arXiv subjects

D. M. -A. Meyer

Publications and source records attributed to D. M. -A. Meyer.

28 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Episodic excursions of low-mass protostars on the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram

Following our recent work devoted to the effect of accretion on the pre-main-sequence evolution of low-mass stars, we perform a detailed analysis of episodic excursions of low-mass protostars in the Hertzsprung-Russell (H-R) diagram triggered by strong mass accretion bursts typical of FU Orionis-type objects (FUors). These excursions reveal themselves as sharp increases in the stellar total luminosity and/or effective temperature of the protostar and can last from hundreds to a few thousands of years, depending on the burst strength and characteristics of the protostar. During the excursions, low-mass protostars occupy the same part of the H-R diagram as young intermediate-mass protostars in the quiescent phase of accretion. Moreover, the time spent by low-mass protostars in these regions is on average a factor of several longer than that spent by the intermediate-mass stars in quiescence. During the excursions, low-mass protostars pass close to the position of most known FUors in the H-R diagram, but owing to intrinsic ambiguity the model stellar evolutionary tracks are unreliable in determining the FUor properties. We find that the photospheric luminosity in the outburst state may dominate the accretion luminosity already after a few years after the onset of the outburst, meaning that the mass accretion rates of known FUors inferred from the bolometric luminosity may be systematically overestimated, especially in the fading phase.

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arXiv2017

Accretion outbursts in massive star formation

Using the HPC ressources of the state of Baden-Württemberg, we modelled for the first time the luminous burst from a young massive star by accretion of material from its close environment. We found that the surroundings of young massive stars are shaped as a clumpy disk whose fragments provoke outbursts once they fall onto the protostar and concluded that similar strong luminous events observed in high-mass star forming regions may be a signature of the presence of such disks.

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arXiv2017

Forming spectroscopic massive proto-binaries by disk fragmentation

The surroundings of massive protostars constitute an accretion disc which has numerically been shown to be subject to fragmentation and responsible for luminous accretion-driven outbursts. Moreover, it is suspected to produce close binary companions which will later strongly influence the star's future evolution in the Hertzsprung-Russel diagram. We present three-dimensional gravitation-radiation-hydrodynamic numerical simulations of 100 Mo pre-stellar cores. We find that accretion discs of young massive stars violently fragment without preventing the (highly variable) accretion of gaseous clumps onto the protostars. While acquiring the characteristics of a nascent low-mass companion, some disc fragments migrate onto the central massive protostar with dynamical properties showing that its final Keplerian orbit is close enough to constitute a close massive proto-binary system, having a young high-mass and a low-mass component. We conclude on the viability of the disc fragmentation channel for the formation of such short-period binaries, and that both processes -close massive binary formation and accretion bursts- may happen at the same time. FU-Orionis-type bursts, such as observed in the young high-mass star S255IR-NIRS3, may not only indicate ongoing disc fragmentation, but also be considered as a tracer for the formation of close massive binaries - progenitors of the subsequent massive spectroscopic binaries - once the high-mass component of the system will enter the main-sequence phase of its evolution. Finally, we investigate the ALMA-observability of the disc fragments.

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arXiv2016

Bow shock nebulae of hot massive stars in a magnetized medium

A significant fraction of OB-type, main-sequence massive stars are classified as runaway and move supersonically through the interstellar medium (ISM). Their strong stellar winds interact with their surroundings where the typical strength of the local ISM magnetic field is about 3.5-7 micro-G, which can result in the formation of bow shock nebulae. We investigate the effects of such magnetic fields, aligned with the motion of the flow, on the formation and emission properties of these circumstellar structures. Our axisymmetric, magneto-hydrodynamical simulations with optically-thin radiative cooling, heating and anisotropic thermal conduction show that the presence of the background ISM magnetic field affects the projected optical emission our bow shocks at Ha and [OIII] lambda 5007 which become fainter by about 1-2 orders of magnitude, respectively. Radiative transfer calculations against dust opacity indicate that the magnetic field slightly diminishes their projected infrared emission and that our bow shocks emit brightly at 60 micron. This may explain why the bow shocks generated by ionizing runaway massive stars are often difficult to identify. Finally, we discuss our results in the context of the bow shock of Zeta Ophiuchi and we support the interpretation of its imperfect morphology as an evidence of the presence of an ISM magnetic field not aligned with the motion of its driving star.

