arXiv subjects

M. S. Oey

Publications and source records attributed to M. S. Oey.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2013

A Sample of OB Stars That Formed in the Field

We present a sample of 14 OB stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud that meet strong criteria for having formed under extremely sparse star-forming conditions in the field. These stars are a minimum of 28 pc in projection from other OB stars, and they are centered within symmetric, round HII regions. They show no evidence of bow shocks, implying that the targets are not transverse runaway stars. Their radial velocities relative to local HI also indicate that they are not line-of-sight runaway stars. A friends-of-friends analysis shows that 9 of the objects present a few low-mass companion stars, with typical mass ratios for the two highest-mass stars of around 0.1. This further substantiates that these OB stars formed in place, and that they can and do form in extremely sparse conditions. This poses strong constraints on theories of star formation and challenges proposed relations between cluster mass and maximum stellar mass.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2013

The Optical Depth of H II Regions in the Magellanic Clouds

We exploit ionization-parameter mapping as a powerful tool to measure the optical depth of star-forming HII regions. Our simulations using the photoionization code CLOUDY and our new, SURFBRIGHT surface brightness simulator demonstrate that this technique can directly diagnose most density-bounded, optically thin nebulae using spatially resolved emission line data. We apply this method to the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, using the data from the Magellanic Clouds Emission Line Survey. We generate new HII region catalogs based on photoionization criteria set by the observed ionization structure in the [SII]/[OIII] ratio and Ha surface brightness. The luminosity functions from these catalogs generally agree with those from Ha-only surveys. We then use ionization-parameter mapping to crudely classify all the nebulae into optically thick vs optically thin categories, yielding fundamental new insights into Lyman continuum radiation transfer. We find that in both galaxies, the frequency of optically thin objects correlates with Ha luminosity, and that the numbers of these objects dominate above log L\geq37.0. The frequencies of optically thin objects are 40% and 33% in the LMC and SMC, respectively. Similarly, the frequency of optically thick regions correlates with H I column density, with optically thin objects dominating at the lowest N(HI). The integrated escape luminosity of ionizing radiation is dominated by the largest regions, and corresponds to luminosity-weighted, ionizing escape fractions from the H II region population of \geq0.42 and \geq0.40 in the LMC and SMC, respectively. These values correspond to global galactic escape fractions of 4% and 11%, respectively. This is sufficient to power the ionization rate of the observed diffuse ionized gas in both galaxies. Our results suggest the possibility of significant galactic escape fractions of Lyman continuum radiation.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2013

The Origin and Optical Depth of Ionizing Radiation in the "Green Pea" Galaxies

Although Lyman continuum (LyC) radiation from star-forming galaxies likely drove the reionization of the Universe, observations of star-forming galaxies at low redshift generally indicate low LyC escape fractions. However, the extreme [O III]/[O II] ratios of the z=0.1-0.3 Green Pea galaxies may be due to high escape fractions of ionizing radiation. To analyze the LyC optical depths and ionizing sources of these rare, compact starbursts, we compare nebular photoionization and stellar population models with observed emission lines in the Peas' SDSS spectra. We focus on the six most extreme Green Peas, the galaxies with the highest [O III]/[O II] ratios and the best candidates for escaping ionizing radiation. The Balmer line equivalent widths and He I λ3819 emission in the extreme Peas support young ages of 3-5 Myr, and He II λ4686 emission in five extreme Peas signals the presence of hard ionizing sources. Ionization by active galactic nuclei or high-mass X-ray binaries is inconsistent with the Peas' line ratios and ages. Although stacked spectra reveal no Wolf-Rayet (WR) features, we tentatively detect WR features in the SDSS spectra of three extreme Peas. Based on the Peas' ages and line ratios, we find that WR stars, chemically homogeneous O stars, or shocks could produce the observed He II emission. If hot stars are responsible, the Peas' optical depths are ambiguous. However, accounting for emission from shocks lowers the inferred optical depth and suggests that the Peas may be optically thin. The Peas' ages likely optimize the escape of Lyman-continuum radiation; they are old enough for supernovae and stellar winds to reshape the interstellar medium, but young enough to possess large numbers of UV-luminous O or WR stars.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2012

