Engineering topics

McKee, Christopher F

Publications and source records attributed to McKee, Christopher F.

8 records

DOE OSTI2012

FEEDBACK EFFECTS ON LOW-MASS STAR FORMATION

Protostellar feedback, both radiation and bipolar outflows, dramatically affects the fragmentation and mass accretion from star-forming cores. We use ORION, an adaptive mesh refinement gravito-radiation-hydrodynamics code, to simulate low-mass star formation in a turbulent molecular cloud in the presence of protostellar feedback. We present results of the first simulations of a star-forming cluster that include both radiative transfer and protostellar outflows. We run four simulations to isolate the individual effects of radiation feedback and outflow feedback as well as the combination of the two. We find that outflows reduce protostellar masses and accretion rates each by a factor of three and therefore reduce protostellar luminosities by an order of magnitude. This means that, while radiation feedback suppresses fragmentation, outflows render protostellar radiation largely irrelevant for low-mass star formation above a mass scale of 0.05 M{sub Sun }. We find initial fragmentation of our cloud at half the global Jeans length, around 0.1 pc. With insufficient protostellar radiation to stop it, these 0.1 pc cores fragment repeatedly, forming typically 10 stars each. The accretion rate in these stars scales with mass as predicted from core accretion models that include both thermal and turbulent motions; the accretion rate does not appear to be consistent with either competitive accretion or accretion from an isothermal sphere. We find that protostellar outflows do not significantly affect the overall cloud dynamics, in the absence of magnetic fields, due to their small opening angles and poor coupling to the dense gas. The outflows reduce the mass from the cores by 2/3, giving a core to star efficiency, {epsilon}{sub core} {approx_equal} 1/3. The simulations are also able to reproduce many observation of local star-forming regions. Our simulation with radiation and outflows reproduces the observed protostellar luminosity function. All of the simulations can reproduce observed core mass functions, though we find they are sensitive to telescope resolution. We also reproduce the two-point correlation function of these observed cores. Lastly, we reproduce the initial mass function itself, including the low-mass end, when outflows are included.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2012

RADIATIVELY EFFICIENT MAGNETIZED BONDI ACCRETION

We have carried out a numerical study of the effect of large-scale magnetic fields on the rate of accretion from a uniform, isothermal gas onto a resistive, stationary point mass. Only mass, not magnetic flux, accretes onto the point mass. The simulations for this study avoid complications arising from boundary conditions by keeping the boundaries far from the accreting object. Our simulations leverage adaptive refinement methodology to attain high spatial fidelity close to the accreting object. Our results are particularly relevant to the problem of star formation from a magnetized molecular cloud in which thermal energy is radiated away on timescales much shorter than the dynamical timescale. Contrary to the adiabatic case, our simulations show convergence toward a finite accretion rate in the limit in which the radius of the accreting object vanishes, regardless of magnetic field strength. For very weak magnetic fields, the accretion rate first approaches the Bondi value and then drops by a factor of {approx}2 as magnetic flux builds up near the point mass. For strong magnetic fields, the steady-state accretion rate is reduced by a factor of {approx}0.2 {beta}{sup 1/2} compared to the Bondi value, where {beta} is the ratio of the gas pressure to the magnetic pressure. We give a simple expression for the accretion rate as a function of the magnetic field strength. Approximate analytic results are given in the Appendices for both time-dependent accretion in the limit of weak magnetic fields and steady-state accretion for the case of strong magnetic fields.

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DOE OSTI2011

ANISOTROPY LENGTHENS THE DECAY TIME OF TURBULENCE IN MOLECULAR CLOUDS

The decay of isothermal turbulence with velocity anisotropy is investigated using computational simulations and synthetic observations. We decompose the turbulence into isotropic and anisotropic components with total velocity dispersions {sigma}{sub iso} and {sigma}{sub ani}, respectively. We find that the decay rate of the turbulence depends on the crossing time of the isotropic component only. A cloud of size L with significant anisotropy in its turbulence has a dissipation time, t{sub diss} = L/(2{sigma}{sub iso}). This translates into turbulent energy decay rates on the cloud scale that can be much lower for anisotropic turbulence than for isotropic turbulence. To help future observations determine whether observed molecular clouds have the level of anisotropy required to maintain the observed level of turbulence over their lifetimes, we performed a principal component analysis on our simulated clouds. Even with projection effects washing out the anisotropic signal, there is a measurable difference in the axis-constrained principal component analysis performed in directions parallel and perpendicular to the direction of maximum velocity dispersion. When this relative difference, {psi}, is 0.1, there is enough anisotropy for the dissipation time to triple the expected isotropic value. We provide a fit for converting {psi} into an estimate for the dissipation time, t{sub diss}.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2011

