Stellar-wind feedback and magnetic fields around young compact star clusters: 3D MHD simulations

Abstract

Context: The environments of young star clusters are shaped by the interactions of the powerful winds of massive stars, and their feedback on the cluster birth cloud. Several such clusters show diffuse gamma-ray emission on the degree scale, which hints at ongoing particle acceleration. Aims: To date, particle acceleration and transport in star-cluster environments are not well understood. A characterisation of magnetic fields and flow structures is necessary to progress toward physical models. Previous work has largely focused on 100 pc scale feedback or detailed modelling of wind interaction of just a few stars. We aim to bridge this gap. We focus in particular on compact clusters to study collective effects arising from stellar-wind interaction. Objects in this class include Westerlund 1 and R136. Methods: We perform 3D ideal-MHD simulations of compact, young, massive star clusters. Stellar winds are injected kinetically for 46 individual very massive stars (M > 40 Msun), distributed in a spherical region of radius 0.6 - 1 pc. We include a sub-population of five magnetic stars with increased dipole field strengths of 0.1 - 1 kG. We study the evolving superbubble over several 100 kyrs. Results: The bulk flow and magnetic fields show an intricate, non-uniform morphology, which is critically impacted by the relative position of individual stars. The cluster wind terminates in a strong shock, which is non-spherical and, like the flow, has non-uniform properties. The magnetic field is both composed of highly tangled sections and coherent quasi-radial field-line bundles. Steep particle spectra in the TeV domain arise naturally from the variation of magnetic field magnitude over the cluster-wind termination shock. This finding is consistent with gamma-ray observations. The scenario of PeV particle acceleration at the cluster-wind termination shock is deemed unlikely.