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At least 631 records · Page 35
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

Synthetic Spectra of Pair-instability Supernovae in 3D

Pair-instability supernovae (PISNe) may signal the deaths of extremely massive stars in the local Universe or massive primordial stars after the end of the Cosmic Dark Ages. Hydrodynamic simulations of these explosions, performed in 1D, 2D, and 3D geometry, have revealed the strong dependence of mixing in the PISN ejecta on dimensionality. This chemical rearrangement is mainly driven by Rayleigh–Taylor instabilities that start to grow shortly after the collapse of the carbon–oxygen core. We report on the effects of such mixing on the spectroscopic evolution of PISNe by post-processing explosion profiles with the radiation diffusion-equilibrium code SNEC and the implicit Monte Carlo–discrete diffusion Monte Carlo radiation transport code SuperNu . The first 3D radiation transport calculation of a PISN explosion is presented, yielding viewing-angle-dependent synthetic spectra and light curves. Our findings show that while 2D and 3D mixing does not significantly affect the light curves of PISNe, their spectroscopic and color evolution are impacted. Strong features of intermediate-mass elements dominated by silicon, magnesium, and oxygen appear at different phases and reach different intensities depending on the extent of mixing in the silicon/oxygen interface of the PISN ejecta. In contrast, we do not find a significant dependence of PISN light curves and spectra on viewing angle. These results showcase the capabilities of SuperNu to handle 3D radiation transport and highlight the importance of modeling time series of spectra in identifying PISNe with future missions.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2006

Fundamental Properties of O-Type Stars

We present a comprehensive analysis of high-resolution, far-ultraviolet HST STIS, FUSE, and optical spectra of 18 O stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud. Our analysis is based on the OSTAR2002 grid of NLTE metal-line-blanketed model atmospheres calculated with our code TLUSTY. We systematically explore and present the sensitivity of various UV and optical lines to different stellar parameters. We have obtained consistent fits of the UV and the optical spectrum to derive the effective temperature, surface gravity, surface composition, and microturbulent velocity of each star. Stellar radii, masses, and luminosities follow directly. For stars of the same spectral subtype, we find a general good agreement between effective temperature determinations obtained with TLUSTY, CMFGEN, and FASTWIND models, which are all lower than the standard T(sub eff) calibration of O stars. We propose a new calibration between the spectral type and effective temperature based on our results from UV metal lines, as well as optical hydrogen and helium lines. The lower effective temperatures translate into ionizing luminosities that are smaller by a factor of 3 compared to luminosities inferred from previous standard calibrations. The chemical composition analysis reveals that the surface of about 80% of the program stars is moderately to strongly enriched in nitrogen, while showing the original helium, carbon, and oxygen abundances. Our results support the new stellar evolution models that predict that the surface of fast rotating stars becomes nitrogen-rich during the main-sequence phase because of rotationally induced mixing. Enrichment factors are, however, larger than predicted by stellar evolution models. Most stars exhibit the "mass discrepancy" problem, which we interpret as a result of fast rotation that lowers the measured effective gravity. Nitrogen enrichment and low spectroscopic masses are therefore two manifestations of fast rotation. Our study thus emphasizes the importance of rotation in our understanding of the properties of massive stars and provides a framework for investigating populations of low-metallicity massive stars at low and high redshifts.

Heap, Sara R.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Bayesian Inference of the Symmetry Energy of Superdense Neutron-rich Matter from Future Radius Measurements of Massive Neutron Stars