Single-Star HII Regions as a Probe of Massive Star Spectral Energy Distributions

The shape of the OB-star spectral energy distribution is a critical component in many diagnostics of the ISM and galaxy properties. We use single-star HII regions from the LMC to quantitatively examine the ionizing SEDs from widely available CoStar, TLUSTY, and WM-basic atmosphere grids. We evaluate the stellar atmosphere models by matching the emission-line spectra that they predict from CLOUDY photoionization simulations with those observed from the nebulae. The atmosphere models are able to reproduce the observed optical nebular line ratios, except at the highest energy transitions > 40 eV, assuming that the gas distribution is non-uniform. Overall we find that simulations using WM-basic produce the best agreement with the observed line ratios. The rate of ionizing photons produced by the model SEDs is consistent with the rate derived from the \Halpha\ luminosity for standard, log(g) = 4.0 models adopted from the atmosphere grids. However, there is a systematic offset between the rate of ionizing photons from different atmosphere models that is correlated with the relative hardness of the SEDs. In general WM-basic and TLUSTY atmosphere models predict similar effective temperatures, while CoStar predicts effective temperatures that are cooler by a few thousand degrees. We compare our effective temperatures, which depend on the nebular ionization balance, to conventional photospheric-based calibrations from the literature. We suggest that in the future, spectral type to effective temperature calibrations can be constructed from nebular data.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2012

The Initial Mass Function of Field OB Stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud

Some theories of star formation suggest massive stars may only form in clustered environments, which would create a deficit of massive stars in low density environments. Observationally, Massey (2002) finds such a deficit in samples of the field population in the Small and Large Magellanic Clouds, with an IMF slope of Γ ~ 4. These IMF measurements represent some of the largest known deviations from the standard Salpeter IMF slope of Γ=1.35. Here, we carry out a comprehensive investigation of the mass function above 20 solar masses for the entire field population of the Small Magellanic Cloud, based on data from the Runaways and Isolated O Type Star Spectroscopic Survey of the SMC (RIOTS4). This is a spatially complete census of the entire field OB star population of the SMC obtained with the IMACS multi-object spectrograph and MIKE echelle spectrograph on the Magellan telescopes. Based on Monte-Carlo simulations of the evolved present-day mass function, we find the slope of the field IMF above 20 solar masses is Γ=2.3+/-0.4. We extend our IMF measurement to lower masses using BV photometry from the OGLE II survey. We use a statistical approach to generate a probability distribution for the mass of each star from the OGLE photometry, and we again find Γ=2.3+/-0.6 for stellar masses from 7-20 solar masses. The discovery and removal of ten runaways in our RIOTS4 sample steepens the field IMF slope to Γ=2.8+/-0.5. We discuss the possible effects of binarity and star-formation history on our results, and conclude that the steep field massive star IMF is most likely a real effect.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2012

Discovery of New, Dust-Poor B[e] Supergiants in the Small Magellanic Cloud

We present the discovery of three new B[e] supergiants (sgB[e] stars) in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). All three stars (R15, R38, and R48) were identified in the course of our Runaways and Isolated O Type Star Spectroscopic Survey of the SMC (RIOTS4). The stars show optical spectra that closely resemble those of previously known B[e] stars, presenting numerous low-ionization forbidden and permitted emission lines such as [Fe II] and Fe II. Furthermore, our stars have luminosities of log(L/L_sun) > 4, demonstrating that they are supergiants. However, we find lower infrared excesses and weaker forbidden emission lines than for previously identified B[e] supergiants. Thus our stars appear to either have less material in their circumstellar disks than other sgB[e] stars, or the circumstellar material has lower dust content. We suggest that these may constitute a new subclass of dust-poor sgB[e] stars.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2012