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arXiv2016

On the existence of accretion-driven bursts in massive star formation

Accretion-driven luminosity outbursts are a vivid manifestation of variable mass accretion onto protostars. They are known as the so-called FU Orionis phenomenon in the context of low-mass protostars. More recently, this process has been found in models of primordial star formation. Using numerical radiation hydrodynamics simulations, we stress that present-day forming massive stars also experience variable accretion and show that this process is accompanied by luminous outbursts induced by the episodic accretion of gaseous clumps falling from the circumstellar disk onto the protostar. Consequently, the process of accretion-induced luminous flares is also conceivable in the high-mass regime of star formation and we propose to regard this phenomenon as a general mechanism that can affect protostars regardless of their mass and/or the chemical properties of the parent environment in which they form. In addition to the commonness of accretion-driven outbursts in the star formation machinery, we conjecture that luminous flares from regions hosting forming high-mass star may be an observational implication of the fragmentation of their accretion disks.

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arXiv2016

On the observability of bow shocks of Galactic runaway OB stars

Massive stars that have been ejected from their parent cluster and supersonically sailing away through the interstellar medium (ISM) are classified as exiled. They generate circumstellar bow shock nebulae that can be observed. We present two-dimensional, axisymmetric hydrodynamical simulations of a representative sample of stellar wind bow shocks from Galactic OB stars in an ambient medium of densities ranging from n_ISM=0.01 up to 10.0/cm3. Independently of their location in the Galaxy, we confirm that the infrared is the most appropriated waveband to search for bow shocks from massive stars. Their spectral energy distribution is the convenient tool to analyze them since their emission does not depend on the temporary effects which could affect unstable, thin-shelled bow shocks. Our numerical models of Galactic bow shocks generated by high-mass (~40 Mo) runaway stars yield H$α$ fluxes which could be observed by facilities such as the SuperCOSMOS H-Alpha Survey. The brightest bow shock nebulae are produced in the denser regions of the ISM. We predict that bow shocks in the field observed at Ha by means of Rayleigh-sensitive facilities are formed around stars of initial mass larger than about 20 Mo. Our models of bow shocks from OB stars have the emission maximum in the wavelength range 3 <= lambda <= 50 micrometer which can be up to several orders of magnitude brighter than the runaway stars themselves, particularly for stars of initial mass larger than 20 Mo.

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arXiv2015

Asymmetric supernova remnants generated by Galactic, massive runaway stars

After the death of a runaway massive star, its supernova shock wave interacts with the bow shocks produced by its defunct progenitor, and may lose energy, momentum, and its spherical symmetry before expanding into the local interstellar medium (ISM). We investigate whether the initial mass and space velocity of these progenitors can be associated with asymmetric supernova remnants. We run hydrodynamical models of supernovae exploding in the pre-shaped medium of moving Galactic core-collapse progenitors. We find that bow shocks that accumulate more than about 1.5 Mo generate asymmetric remnants. The shock wave first collides with these bow shocks 160-750 yr after the supernova, and the collision lasts until 830-4900 yr. The shock wave is then located 1.35-5 pc from the center of the explosion, and it expands freely into the ISM, whereas in the opposite direction it is channelled into the region of undisturbed wind material. This applies to an initially 20 Mo progenitor moving with velocity 20 km/s and to our initially 40 Mo progenitor. These remnants generate mixing of ISM gas, stellar wind and supernova ejecta that is particularly important upstream from the center of the explosion. Their lightcurves are dominated by emission from optically-thin cooling and by X-ray emission of the shocked ISM gas. We find that these remnants are likely to be observed in the [OIII] lambda 5007 spectral line emission or in the soft energy-band of X-rays. Finally, we discuss our results in the context of observed Galactic supernova remnants such as 3C391 and the Cygnus Loop.