In this work, using as references the posterior probability distribution functions of the equation of state (EOS) parameters inferred from the radii of canonical neutron stars (NSs) reported by the LIGO/VIRGO and NICER Collaborations based on their observations of GW170817 and PSR J0030+0451, we investigate how future radius measurements of more massive NSs will improve our current knowledge about the EOS of superdense neutron-rich nuclear matter, especially its symmetry energy term. Within the Bayesian statistical approach using an explicitly isospin-dependent parametric EOS for the core of NSs, we infer the EOS parameters of superdense neutron-rich nuclear matter from three sets of imagined mass–radius correlation data representing typical predictions by various nuclear many-body theories, that is, the radius stays the same, decreases, or increases with increasing NS mass within ±15% between 1.4 and 2.0 M$_\odot$. The corresponding NS average density increases quickly or slowly or slightly decreases as the NS mass increases from 1.4 to 2.0 M$_\odot$. While the EOSs of symmetric nuclear matter (SNM) inferred from the three data sets are approximately the same, the corresponding symmetry energies above about twice the saturation density of nuclear matter are very different, indicating that the radii of massive NSs carry important information about the high-density behavior of nuclear symmetry energy with little influence from the remaining uncertainties of the SNM EOS at suprasaturation densities.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1991

Supernova 1987 A - Prototype of low metallicity type III supernovae or peculiar exception?

New stellar evolution calculations for the SN 1987 A progenitor, including a small but appropriate amount of semiconvection and mixing induced by differential rotation, yield good agreement with many observational constraints, as the HRD position of the progenitor star, a previous red supergiant phase, and CNO surface abundances close to the values obtained with the IUE satellite. The HRD track and surface abundances in different evolutionary stages are found to reflect many general properties of massive stars in the LMC. The results indicate that the SN 1987 A progenitor may have been an average massive star in the LMC, and that blue supergiants may be common SN II progenitors in low metallicity galaxies.

Langer, N.↗
DOE OSTI2012

CHARACTERISTICS OF STAR-FORMING REGIONS IN THE ADVANCED MINOR-MERGER, LUMINOUS INFRARED GALAXY NGC 4194

We report the results of long-slit spectroscopy at position angles 68 Degree-Sign , 131 Degree-Sign , and 164 Degree-Sign for the minor-merger NGC 4194, a luminous infrared starburst galaxy. The mass within 1.2 kpc of the dynamical center is estimated to be 4.8 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 9} to 1.7 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 10} M{sub Sun }, depending on the assumed inclination to the plane of the sky. The star formation rate (SFR) in the areas sampled is 8 M{sub Sun} yr{sup -1}. The metallicity, log(O/H) + 12, ranges from {approx}8.8 to >9.0 in regions of significant star formation, suggesting that the metallicity has been enhanced by the current star formation. The star-forming regions range in age from 5 to 9 Myr, with the youngest ages occurring in the regions of high SFR. Electron temperatures and the location of the spectra in emission line diagnostic diagrams suggest the presence of shock waves, presumably due to the presence of supernovae, winds from massive stars, and/or collisions of clouds due to the merger. The presence of massive stars and supernovae is consistent with the ages determined for the star-forming regions. The ages of the continua produced by the stellar population are estimated to range from 10 Myr to 5 Gyr. Much of the stellar population represented in the continua was probably formed before the merger and represents the progenitor galaxies.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1995

The physics of massive OB stars in different parent galaxies. 1: Ultraviolet and optical spectral morphology in the Magellanic Clouds

Hubble Space Telescope/Faint Object Spectrograph (HST/FOS) and European Space Observatory (ESO) 3.6-m/CASPEC observations have been made of 18 stars ranging in spectral type from O3 through B0.5 Ia, half of them in each of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, in order to investigate massive stellar winds and evolution as a function of metallicity. The spectroscopic data are initially presented and described here in an atlas format. The relative weakness of the stellar-wind features in the SMC early O V spectra, due to their metal deficiency, is remarkable. Because of their unsaturated profiles, discrete absorption components can be detected in many of them, which is generally not possible in LMC and Galactic counterparts at such early types, or even in SMC giants and supergiants. On the other hand, an O3 III spectrum in the SMC has a weak C IV but strong N V wind profile, possibly indicating the presence of processed material. Wind terminal velocities are also given and intercompared between similar spectral types in the two galaxies. In general, the terminal velocities of the SMC stars are smaller, in qualitative agreement with the predictions of radiation-driven wind theory. Further analyses in progress will provide atmospheric and wind parameters for these stars, which will be relevant to evolutionary models and the interpretation of composite starburst spectra.

