scholarly journals Massive Stars in the Nuclei and Arms of Spirals

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (S250) ◽  
pp. 273-284
Author(s):  
Fabio Bresolin

AbstractMany of the properties of massive stars in external galaxies, such as chemical compositions, mass functions, and ionizing fluxes, can be derived from the study of the associated clouds of ionized gas. Moreover, the signatures of Wolf-Rayet stars are often detected in the spectra of extragalactic H ii regions. This paper reviews some aspects of the recent work on the massive star content of nearby spiral galaxies, as inferred from the analysis of giant H ii regions. Particular attention is given to regions of high metallicity, including nuclear hot spots, and to the chemical abundance comparison between supergiant stars and ionized gas.

1991 ◽  
Vol 148 ◽  
pp. 139-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert C. Kennicutt

The H II regions in the Magellanic Clouds provide an opportunity to characterize the global star formation properties of a galaxy at close range. They also provide a unique laboratory for testing empirical tracers of the massive star formation rates and initial mass functions in more distant galaxies, and for studying the dynamical interactions between massive stars and the interstellar medium. This paper discusses several current studies in these areas.


1974 ◽  
Vol 60 ◽  
pp. 249-256
Author(s):  
G. Monnet

This paper reviews recent optical results on the large scale distribution of ionized gas in spiral galaxies, including our own. There is a diffuse, inhomogeneous emission in the arm region in spirals, including our Galaxy, and in gas-rich galaxies a fainter diffuse emission between the arms.


Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. eabb3363
Author(s):  
James C. A. Miller-Jones ◽  
Arash Bahramian ◽  
Jerome A. Orosz ◽  
Ilya Mandel ◽  
Lijun Gou ◽  
...  

The evolution of massive stars is influenced by the mass lost to stellar winds over their lifetimes. These winds limit the masses of the stellar remnants (such as black holes) that the stars ultimately produce. We use radio astrometry to refine the distance to the black hole X-ray binary Cygnus X-1, which we find to be 2.22−0.17+0.18 kiloparsecs. When combined with archival optical data, this implies a black hole mass of 21.2 ± 2.2 solar masses, higher than previous measurements. The formation of such a high-mass black hole in a high-metallicity system (within the Milky Way) constrains wind mass loss from massive stars.


1997 ◽  
Vol 166 ◽  
pp. 525-538
Author(s):  
Ralf-Jürgen Dettmar

AbstractOver the last couple of years Diffuse Ionized Gas (DIG) has been identified as an important constituent of the interstellar medium (ISM) in the halos of spiral galaxies. Imaging in and spectroscopy of optical emission lines allow us to study the distribution and excitation of this gas with a spatial resolution not achievable for other phases of the ISM in external galaxies. Its origin and ionization is under debate and give important constraints for models of the ISM in general and on the large scale exchange of matter between disk and halo in particular. This review summarizes more recent observational results and compares them with model predictions. The data available now demonstrate that the presence of DIG in the disk-halo interface of spiral galaxies is related to star formation processes in the underlying disk. While photoionization by OB stars in the disk seems a viable source for the power required to ionize the DIG, additional processes are needed to explain some of the spectral features. The observed correlation with properties of the non-thermal radio continuum indicate that magnetic fields and cosmic rays could play a role for the physics of this medium.


2002 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 143-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee G. Mundy ◽  
Friedrich Wyrowski ◽  
Sarah Watt

Millimeter and submillimeter wavelength images of massive star-forming regions are uncovering the natal material distribution and revealing the complexities of their circumstellar environments on size scales from parsecs to 100’s of AU. Progress in these areas has been slower than for low-mass stars because massive stars are more distant, and because they are gregarious siblings with different evolutionary stages that can co-exist even within a core. Nevertheless, observational goals for the near future include the characterization of an early evolutionary sequence for massive stars, determination if the accretion process and formation sequence for massive stars is similar to that of low-mass stars, and understanding of the role of triggering events in massive star formation.


2007 ◽  
Vol 3 (S250) ◽  
pp. 147-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georges Meynet ◽  
Sylvia Ekström ◽  
André Maeder ◽  
Raphael Hirschi ◽  
Cyril Georgy ◽  
...  

AbstractNew constraints on stellar models are provided by large surveys of massive stars, interferometric observations and asteroseismology. After a review of the main results so far obtained, we present new results from rotating models and discuss comparisons with observed features. We conclude that rotation is a key feature of massive star physics.


2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (S270) ◽  
pp. 57-64
Author(s):  
Ian A. Bonnell ◽  
Rowan J Smith

AbstractThere has been considerable progress in our understanding of how massive stars form but still much confusion as to why they form. Recent work from several sources has shown that the formation of massive stars through disc accretion, possibly aided by gravitational and Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities is a viable mechanism. Stellar mergers, on the other hand, are unlikely to occur in any but the most massive clusters and hence should not be a primary avenue for massive star formation. In contrast to this success, we are still uncertain as to how the mass that forms a massive star is accumulated. there are two possible mechanisms including the collapse of massive prestellar cores and competitive accretion in clusters. At present, there are theoretical and observational question marks as to the existence of high-mass prestellar cores. theoretically, such objects should fragment before they can attain a relaxed, centrally condensed and high-mass state necessary to form massive stars. Numerical simulations including cluster formation, feedback and magnetic fields have not found such objects but instead point to the continued accretion in a cluster potential as the primary mechanism to form high-mass stars. Feedback and magnetic fields act to slow the star formation process and will reduce the efficiencies from a purely dynamical collapse but otherwise appear to not significantly alter the process.


2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (S272) ◽  
pp. 233-241
Author(s):  
Christopher J. Evans

AbstractOne of the challenges for stellar astrophysics is to reach the point at which we can undertake reliable spectral synthesis of unresolved populations in young, star-forming galaxies at high redshift. Here I summarise recent studies of massive stars in the Galaxy and Magellanic Clouds, which span a range of metallicities commensurate with those in high-redshift systems, thus providing an excellent laboratory in which to study the role of environment on stellar evolution. I also give an overview of observations of luminous supergiants in external galaxies out to a remarkable 6.7 Mpc, in which we can exploit our understanding of stellar evolution to study the chemistry and dynamics of the host systems.


2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (S268) ◽  
pp. 463-468
Author(s):  
Ko Nakamura ◽  
Takashi Yoshida ◽  
Toshikazu Shigeyama ◽  
Toshitaka Kajino

AbstractType Ic supernova (SN Ic) is the gravitational collapse of a massive star without H and He layers. It propels several solar masses of material to the typical velocity of 10,000 km/s, a very small fraction of the ejecta nearly to the speed of light. We investigate SNe Ic as production sites for the light elements Li, Be, and B, via the neutrino-process and spallations. As massive stars collapse, neutrinos are emitted in large numbers from the central remnants. Some of the neutrinos interact with nuclei in the exploding materials and mainly 7Li and 11B are produced. Subsequently, the ejected materials with very high energy impinge on the interstellar/circumstellar matter and spall into light elements. We find that the ν-process in the current SN Ic model produces a significant amount of 11B, consistent with observations if combined with B isotopes from the following spallation production.


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