IRAS 15099-5856: REMARKABLE MID-INFRARED SOURCE WITH PROMINENT CRYSTALLINE SILICATE EMISSION EMBEDDED IN THE SUPERNOVA REMNANT MSH15-52

We report new mid-infrared (MIR) observations of the remarkable object IRAS 15099-5856 using the space telescopes AKARI and Spitzer, which demonstrate the presence of prominent crystalline silicate emission in this bright source. IRAS 15099-5856 has a complex morphology with a bright central compact source (IRS1) surrounded by knots, spurs, and several extended ({approx}4') arc-like filaments. The source is seen only at {>=}10 {mu}m. The Spitzer mid-infrared spectrum of IRS1 shows prominent emission features from Mg-rich crystalline silicates, strong [Ne II] 12.81 {mu}m, and several other faint ionic lines. We model the MIR spectrum as thermal emission from dust and compare with the Herbig Be star HD 100546 and the luminous blue variable R71, which show very similar MIR spectra. Molecular line observations reveal two molecular clouds around the source, but no associated dense molecular cores. We suggest that IRS1 is heated by UV radiation from the adjacent O star Muzzio 10 and that its crystalline silicates most likely originated in a mass outflow from the progenitor of the supernova remnant (SNR) MSH 15-52. IRS1, which is embedded in the SNR, could have been shielded from the SN blast wave if the progenitor was in a close binary system with Muzzio 10. If MSH 15-52 is a remnant of Type Ib/c supernova (SN Ib/c), as has been previously proposed, this would confirm the binary model for SN Ib/c. IRS1 and the associated structures may be the relics of massive star death, as shaped by the supernova explosion, the pulsar wind, and the intense ionizing radiation of the embedded O star.

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DOE OSTI2011

AN INITIAL MASS FUNCTION FOR INDIVIDUAL STARS IN GALACTIC DISKS. I. CONSTRAINING THE SHAPE OF THE INITIAL MASS FUNCTION

We derive a semi-empirical galactic initial mass function (IMF) from observational constraints. We assume that the IMF, {psi}(m), is a smooth function of the stellar mass m. The mass dependence of the proposed IMF is determined by five parameters: the low-mass slope {gamma}, the high-mass slope -{Gamma} (taken to be -1.35), the characteristic mass m{sub ch} ({approx} the peak mass of the IMF), and the lower and upper limits on the mass, m{sub l} and m{sub u} (taken to be 0.004 and 120 M{sub sun}, respectively): {psi}(m)dln m {proportional_to} m{sup -}{Gamma}{l_brace}1 - exp [- (m/m{sub ch}){sup {gamma}}+{Gamma}]{r_brace}dln m. The values of {gamma} and m{sub ch} are derived from two integral constraints: (1) the ratio of the number density of stars in the range m = 0.1-0.6 M{sub sun} to that in the range m = 0.6-0.8 M{sub sun} as inferred from the mass distribution of field stars in the local neighborhood and (2) the ratio of the number of stars in the range m = 0.08-1 M{sub sun} to the number of brown dwarfs in the range m = 0.03-0.08 M{sub sun} in young clusters. The IMF satisfying the above constraints is characterized by the parameters {gamma} = 0.51 and m{sub ch} = 0.35 M{sub sun} (which corresponds to a peak mass of 0.27 M{sub sun} ). This IMF agrees quite well with the Chabrier IMF for the entire mass range over which we have compared with data, but predicts significantly more stars with masses <0.03 M{sub sun}; we also compare with other IMFs in current use and give a number of important parameters implied by the IMFs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2010