Walborn, Nolan R.↗
NASA NTRS2003

Global Properties of Local Star Forming Galaxies (ADP 2000)

We performed an archival study of the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT) Astro-2 database. Nineteen spectra of star-forming regions and starburst galaxies were retrieved, reprocessed, and analyzed. The spectra cover the wavelength region 912- 1800 A, providing access to the domain of peak luminosity from a young stellar population. We created an atlas of galaxy spectra documenting the continuum and line properties with an emphasis on the relatively unexplored spectral region below 1200 A. The dust obscuration law was derived from a comparison of the HUT spectra with synthetic population models. The law is similar to the commonly adopted starburst reddening curve at longer wavelengths and approaches the Milky Way law near the Lyman break. A simple power-law parameterization is given, which allows users to express the reddening law in terms of the stellar or nebular color excess at ultraviolet or optical wavelengths. We studied the effect of time-dependent dust obscuration on synthetic ultraviolet line profiles of a young stellar population. If the youngest and most massive stars are more obscured than the older, less massive stars, the C IV 1550 and other stellar wind lines are significantly diluted with respect to a simple foreground screen model for the dust. We propose to use stellar wind lines as a probe of the dust-obscuration model instead of the previously employed nebular emission lines. Since purely stellar diagnostics are utilized, uncertain assumptions on the nebular properties are unnecessary. Photoionization models demonstrate that the C IV 1550 emission is typically dominated by stellar winds and nebular contamination is negligible. A first comparison with the galaxy sample observed with the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope favors a dust geometry affecting ionizing and nonionizing stars equally. We point out the need for higher quality data for a more rigorous comparison. The Hubble Space Telescope is capable of obtaining such data in the future.

Leitherer, Claus↗
DOE OSTI2010

Neutrino Energy Loss Rates due to {sup 54,55,56}Fe in Stellar Environment

Neutrino energy loss rates are required as a key nuclear physics input parameter in the simulation codes of core-collapse supernovae of massive stars. The weak interaction rates due to isotopes of iron, {sup 54,55,56}Fe, are considered to play an important role during the presupernova evolution of massive stars. Proton-neutron quasi-particle random phase approximation (pn-QRPA) theory has recently being used for a microscopic calculation of stellar weak interaction rates of iron isotopes with success. The calculation of neutrino energy loss rates due to {sup 54,55,56}Fe is presented along with a comparison with large scale shell model results.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2014

Collective outflow from a small multiple stellar system

The formation of high-mass stars is usually accompanied by powerful protostellar outflows. Such high-mass outflows are not simply scaled-up versions of their lower-mass counterparts, since observations suggest that the collimation degree degrades with stellar mass. Theoretically, the origins of massive outflows remain open to question because radiative feedback and fragmentation of the accretion flow around the most massive stars, with M > 15 M {sub ☉}, may impede the driving of magnetic disk winds. We here present a three-dimensional simulation of the early stages of core fragmentation and massive star formation that includes a subgrid-scale model for protostellar outflows. We find that stars that form in a common accretion flow tend to have aligned outflow axes, so that the individual jets of multiple stars can combine to form a collective outflow. We compare our simulation to observations with synthetic H{sub 2} and CO observations and find that the morphology and kinematics of such a collective outflow resembles some observed massive outflows, such as Cepheus A and DR 21. We finally compare physical quantities derived from simulated observations of our models to the actual values in the models to examine the reliability of standard methods for deriving physical quantities, demonstrating that those methods indeed recover the actual values to within a factor of two to three.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS1993

OB associations and giant molecular clouds in the galaxy

Giant molecular clouds (GMC's) are the sites of all OB star formation in the Galaxy. These OB stars typically form in large associations and photoionize the surrounding gas, eventually destroying the clouds from which they were born. CO surveys have revealed the distribution of GMC's in the Galaxy, and radio observations provide data on the distribution of associations. These results are extrapolated to determine Galactic mean distribution functions of each and then combined to determine how GMC's and OB associations are correlated. The resulting probability distribution of luminosity given cloud mass implies that although most of the molecular mass of the Galaxy is in massive star forming complexes, a large number of clouds above which massive star formation is extremely likely and abundant and below which it is almost certainly absent.