Projected Rotational Velocities and Stellar Characterization of 350 B Stars in the Nearby Galactic Disk

Projected rotational velocities (vsini) are presented for a sample of 350 early B-type main sequence stars in the nearby Galactic disk. The stars are located within ~1.5 kpc from the Sun, and the great majority within 700 pc. The analysis is based on high-resolution spectra obtained with the MIKE spectrograph on the Magellan Clay 6.5-m telescope at the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile.Spectral types were estimated based on relative intensities of some key line absorption ratios and comparisons to synthetic spectra. Effective temperatures were estimated from the reddening-free Q index, and projected rotational velocities were then determined via interpolation on a published grid that correlates the synthetic full width at half maximum of the He I lines at 4026, 4388 and 4471 A with vsini. As the sample has been selected solely on the basis of spectral types it contains an selection of B stars in the field, in clusters, and in OB associations. The vsini distribution obtained for the entire sample is found to be essentially flat for vsini values between 0-150 km/s, with only a modest peak at low projected rotational velocities. Considering subsamples of stars, there appears to be a gradation in the vsini distribution with the field stars presenting a larger fraction of the slow rotators and the cluster stars distribution showing an excess of stars with vsini between 70 and 130 km/s. Furthermore, for a subsample of potential runaway stars we find that the vsini distribution resembles the distribution seen in denser environments, which could suggest that these runaway stars have been subject to dynamical ejection mechanisms.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2012

The Salpeter Slope of the IMF Explained

If we accept a paradigm that star formation is a self-similar, hierarchical process, then the Salpeter slope of the IMF for high-mass stars can be simply and elegantly explained as follows. If the instrinsic IMF at the smallest scales follows a simple -2 power-law slope, then the steepening to the -2.35 Salpeter value results when the most massive stars cannot form in the lowest-mass clumps of a cluster. It is stressed that this steepening MUST occur if clusters form hierarchically from clumps, and the lowest-mass clumps can form stars. This model is consistent with a variety of observations as well as theoretical simulations.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2012

Abundance trends in the inner and outer Galactic disk

Based on high-resolution spectra obtained with the MIKE spectrograph on the Magellan telescopes we present detailed elemental abundances for 64 red giant stars in the inner and outer Galactic disk. For the inner disk sample (4-7 kpc from the Galactic centre) we find that stars with both thin and thick disk abundance patterns are present while for Galactocentric distances beyond 10 kpc, we only find chemical patterns associated with the local thin disk, even for stars far above the Galactic plane. Our results show that the relative densities of the thick and thin disks are dramatically different from the solar neighbourhood, and we therefore suggest that the radial scale length of the thick disk is much shorter than that of the thin disk. A thick disk scale-length of L_{thick}=2.0 kpc, and L_{thin}=3.8 kpc for the thin disk, better match the data.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2011

The IMF of Field OB Stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud

The population of field OB stars are an important component of a galaxy's stellar content, representing 20-30% of the massive stars. To study this population, we have undertaken the Runaways and Isolated O Type Star Spectroscopic Survey of the SMC (RIOTS4). RIOTS4 surveys a spatially complete sample of >350 field OB stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud and will serve as a key probe of runaways, binaries, and the stellar IMF in the field massive star population. Here, we focus on the field IMF, which provides an empirical probe of the star-forming process and is a fundamental property of a stellar population. Together with photometry from the OGLE survey, RIOTS4 will yield a definitive stellar IMF for the SMC field massive star population. We present preliminary results that suggests the field IMF is much steeper, Gamma = 2.9, than the canonical stellar IMF of Gamma = 1.35. Despite the steep slope, we see no evidence of a stellar upper mass limit, up to our highest mass star of 65 solar masses.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2011

