scale height perpendicular to the Galactic plane of 50.5 pc. The age distribution of open clusters can be fit approximately with a two-component exponential decay function: one component has an age scale factor of 225.2 Myr, and the other consists of longer-lived clusters with an age scale of 1.8 Gyr, which are smaller than those derived by Janes & Phelps (1994) of 200 Myr and 4 Gyr for the young and old OCs, respectively. As a consequence of completeness effects, the observed radial distribution of OCs with respect to Galactocentric distance does not follow the expected exponential profile. Instead, it falls off both for regions external to the solar circle and more sharply towards the Galactic Center, which is probably due to giant molecular cloud disruption in the center. We simulate the effects of completeness, assuming that the observed distribution of the number of OCs with a given number of stars above the background is representative of the intrinsic distribution of OCs throughout the Galaxy. Two simulation models are considered, in which the intrinsic number of the observable stars are distributed (i) assuming the actual positions of the OCs in the sample, and (ii) random selection of OC positions. As a result, we derive completeness-corrected radial distributions which agree with an exponential disk throughout the observed Galactocentric distance in the range of 5–15 kpc, with scale lengths in the range of 1.6–2.8 kpc.

On the accretion of interstellar matter by stars

1940 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 325-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Hoyle ◽  
R. A. Lyttleton
Keyword(s):  
Stellar Evolution ◽  
Binary Systems ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Small Mass ◽  
Average Density ◽  
Close Binary ◽  
Interstellar Matter ◽  
Satisfactory Description ◽  
Geological Evidence ◽  
The Galaxy

The rate of accretion of interstellar matter by stars as proposed in a previous paper is further discussed. It is shown that this amount, while sufficient for the evolution of the majority of stars, is insufficient by a factor of the order of 10 or more to give a satisfactory description of the general evolution of massive stars and close binary systems of small mass. Consideration of the possibility of increasing the rate of accretion for such exceptional stars leads to the conclusion that this can be carried out satisfactorily only by a corresponding increase in the density of the cloud. Although we were led to this view by considering all the factors involved in accretion and showing that only a change in the density could possibly produce the required increase, it is at once clear from the accretion formula, without detailed discussion of the other quantities involved, that the density is the only factor through which effects could be introduced that do not apply to all stars quite generally. By investigating the various factors in the galaxy affecting the density, it is shown that within 100 parsecs of the galactic plane, and also in local regions, the density may rise above 10−21 g. per c.c., which gives an increase of order 100 times the normal rate for stars lying in these regions. These suggestions receive independent corroboration from investigations by Jeans relating to extra-galactic nebulae which led to average densities also of order 10−21 g. per c.c., while a further argument from geological evidence shows that the average density of material along the sun's track must be higher than 10−21 g. per c.c. It remains to be seen whether future observations will succeed in confirming these suggestions indicated by the requirements of this theory of stellar evolution.

scholarly journals Galaxy properties as revealed by MaNGA – I. Constraints on IMF and M*/L gradients in ellipticals

2019 ◽  
Vol 489 (4) ◽  
pp. 5612-5632 ◽  
Author(s):  
H Domínguez Sánchez ◽  
M Bernardi ◽  
J R Brownstein ◽  
N Drory ◽  
R K Sheth
Keyword(s):  
Stellar Population ◽  
Companion Paper ◽  
Elliptical Galaxies ◽  
Element Abundance ◽  
Galactocentric Distance ◽  
Massive Galaxies ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Central Regions ◽  
S0 Galaxies ◽  
Mass Functions

ABSTRACT We estimate ages, metallicities, α-element abundance ratios, and stellar initial mass functions (IMFs) of elliptical (E) and S0 galaxies from the MaNGA-DR15 survey. We stack spectra and use a variety of single stellar population synthesis models to interpret the absorption line strengths in these spectra. We quantify how these properties vary across the population, as well as with galactocentric distance. This paper is the first of a series and is based on a sample of pure elliptical galaxies at z ≤ 0.08. We confirm previous work showing that IMFs in Es with the largest luminosity (Lr) and central velocity dispersion (σ0) appear to be increasingly bottom heavy towards their centres. For these galaxies the stellar mass-to-light ratio decreases at most by a factor of 2 from the central regions to Re. In contrast, for lower Lr and σ0 galaxies, the IMF is shallower and M*/Lr in the central regions is similar to the outskirts, although quantitative estimates depend on assumptions about element abundance gradients. Accounting self-consistently for these gradients when estimating both M* and Mdyn brings the two into good agreement: gradients reduce Mdyn by ∼0.2 dex while only slightly increasing the M* inferred using a Kroupa IMF. This is a different resolution of the M*–Mdyn discrepancy than has been followed in the recent literature where M* of massive galaxies is increased by adopting a Salpeter IMF throughout the galaxy while leaving Mdyn unchanged. A companion paper discusses how stellar population differences are even more pronounced if one separates slow from fast rotators.

scholarly journals High Velocity Clouds in the Galaxy

1995 ◽  
Vol 164 ◽  
pp. 129-132
Author(s):  
Felix J. Lockman
Keyword(s):  
High Velocity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Spectral Lines ◽  
Galactic Rotation ◽  
The Sun ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
High Velocity Clouds ◽  
Major Review ◽  
Lower Limits

Early observers measuring 21 cm HI profiles away from the Galactic plane found not only the emission near zero velocity expected from gas in the immediate vicinity of the Sun, but also occasional emission at velocities reaching several hundred km s−1. It seemed unlikely that these spectral lines could come from gas in normal galactic rotation (they are sometimes found at |b| > 45°), and so began the puzzle of “high-velocity clouds” (HVCs). The early result that all HVCs had negative velocity implying that they were infalling was soon shown to be incorrect with the discovery of many positive velocity clouds in the southern hemisphere. Attempts to determine the distance to HVCs by searching for them in absorption against stars yielded only lower limits, typically > 1 kpc. By 1984 several large-scale surveys had established that a significant fraction of the sky was covered with high velocity HI (e.g., Oort, 1966; Giovanelli, 1980). A recent major review is by Wakker (1991a; see also van Woerden, 1993). For this brief presentation to a specialized audience, I will concentrate on issues that may be relevant to the topic of stellar populations.

