Numerical Modelling of Star Formation in GMCs

1992 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 122-124
Author(s):  
John C. Lattanzio ◽  
J.J. Monaghan

AbstractAlthough stars can be approximated very satisfactorily by spherical models, it is clear from observations of star forming regions that the break-up of molecular gas to form proto-stars is a highly complex process that cannot be approximated simply. As a consequence, the theoretical picture of fragmentation, which is based on assuming that fragmentation occurs in uniform, static, isothermal clouds, is too crude to provide a guide to the star formation process. The alternative is to simulate the fragmentation process numerically with the ultimate aim of evolving the gas to proto-stars. The difficulties involved with this procedure are discussed in this paper. We also discuss our proposed solution to this problem, together with a very preliminary calculation.

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (S321) ◽  
pp. 214-216
Author(s):  
Linda C. Watson

AbstractWe found that star-forming regions in extended ultraviolet (XUV) disks are generally consistent with the molecular-hydrogen Kennicutt-Schmidt law that applies within the inner, optical disk. This is true for star formation rates based on Hα + 24 μm data or FUV + 24 μm data. We estimated that the star-forming regions have ages of 1 − 7 Myr and propose that the presence or absence of molecular gas provides an additional “clock” that may help distinguish between aging and stochasticity as the explanation for the low Hα-to-FUV flux ratios in XUV disks. This contribution is a summary of the work originally presented in Watson et al. (2016).


2020 ◽  
Vol 644 ◽  
pp. A34
Author(s):  
G. Sabatini ◽  
S. Bovino ◽  
A. Giannetti ◽  
F. Wyrowski ◽  
M. A. Órdenes ◽  
...  

Context. Deuteration has been suggested to be a reliable chemical clock of star-forming regions due to its strong dependence on density and temperature changes during cloud contraction. In particular, the H3+ isotopologues (e.g. ortho-H2D+) seem to act as good proxies of the evolutionary stages of the star formation process. While this has been widely explored in low-mass star-forming regions, in the high-mass counterparts only a few studies have been pursued, and the reliability of deuteration as a chemical clock remains inconclusive. Aims. We present a large sample of o-H2D+ observations in high-mass star-forming regions and discuss possible empirical correlations with relevant physical quantities to assess its role as a chronometer of star-forming regions through different evolutionary stages. Methods. APEX observations of the ground-state transition of o-H2D+ were analysed in a large sample of high-mass clumps selected from the ATLASGAL survey at different evolutionary stages. Column densities and beam-averaged abundances of o-H2D+ with respect to H2, X(o-H2D+), were obtained by modelling the spectra under the assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium. Results. We detect 16 sources in o-H2D+ and find clear correlations between X(o-H2D+) and the clump bolometric luminosity and the dust temperature, while only a mild correlation is found with the CO-depletion factor. In addition, we see a clear correlation with the luminosity-to-mass ratio, which is known to trace the evolution of the star formation process. This would indicate that the deuterated forms of H3+ are more abundant in the very early stages of the star formation process and that deuteration is influenced by the time evolution of the clumps. In this respect, our findings would suggest that the X(o-H2D+) abundance is mainly affected by the thermal changes rather than density changes in the gas. We have employed these findings together with observations of H13CO+, DCO+, and C17O to provide an estimate of the cosmic-ray ionisation rate in a sub-sample of eight clumps based on recent analytical work. Conclusions. Our study presents the largest sample of o-H2D+ in star-forming regions to date. The results confirm that the deuteration process is strongly affected by temperature and suggests that o-H2D+ can be considered a reliable chemical clock during the star formation processes, as proved by its strong temporal dependence.


2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (S315) ◽  
pp. 26-29
Author(s):  
Julia Kamenetzky ◽  
Naseem Rangwala ◽  
Jason Glenn ◽  
Philip Maloney ◽  
Alex Conley