An Ionization Cone in the Dwarf Starburst Galaxy NGC 5253

There are few observational constraints on how the escape of ionizing photons from starburst galaxies depends on galactic parameters. Here, we report on the first major detection of an ionization cone in NGC 5253, a nearby starburst galaxy. This high-excitation feature is identified by mapping the emission-line ratios in the galaxy using [S III] lambda 9069, [S II] lambda 6716, and H_alpha narrow-band images from the Maryland-Magellan Tunable Filter at Las Campanas Observatory. The ionization cone appears optically thin, which is suggestive of the escape of ionizing photons. The cone morphology is narrow with an estimated solid angle covering just 3% of 4pi steradians, and the young, massive clusters of the nuclear starburst can easily generate the radiation required to ionize the cone. Although less likely, we cannot rule out the possibility of an obscured AGN source. An echelle spectrum along the minor axis shows complex kinematics that are consistent with outflow activity. The narrow morphology of the ionization cone supports the scenario that an orientation bias contributes to the difficulty in detecting Lyman continuum emission from starbursts and Lyman break galaxies.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

Completing the Massive Star Population: Striking Into the Field

As a population, field massive stars are relatively enigmatic, and this review attempts to illuminate this sector of the high-mass stellar population, which comprises 20 - 25% of the massive stars in star-forming galaxies. The statistical properties of the field population are vital diagnostics of star formation theory, cluster dynamical evolution, and stellar evolution. We present evidence that field massive stars originate both in situ and as runaways from clusters, based on the clustering law, IMF, rotation velocities, and individual observed in situ candidate field stars. We compare the known properties of field and cluster massive stars from studies in the Magellanic Clouds and the Galaxy, including our RIOTS4 complete spectroscopic survey of SMC OB stars. In addition to the origin of the field massive stars, we discuss additional properties including binarity, runaway mechanisms, and some evolved spectral types.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2011

On the Origin of the Salpeter Slope for the Initial Mass Function

We suggest that the intrinsic, stellar initial mass function (IMF) follows a power-law slope gamma=2, inherited from hierarchical fragmentation of molecular clouds into clumps and clumps into stars. The well-known, logarithmic Salpeter slope GAMMA=1.35 in clusters is then the aggregate slope for all the star-forming clumps contributing to an individual cluster, and it is steeper than the intrinsic slope within individual clumps because the smallest star-forming clumps contributing to any given cluster are unable to form the highest-mass stars. Our Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate that the Salpeter power-law index is the limiting value obtained for the cluster IMF when the lower-mass limits for allowed stellar masses and star-forming clumps are effectively equal, m_lo = M_lo. This condition indeed is imposed for the high-mass IMF tail by the turn-over at the characteristic value m_c ~ 1 M_sun. IMF slopes of GAMMA ~ 2 are obtained if the stellar and clump upper-mass limits are also equal m_up = M_up ~ 100 M_sun, and so our model explains the observed range of IMF slopes between GAMMA ~ 1 to 2. Flatter slopes of GAMMA = 1 are expected when M_lo > m_up, which is a plausible condition in starbursts, where such slopes are suggested to occur. While this model is a simplistic parameterization of the star-formation process, it seems likely to capture the essential elements that generate the Salpeter tail of the IMF for massive stars. These principles also likely explain the IGIMF effect seen in low-density star-forming environments.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2011

A First Constraint on the Thick Disk Scale Length: Differential Radial Abundances in K Giants at Galactocentric Radii 4, 8, and 12 kpc

Based on high-resolution spectra obtained with the MIKE spectrograph on the Magellan telescopes we present detailed elemental abundances for 20 red giant stars in the outer Galactic disk, located at Galactocentric distances between 9 and 13 kpc. The outer disk sample is complemented with samples of red giants from the inner Galactic disk and the solar neighbourhood, analysed using identical methods. For Galactocentric distances beyond 10 kpc, we only find chemical patterns associated with the local thin disk, even for stars far above the Galactic plane. Our results show that the relative densities of the thick and thin disks are dramatically different from the solar neighbourhood, and we therefore suggest that the radial scale length of the thick disk is much shorter than that of the thin disk. We make a first estimate of the thick disk scale-length of L_thick=2.0 kpc, assuming L_thin=3.8 kpc for the thin disk. We suggest that radial migration may explain the lack of radial age, metallicity, and abundance gradients in the thick disk, possibly also explaining the link between the thick disk and the metal-poor bulge.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2011