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arXiv2014

Models of the circumstellar medium of evolving, massive runaway stars moving through the Galactic plane

At least 5 per cent of the massive stars are moving supersonically through the interstellar medium (ISM) and are expected to produce a stellar wind bow shock. We explore how the mass loss and space velocity of massive runaway stars affect the morphology of their bow shocks. We run two-dimensional axisymmetric hydrodynamical simulations following the evolution of the circumstellar medium of these stars in the Galactic plane from the main sequence to the red supergiant phase. We find that thermal conduction is an important process governing the shape, size and structure of the bow shocks around hot stars, and that they have an optical luminosity mainly produced by forbidden lines, e.g. [OIII]. The Ha emission of the bow shocks around hot stars originates from near their contact discontinuity. The H$α$ emission of bow shocks around cool stars originates from their forward shock, and is too faint to be observed for the bow shocks that we simulate. The emission of optically-thin radiation mainly comes from the shocked ISM material. All bow shock models are brighter in the infrared, i.e. the infrared is the most appropriate waveband to search for bow shocks. Our study suggests that the infrared emission comes from near the contact discontinuity for bow shocks of hot stars and from the inner region of shocked wind for bow shocks around cool stars. We predict that, in the Galactic plane, the brightest, i.e. the most easily detectable bow shocks are produced by high-mass stars moving with small space velocities.

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arXiv2013

On the stability of bow shocks generated by red supergiants: the case of IRC-10414

In this Letter, we explore the hypothesis that the smooth appearance of bow shocks around some red supergiants (RSGs) might be caused by the ionization of their winds by external sources of radiation. Our numerical simulations of the bow shock generated by IRC-10414 (the first-ever RSG with an optically detected bow shock) show that the ionization of the wind results in its acceleration by a factor of two, which reduces the difference between the wind and space velocities of the star and makes the contact discontinuity of the bow shock stable for a range of stellar space velocities and mass-loss rates. Our best fit model reproduces the overall shape and surface brightness of the observed bow shock and suggests that the space velocity and mass-loss rate of IRC-10414 are $\approx$50 ${\rm km} \, {\rm s}^{-1}$ and $\approx$$10^{-6}$ $M_\odot \, {\rm yr}^{-1}$, respectively, and that the number density of the local ISM is $\approx$3 ${\rm cm}^{-3}$. It also shows that the bow shock emission comes mainly from the shocked stellar wind. This naturally explains the enhanced nitrogen abundance in the line-emitting material, derived from the spectroscopy of the bow shock. We found that photoionized bow shocks are $\approx$15$-$50 times brighter in optical line emission than their neutral counterparts, from which we conclude that the bow shock of IRC-10414 must be photoionized.

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arXiv2013

IRC-10414: a bow-shock-producing red supergiant star

Most runaway OB stars, like the majority of massive stars residing in their parent clusters, go through the red supergiant (RSG) phase during their lifetimes. Nonetheless, although many dozens of massive runaways were found to be associated with bow shocks, only two RSG bow-shock-producing stars, Betelgeuse and μCep, are known to date. In this paper, we report the discovery of an arc-like nebula around the late M-type star IRC-10414 using the SuperCOSMOS H-alpha Survey. Our spectroscopic follow-up of IRC-10414 with the Southern African Large Telescope (SALT) showed that it is a M7 supergiant, which supports previous claims on the RSG nature of this star based on observations of its maser emission. This was reinforced by our new radio- and (sub)millimeter-wavelength molecular line observations made with the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) 12 meter telescope and the Effelsberg 100 m radio telescope, respectively. The SALT spectrum of the nebula indicates that its emission is the result of shock excitation. This finding along with the arc-like shape of the nebula and an estimate of the space velocity of IRC-10414 (\approx 70\pm20 km/s) imply the bow shock interpretation for the nebula. Thus, IRC-10414 represents the third case of a bow-shock-producing RSG and the first one with a bow shock visible at optical wavelengths. We discuss the smooth appearance of the bow shocks around IRC-10414 and Betelgeuse and propose that one of the necessary conditions for stability of bow shocks generated by RSGs is the ionization of the stellar wind. Possible ionisation sources of the wind of IRC-10414 are proposed and discussed.

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