AbstractMolecular gas is the raw material for star formation and is commonly traced by the carbon monoxide (CO) molecule. The atmosphere blocks all but the lowest-J transitions of CO for observatories on the ground, but the launch of the Herschel Space Observatory revealed the CO emission of nearby galaxies from J = 4−3 to J = 13−12. Herschel showed that mid- and high-J CO lines in nearby galaxies are emitted from warm gas, accounting for approximately 10% of the molecular mass, but the majority of the CO luminosity. The energy budget of this warm, highly-excited gas is a significant window into the feedback interactions among molecular gas, star formation, and galaxy evolution. Likely, mechanical heating is required to explain the excitation. Such gas has also been observed in star forming regions within our galaxy.We have examined all ~300 spectra of galaxies from the Herschel Fourier Transform Spectrometer and measured line fluxes or upper limits for the CO J = 4−3 to J = 13−12, [CI], and [NII] 205 micron lines in ~200 galaxies, taking systematic effects of the FTS into account. We will present our line fitting method, illustrate trends available so far in this large sample, and preview the full 2-component radiative transfer likelihood modeling of the CO emission using an illustrative sample of 20 galaxies, including comparisons to well-resolved galactic regions. This work is a comprehensive study of mid- and high-J CO emission among a variety of galaxy types, and can be used as a resource for future (sub)millimeter studies of galaxies with ground-based instruments.


2002 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 67-69
Author(s):  
Brunella Nisini ◽  
Teresa Giannini

AbstractThis paper will review the importance of the water molecule in the various stages of the star formation process, addressing in particular how the recent observations obtained with the ISO and SWAS satellites have challenged the existing theoretical models.


2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (S256) ◽  
pp. 215-226
Author(s):  
Mónica Rubio

AbstractUnderstanding the process of star formation in low metallicity systems is one of the key studies in the early stages of galaxy evolution. The Magellanic Clouds, being the nearest examples of low metallicity systems, allow us to study in detail their star forming regions. As a consequence of their proximity we can resolve the molecular clouds and the regions of star formation individually. Therefore we can increase our knowledge of the interaction of young luminous stars with their environment. We will present results of multiwavelenghts studies of LMC and SMC massive star forming regions, which includes properties of the cold molecular gas, the embedded young population associated with molecular clouds, and the interaction of newly born stars with the surrounding interstellar medium, based on ASTE and APEX submillimeter observations complemented high sensitivity NIR groud based observations and Spitzer results.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuko Matsushita ◽  
Satoko Takahashi ◽  
Shun Ishii ◽  
Kohji Tomisaka ◽  
Paul Ho ◽  
...  

Abstract Protostellar jets are most striking phenomena in star-forming regions and considered to be an essential ingredient in the star formation process. Stars form in gravitationally collapsing clouds. The mass of protostar at its birth is equivalent to Jovian mass or 0.1 percent of the solar mass. After the birth, the protostar acquires its mass by accreting material from a surrounding rotation disk embedded in an infalling envelope that is a remnant of the natal cloud of the star. Protostellar jets are believed to expel the excess angular momentum from the circumstellar region that allows accretion on to the star. Here, we report the detection of super-rotating jets driven from a protostar FIR 6b (HOPS 60) in Orion Molecular Cloud-2. The jet rotation velocity exceeds 20kms-1 and the specific angular momentum of the jet is as large as ∼ 1022cm2s-1, which hitherto are the largest that have been observed in protostellar jets. The extraordinary large rotation velocity and specific angular momentum can be explained by a magnetohydrodynamic disk wind. This is clear evidence that magnetic fields play a crucial role for protostellar evolution and that angular momentum is removed by protostellar jets.


2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (S287) ◽  
pp. 133-140
Author(s):  
S. E. Kurtz

AbstractClass I 44 GHz methanol masers are not as well-known, as common, or as bright as their more famous Class II cousins at 6.7 and 12.2 GHz. Nevertheless, the 44 GHz masers are commonly found in high-mass star forming regions. At times they appear to trace dynamically important phenomena; at other times they show no obvious link to the star formation process. Here, we summarize the major observational efforts to date, including both dedicated surveys and collateral observations. The principal results are presented, some that were expected, and others that were unexpected.


2017 ◽  
Vol 608 ◽  
pp. A98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Q. Salomé ◽  
P. Salomé ◽  
M.-A. Miville-Deschênes ◽  
F. Combes ◽  
S. Hamer