Williams, Jonathan↗
DOE OSTI2010

DISCOVERY OF TWIN WOLF-RAYET STARS POWERING DOUBLE RING NEBULAE

We have spectroscopically discovered a pair of twin, nitrogen-type, hydrogen-rich, Wolf-Rayet stars (WN8-9h) that are both surrounded by circular, mid-infrared-bright nebulae detected with the Spitzer Space Telescope and MIPS instrument. The emission is probably dominated by a thermal continuum from cool dust, but also may contain contributions from atomic line emission. There is no counterpart at shorter Spitzer/IRAC wavelengths, indicating a lack of emission from warm dust. The two nebulae are probably wind-swept stellar ejecta released by the central stars during a prior evolutionary phase. The nebulae partially overlap on the sky and we speculate on the possibility that they are in the early stage of a collision. Two other evolved massive stars have also been identified within the area subtended by the nebulae, including a carbon-type Wolf-Rayet star (WC8) and an O7-8 III-I star, the latter of which appears to be embedded in one of the larger WN8-9h nebulae. The derived distances to these stars imply that they are coeval members of an association lying 4.9 {+-} 1.2 kpc from Earth, near the intersection of the Galaxy's Long Bar and the Scutum-Centaurus spiral arm. This new association represents an unprecedented display of complex interactions between multiple stellar winds, outflows, and the radiation fields of evolved massive stars.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

FAILURE OF A NEUTRINO-DRIVEN EXPLOSION AFTER CORE-COLLAPSE MAY LEAD TO A THERMONUCLEAR SUPERNOVA

We demonstrate that ∼10 s after the core-collapse of a massive star, a thermonuclear explosion of the outer shells is possible for some (tuned) initial density and composition profiles, assuming that the neutrinos failed to explode the star. The explosion may lead to a successful supernova, as first suggested by Burbidge et al. We perform a series of one-dimensional (1D) calculations of collapsing massive stars with simplified initial density profiles (similar to the results of stellar evolution calculations) and various compositions (not similar to 1D stellar evolution calculations). We assume that the neutrinos escaped with a negligible effect on the outer layers, which inevitably collapse. As the shells collapse, they compress and heat up adiabatically, enhancing the rate of thermonuclear burning. In some cases, where significant shells of mixed helium and oxygen are present with pre-collapsed burning times of ≲100 s (≈10 times the free-fall time), a thermonuclear detonation wave is ignited, which unbinds the outer layers of the star, leading to a supernova. The energy released is small, ≲10{sup 50} erg, and negligible amounts of synthesized material (including {sup 56}Ni) are ejected, implying that these 1D simulations are unlikely to represent typical core-collapse supernovae. However, they do serve as a proof of concept that the core-collapse-induced thermonuclear explosions are possible, and more realistic two-dimensional and three-dimensional simulations are within current computational capabilities.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2016