scholarly journals The Problem of the UV Interstellar Absorption Band at 2200A

1977 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 26-26
Author(s):  
D.J. Carnochan ◽  
K. Nandy ◽  
A.J. Willis ◽  
R. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Interstellar Extinction ◽  
Extinction Curve ◽  
Absorption Feature ◽  
The Sun ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Satellite Experiment ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Broad Scale ◽  
Pronounced Peak

The ultraviolet interstellar extinction curve from 2740Å to 1350Å has been obtained using data from the S2/68 satellite experiment. The extinction increases into the ultraviolet and shows a pronounced peak at 2200Å. This is interpreted as a general scattering continuum with a strong absorption feature superposed on it at 2200Å. The profile of the feature appears to be symmetrical and has a half-width of 360Å. There is a strong correlation between the strength of the feature and the scattering part of the curve in both the ultraviolet and the visible. On a broad scale the shape of the extinction curve is constant showing no variation with distance from the sun, direction around the galaxy, and height above the galactic plane.

A statistical study of the distribution of y-ray sources

1981 ◽  
Vol 301 (1462) ◽  
pp. 529-531 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Density ◽  
Statistical Study ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
The Sun ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Latitude Distribution

Data from the COS-B satellite have enabled discrete sources of cosmic y-rays to be identified. We wish to estimate the contribution that such sources make to the y-ray luminosity of the Galaxy (see Protheroe et al . 1979; Rothenflug & Caraveo 1980). Since only the brightest, and hence relatively near, sources are known, only the contribution of sources to the local y-ray emissivity can be determined from them. The distances to most of the sources in the second COS-B catalogue (Hermsen 1980) are not known so that neither their mean luminosity, nor their surface density, on the galactic plane can be determined accurately. The latitude distribution of sources indicates that their distance from the Sun, r , is much greater than their distance from the galactic plane, z . We can therefore calculate the product without knowing the distances of the sources.

scholarly journals Stellar encounters with giant molecular clouds

2019 ◽  
Vol 489 (4) ◽  
pp. 5165-5180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giorgi Kokaia ◽  
Melvyn B Davies
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Clouds ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Oort Cloud ◽  
The Sun ◽  
Habitable Zone ◽  
Giant Molecular Clouds ◽  
Thick Disc ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Pass Through ◽  
Earth’S Climate

ABSTRACTGiant molecular clouds (GMCs) are believed to affect the biospheres of planets as their host star passes through them. We simulate the trajectories of stars and GMCs in the Galaxy and determine how often stars pass through GMCs. We find a strong decreasing dependence with Galactocentric radius, and with the velocity perpendicular to the Galactic plane, V$\mathrm{ z}$. The XY-component of the kinematic heating of stars was shown to not affect the GMC hit rate, unlike the Z-dependence (V$\mathrm{ z}$) implies that stars hit fewer GMCs as they age. GMCs are locations of star formation, therefore we also determine how often stars pass near supernovae. For the supernovae the decrease with V$\mathrm{ z}$ is steeper as how fast the star passes through the GMC determines the probability of a supernova encounter. We then integrate a set of Sun-like trajectories to see the implications for the Sun. We find that the Sun hits 1.6 ± 1.3 GMCs per Gyr which results in 1.5 ± 1.1 or (with correction for clustering) 0.8 ± 0.6 supernova closer than 10 pc per Gyr. The different the supernova frequencies are from whether one considers multiple supernovae per GMC crossing (few Myr) as separate events. We then discuss the effect of the GMC hits on the Oort cloud, and the Earth’s climate due to accretion, we also discuss the records of distant supernova. Finally, we determine Galactic Habitable Zone using our model. For the thin disc, we find it to lie between 5.8 and 8.7 kpc and for the thick disc to lie between 4.5 and 7.7 kpc.

scholarly journals A Low-Dispersion, Near-Infrared Survey for Galactic M Supergiants

1986 ◽  
Vol 116 ◽  
pp. 123-124
Author(s):  
D. J. MacConnell ◽  
R. F. Wing ◽  
E. Costa
Keyword(s):  
Interstellar Dust ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Galactic Plane ◽  
Galactocentric Distance ◽  
The Galaxy ◽  
Red Supergiants ◽  
Objective Prism ◽  
Low Dispersion ◽  
Infrared Survey

While there have been many surveys for luminous, blue galactic stars and their numbers can be considered somewhat complete, such is not the case for red supergiants (see e.g. Humphreys and McElroy 1984). One result of this incompleteness is that the ratios B/R and WR/R, often used as diagnostics for evolutionary models of massive stars and the variation of the ratios with galactocentric distance, are not well known for the Galaxy. In an attempt to improve the statistics, the first author began an objective-prism survey within 6 deg of the southern galactic plane using I-N plates. The dispersion is 3400 A/mm at the A-band, and the spectra cover the range 6800–8800 A; the deepest plates reach ir mag ∼13. The detection of possible M supergiants on such plates was first discussed by Nassau, et al. (1954) and depends on the presence of TiO at 7054 A and a spectrum sharply tapered to the blue. For supergiants, this shape results from integration of interstellar dust over a long path-length, but any sample of red stars with tapered spectra contains M giants in heavily-obscured regions and S stars; thus follow-up observations of the candidate stars are necessary.

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