NGC 5128 (Centaurus A) is one of the best targets to study AGN feedback in the local Universe. At 13.5 kpc from the galaxy, optical filaments with recent star formation lie along the radio jet direction. This region is a testbed for positive feedback, here through jet-induced star formation. Atacama Pathfinder EXperiment (APEX) observations have revealed strong CO emission in star-forming regions and in regions with no detected tracers of star formation activity. In cases where star formation is observed, this activity appears to be inefficient compared to the Kennicutt-Schmidt relation. We used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to map the 12CO(1–0) emission all along the filaments of NGC 5128 at a resolution of 1.3′′ ~ 23.8pc. We find that the CO emission is clumpy and is distributed in two main structures: (i) the Horseshoe complex, located outside the HI cloud, where gas is mostly excited by shocks and where no star formation is observed, and (ii) the Vertical filament, located at the edge of the HI shell, which is a region of moderate star formation. We identified 140 molecular clouds using a clustering method applied to the CO data cube. A statistical study reveals that these clouds have very similar physical properties, such as size, velocity dispersion, and mass, as in the inner Milky Way. However, the range of radius available with the present ALMA observations does not enable us to investigate whether or not the clouds follow the Larson relation. The large virial parameter αvir of the clouds suggests that gravity is not dominant and clouds are not gravitationally unstable. Finally, the total energy injection in the northern filaments of Centaurus A is of the same order as in the inner part of the Milky Way. The strong CO emission detected in the northern filaments is an indication that the energy injected by the jet acts positively in the formation of dense molecular gas. The relatively high virial parameter of the molecular clouds suggests that the injected kinetic energy is too strong for star formation to be efficient. This is particularly the case in the horseshoe complex, where the virial parameter is the largest and where strong CO is detected with no associated star formation. This is the first evidence of AGN positive feedback in the sense of forming molecular gas through shocks, associated with low star formation efficiency due to turbulence injection by the interaction with the radio jet.


2019 ◽  
Vol 623 ◽  
pp. A141
Author(s):  
M. Figueira ◽  
C. López-Calderón ◽  
L. Bronfman ◽  
A. Zavagno ◽  
C. Hervías-Caimapo ◽  
...  

Context. The star formation process requires the dust and gas present in the Milky Way to self-assemble into dense reservoirs of neutral material where the new generation of stars will emerge. Star-forming regions are usually studied in the context of Galactic surveys, but dedicated observations are sometimes needed when the study reaches beyond the survey area. Aims. A better understanding of the star formation process in the Galaxy can be obtained by studying several regions. This allows increasing the sample of objects (clumps, cores, and stars) for further statistical works and deeper follow-up studies. Here, we studied the G345.5+1.5 region, which is located slightly above the Galactic plane, to understand its star formation properties. Methods. We combined Large Apex BOlometer CAmera (LABOCA) and 12CO(4−3) transition line (NANTEN2) observations complemented with the Hi-GAL and Spitzer-GLIMPSE surveys to study the star formation toward this region. We used the Clumpfind algorithm to extract the clumps from the 870 μm and 12CO(4−3) data. Radio emission at 36 cm was used to estimate the number of H II regions and to remove the contamination from the free–free emission at 870 μm. We employed color–color diagrams and spectral energy distribution (SED) slopes to distinguish between prestellar and protostellar clumps. We studied the boundedness of the clumps through the virial parameter. Finally, we estimated the star formation efficiency (SFE) and star formation rate (SFR) of the region and used the Schmidt–Kennicutt diagram to compare its ability to form stars with other regions of the Galactic plane. Results. Of the 13 radio sources that we found using the MGPS-2 catalog, 7 are found to be associated with H II regions corresponding to late-B or early-O stars. We found 45 870 μm clumps with diameters between 0.4 and 1.2 pc and masses between 43 M⊙ and 3923 M⊙, and 107 12CO clumps with diameters between 0.4 and 1.3 pc and masses between 28 M⊙ and 9433 M⊙. More than 50% of the clumps are protostellar and bounded and are able to host (massive) star formation. High SFR and SFR density (ΣSFR) values are associated with the region, with an SFE of a few percent. Conclusions. With submillimeter, CO transition, and short-wavelength infrared observations, our study reveals a population of massive stars, protostellar and bound starless clumps, toward G345.5+1.5. This region is therefore actively forming stars, and its location in the starburst quadrant of the Schmidt–Kennicutt diagram is comparable to other star-forming regions found within the Galactic plane.


1996 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 268-271
Author(s):  
Peter W. J. L. Brand

AbstractA one-day workshop discussed the properties of shocks in star-forming regions. It also reviewed other physical processes in star-forming molecular gas, and the progress in numerical modelling of such physics. Discussion concentrated on the complexity which instabilities in the gas flow bring to the analysis of shocks. The consensus was that progress will be made as the spatial/spectral resolution of shock measurements improves, and as numerical modelling of the nonlinear growth of instabilities becomes possible, potentially leading to statistical models of shock dynamics.


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