CONSTRAINTS ON THE BINARY COMPANION TO THE SN Ic 1994I PROGENITOR

Core-collapse supernovae (SNe), which mark the deaths of massive stars, are among the most powerful explosions in the universe and are responsible, e.g., for a predominant synthesis of chemical elements in their host galaxies. The majority of massive stars are thought to be born in close binary systems. To date, putative binary companions to the progenitors of SNe may have been detected in only two cases, SNe 1993J and 2011dh. We report on the search for a companion of the progenitor of the Type Ic SN 1994I, long considered to have been the result of binary interaction. Twenty years after explosion, we used the Hubble Space Telescope to observe the SN site in the ultraviolet (F275W and F336W bands), resulting in deep upper limits on the expected companion: F275W > 26.1 mag and F336W > 24.7 mag. These allow us to exclude the presence of a main sequence companion with a mass ≳10 M{sub ⊙}. Through comparison with theoretical simulations of possible progenitor populations, we show that the upper limits to a companion detection exclude interacting binaries with semi-conservative (late Case A or early Case B) mass transfer. These limits tend to favor systems with non-conservative, late Case B mass transfer with intermediate initial orbital periods and mass ratios. The most likely mass range for a putative main sequence companion would be ∼5–12 M{sub ⊙}, the upper end of which corresponds to the inferred upper detection limit.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2011

ON THE RELIABILITY OF STELLAR AGES AND AGE SPREADS INFERRED FROM PRE-MAIN-SEQUENCE EVOLUTIONARY MODELS

We revisit the problem of low-mass pre-main-sequence stellar evolution and its observational consequences for where stars fall on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram (HRD). In contrast to most previous work, our models follow stars as they grow from small masses via accretion, and we perform a systematic study of how the stars' HRD evolution is influenced by their initial radius, by the radiative properties of the accretion flow, and by the accretion history, using both simple idealized accretion histories and histories taken from numerical simulations of star cluster formation. We compare our numerical results to both non-accreting isochrones and to the positions of observed stars in the HRD, with a goal of determining whether both the absolute ages and the age dispersions inferred from non-accreting isochrones are reliable. We show that non-accreting isochrones can sometimes overestimate stellar ages for more massive stars (those with effective temperatures above {approx}3500 K), thereby explaining why non-accreting isochrones often suggest a systematic age difference between more and less massive stars in the same cluster. However, we also find the only way to produce a similar overestimate for the ages of cooler stars is if these stars grow from {approx}0.01 M{sub sun} seed protostars that are an order of magnitude smaller than predicted by current theoretical models, and if the size of the seed protostar correlates systematically with the final stellar mass at the end of accretion. We therefore conclude that, unless both of these conditions are met, inferred ages and age spreads for cool stars are reliable, at least to the extent that the observed bolometric luminosities and temperatures are accurate. Finally, we note that the time dependence of the mass accretion rate has remarkably little effect on low-mass stars' evolution on the HRD, and that such time dependence may be neglected for all stars except those with effective temperatures above {approx}4000 K.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

FEEDBACK FROM HIGH-MASS X-RAY BINARIES ON THE HIGH-REDSHIFT INTERGALACTIC MEDIUM: MODEL SPECTRA

Massive stars at redshifts z {approx}> 6 are predicted to have played a pivotal role in cosmological reionization as luminous sources of ultraviolet (UV) photons. However, the remnants of these massive stars could be equally important as X-ray-luminous (L{sub X} {approx} 10{sup 38} erg s{sup -1}) high-mass X-ray binaries (HMXBs). Because the absorption cross section of neutral hydrogen decreases sharply with photon energy ({sigma}{proportional_to}E {sup -3}), X-rays can escape more freely than UV photons from the star-forming regions in which they are produced, allowing HMXBs to make a potentially significant contribution to the ionizing X-ray background during reionization. In this paper, we explore the ionizing power of HMXBs at redshifts z {approx}> 6 using a Monte Carlo model for a coeval stellar population of main-sequence stars and HMXBs. Using the archetypal Galactic HMXB Cygnus X-1 as our template, we propose a composite HMXB spectral energy distribution consisting of blackbody and power-law components, whose contributions depend on the accretion state of the system. We determine the time-dependent ionizing power of a combined population of UV-luminous stars and X-ray-luminous HMXBs and deduce fitting formulae for the boost in the population's ionizing power arising from HMXBs; these fits allow for simple implementation of HMXB feedback in numerical simulations. Based on this analysis, we estimate the contribution of high-redshift HMXBs to the present-day soft X-ray background, and we show that it is a factor of {approx}100-1000 smaller than the observed limit. Finally, we discuss the implications of our results for the role of HMXBs in reionization and in high-redshift galaxy formation.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2013