REGULATION OF STAR FORMATION RATES IN MULTIPHASE GALACTIC DISKS: A THERMAL/DYNAMICAL EQUILIBRIUM MODEL

We develop a model for the regulation of galactic star formation rates {Sigma}{sub SFR} in disk galaxies, in which interstellar medium (ISM) heating by stellar UV plays a key role. By requiring that thermal and (vertical) dynamical equilibrium are simultaneously satisfied within the diffuse gas, and that stars form at a rate proportional to the mass of the self-gravitating component, we obtain a prediction for {Sigma}{sub SFR} as a function of the total gaseous surface density {Sigma} and the midplane density of stars+dark matter {rho}{sub sd}. The physical basis of this relationship is that the thermal pressure in the diffuse ISM, which is proportional to the UV heating rate and therefore to {Sigma}{sub SFR}, must adjust until it matches the midplane pressure value set by the vertical gravitational field. Our model applies to regions where {Sigma} {approx}< 100 M{sub sun} pc{sup -2}. In low-{Sigma}{sub SFR} (outer-galaxy) regions where diffuse gas dominates, the theory predicts that {Sigma}{sub SFR{proportional_to}{Sigma}{radical}}({rho}{sub sd}). The decrease of thermal equilibrium pressure when {Sigma}{sub SFR} is low implies, consistent with observations, that star formation can extend (with declining efficiency) to large radii in galaxies, rather than having a sharp cutoff at a fixed value of {Sigma}. The main parameters entering our model are the ratio of thermal pressure to total pressure in the diffuse ISM, the fraction of diffuse gas that is in the warm phase, and the star formation timescale in self-gravitating clouds; all of these are (at least in principle) direct observables. At low surface density, our model depends on the ratio of the mean midplane FUV intensity (or thermal pressure in the diffuse gas) to the star formation rate, which we set based on solar-neighborhood values. We compare our results to recent observations, showing good agreement overall for azimuthally averaged data in a set of spiral galaxies. For the large flocculent spiral galaxies NGC 7331 and NGC 5055, the correspondence between theory and observation is remarkably close.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2010

SUB-ALFVENIC NON-IDEAL MHD TURBULENCE SIMULATIONS WITH AMBIPOLAR DIFFUSION. II. COMPARISON WITH OBSERVATION, CLUMP PROPERTIES, AND SCALING TO PHYSICAL UNITS

Ambipolar diffusion (AD) is important in redistributing magnetic flux and in damping Alfven waves in molecular clouds. The importance of AD on a length scale l is governed by the AD Reynolds number, R {sub AD} = l/l{sub AD}, where l{sub AD} is the characteristic length scale for AD. The logarithmic mean of the AD Reynolds number in a sample of 15 molecular clumps with measured magnetic fields is 17, comparable to the theoretically expected value. We identify several regimes of AD in a turbulent medium, depending on the ratio of the flow time to collision times between ions and neutrals; the clumps observed by Crutcher in 1999 are all in the standard regime of AD, in which the neutrals and ions are coupled over a flow time. We have carried out two-fluid simulations of AD in isothermal, turbulent boxes for a range of values of R {sub AD}. The mean Mach numbers were fixed at M=3 and M{sub A}=0.67; self-gravity was not included. We study the properties of overdensities-i.e., clumps-in the simulation and show that the slope of the higher-mass portion of the clump mass spectrum increases as R {sub AD} decreases, which is qualitatively consistent with Padoan et al.'s finding that the mass spectrum in hydrodynamic turbulence is significantly steeper than in ideal MHD turbulence. For a value of R {sub AD} similar to the observed value, we find a slope that is consistent with that of the high-mass end of the initial mass function (IMF) for stars. However, the value we find for the spectral index in our ideal MHD simulation differs from theirs, presumably because our simulations have different initial conditions. This suggests that the mass spectrum of the clumps in the Padoan et al. turbulent fragmentation model for the IMF depends on the environment, which would conflict with evidence for a universal IMF. In addition, we give a general discussion of how the results of simulations of magnetized, turbulent, isothermal boxes can be scaled to physical systems. Each physical process that is introduced into the simulation, such as AD, introduces a dimensionless parameter, such as R {sub AD}, which must be fixed for the simulation, thereby reducing the number of scaling parameters by one. We show that the importance of self-gravity is fixed in any simulation of AD; it is not possible to carry out a simulation in which self-gravity and AD are varied independently unless the ionization is a free parameter. We show that our simulations apply to small regions in molecular clouds, generally with l{sub 0} {approx}< 0.4 pc and M {approx}< 25 M {sub sun}. A general discussion of the scaling relations for magnetized, isothermal, turbulent boxes, including self-gravitating systems, is given in the appendix.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2010

THE PROTOSTELLAR MASS FUNCTION

The protostellar mass function (PMF) is the present-day mass function of the protostars in a region of star formation. It is determined by the initial mass function weighted by the accretion time. The PMF thus depends on the accretion history of protostars and in principle provides a powerful tool for observationally distinguishing different protostellar accretion models. We consider three basic models here: the isothermal sphere model, the turbulent core model, and an approximate representation of the competitive accretion model. We also consider modified versions of these accretion models, in which the accretion rate tapers off linearly in time. Finally, we allow for an overall acceleration in the rate of star formation. At present, it is not possible to directly determine the PMF since protostellar masses are not currently measurable. We carry out an approximate comparison of predicted PMFs with observation by using the theory to infer the conditions in the ambient medium in several star-forming regions. Tapered and accelerating models generally agree better with observed star formation times than models without tapering or acceleration, but uncertainties in the accretion models and in the observations do not allow one to rule out any of the proposed models at present. The PMF is essential for the calculation of the protostellar luminosity function, however, and this enables stronger conclusions to be drawn.

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