TOWARD A COMPLETE ACCOUNTING OF ENERGY AND MOMENTUM FROM STELLAR FEEDBACK IN GALAXY FORMATION SIMULATIONS

We investigate the momentum and energy budget of stellar feedback during different stages of stellar evolution, and study its impact on the interstellar medium (ISM) using simulations of local star-forming regions and galactic disks at the resolution affordable in modern cosmological zoom-in simulations. In particular, we present a novel subgrid model for the momentum injection due to radiation pressure and stellar winds from massive stars during early, pre-supernova (pre-SN) evolutionary stages of young star clusters. Early injection of momentum acts to clear out dense gas in star-forming regions, hence limiting star formation. The reduced gas density mitigates radiative losses of thermal feedback energy from subsequent SN explosions. The detailed impact of stellar feedback depends sensitively on the implementation and choice of parameters. Somewhat encouragingly, we find that implementations in which feedback is efficient lead to approximate self-regulation of the global star formation efficiency. We compare simulation results using our feedback implementation to other phenomenological feedback methods, where thermal feedback energy is allowed to dissipate over timescales longer than the formal gas cooling time. We find that simulations with maximal momentum injection suppress star formation to a similar degree as is found in simulations adopting adiabatic thermal feedback. However, different feedback schemes are found to produce significant differences in the density and thermodynamic structure of the ISM, and are hence expected to have a qualitatively different impact on galaxy evolution.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
NASA NTRS2007

Stellar Evolutionary Effects on the Abundance of PAHS and SN-Condensed Dust in Galaxies

Spectral aid photometric observations of nearby galaxies show a correlation between the strength of their mid-IR aromatic features and their metal abundance, and a deficiency of these features in low-metallicity galaxies. The aromatic features are most commonly attributed to emission from PAH molecules. In this paper, we suggest that the observed correlation represents a trend of PAH abundance with galactic age, reflecting the delayed injection of PAHs and carbon dust into the ISM, by AGB stars in their final, post-AGB phase of their evolution. These AGB stars are the primary sources of PAHs and carbon dust in galaxies, and recycle their ejecta back to the interstellar medium only after a few hundred million years of evolution on the main sequence. In contrast, more massive stars that explode as Type II supernovae inject their metals and dust almost instantaneously after their formation. After determining the PAH abundances in 35 nearby galaxies, we use a chemical evolution model to show that the delayed injection of carbon dust by AGB stars provides a natural explanation to the dependence of the PAH content, in galaxies with metallicity. We also show that larger dust particles giving rise to the far-IR emission follow a distinct evolutionary trend closely related to the injection of dust by massive stars into the ISM.

Dwek, Eli↗
DOE OSTI2012

AN OBSERVATIONAL IMPRINT OF THE COLLAPSAR MODEL OF LONG GAMMA-RAY BURSTS

The Collapsar model provides a theoretical framework for the well-known association between long gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and collapsing massive stars. A bipolar relativistic jet, launched at the core of a collapsing star, drills its way through the stellar envelope and breaks out of the surface before producing the observed gamma rays. While a wealth of observations associate GRBs with the death of massive stars, as yet there is no direct evidence for the Collapsar model itself. Here we show that a distinct signature of the Collapsar model is the appearance of a plateau in the duration distribution of the prompt GRB emission at times much shorter than the typical breakout time of the jet. This plateau is evident in the data of all three major satellites. Our findings provide evidence that directly supports the Collapsar model. In addition, the model suggests the existence of a large population of choked (failed) GRBs, and implies that the 2 s duration commonly used to separate Collapsars and non-Collapsars is inconsistent with the duration distributions of Swift and Fermi GRBs and only holds for BATSE GRBs.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