Dust Emission from Evolved and Unevolved HII Regions in the Large Magellanic Cloud

We present a study of the dust properties of 12 classical and superbubble HII regions in the Large Magellanic Cloud. We use infrared photometry from Spitzer (8, 24, 70, and 160 \mum bands), obtained as part of the Surveying the Agents of a Galaxy's Evolution (SAGE) program, along with archival spectroscopic classifications of the ionizing stars to examine the role of stellar sources on dust heating and processing. Our infrared observations show surprisingly little correlation between the emission properties of the dust and the effective temperatures or bolometric magnitudes of stars in the HII regions, suggesting that the HII region evolutionary timescale is not on the order of the dust processing timescale. We find that the infrared emission of superbubbles and classical HII regions shows little differentiation between the two classes, despite the significant differences in age and morphology. We do detect a correlation of the 24 \mum emission from hot dust with the ratio of 70 to 160 \mum flux. This correlation can be modeled as a trend in the temperature of a minority hot dust component, while a majority of the dust remains significantly cooler.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2011

The Integrated Diffuse X-ray Emission of the Carina Nebula Compared to Other Massive Star-forming Regions

The Chandra Carina Complex Project (CCCP) has shown that the Carina Nebula displays bright, spatially-complex soft diffuse X-ray emission. Here we `sum up' the CCCP diffuse emission work by comparing the global morphology and spectrum of Carina's diffuse X-ray emission to other famous sites of massive star formation with pronounced diffuse X-ray emission: M17, NGC 3576, NGC 3603, and 30 Doradus. All spectral models require at least two diffuse thermal plasma components to achieve adequate spectral fits, a softer component with kT = 0.2--0.6 keV and a harder component with kT = 0.5--0.9 keV. In several cases these hot plasmas appear to be in a state of non-equilibrium ionization that may indicate recent and current strong shocks. A cavity north of the embedded giant HII region NGC 3576 is the only region studied here that exhibits hard diffuse X-ray emission; this emission appears to be nonthermal and is likely due to a recent cavity supernova, as evidenced by a previously-known pulsar and newly-discovered pulsar wind nebula also seen in this cavity. All of these targets exhibit X-ray emission lines that are not well-modeled by variable-abundance thermal plasmas and that might be attributed to charge exchange at the shock between the hot, tenuous, X-ray-emitting plasma and cold, dense molecular material; this is likely evidence for dust destruction at the many hot/cold interfaces that characterize massive star-forming regions.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2011

The Chandra Carina Complex Project: Deciphering the Enigma of Carina's Diffuse X-ray Emission

We present a 1.42 square degree mosaic of diffuse X-ray emission in the Great Nebula in Carina from the Chandra X-ray Observatory Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer camera. After removing >14,000 X-ray point sources from the field, we smooth the remaining unresolved emission, tessellate it into segments of similar apparent surface brightness, and perform X-ray spectral fitting on those tessellates to infer the intrinsic properties of the X-ray-emitting plasma. By modeling faint resolved point sources, we estimate the contribution to the extended X-ray emission from unresolved point sources and show that the vast majority of Carina's unresolved X-ray emission is truly diffuse. Line-like correlated residuals in the X-ray spectral fits suggest that substantial X-ray emission is generated by charge exchange at the interfaces between Carina's hot, rarefied plasma and its many cold neutral pillars, ridges, and clumps.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2011

An Introduction to the Chandra Carina Complex Project

The Great Nebula in Carina provides an exceptional view into the violent massive star formation and feedback that typifies giant HII regions and starburst galaxies. We have mapped the Carina star-forming complex in X-rays, using archival Chandra data and a mosaic of 20 new 60ks pointings using the Chandra X-ray Observatory's Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer, as a testbed for understanding recent and ongoing star formation and to probe Carina's regions of bright diffuse X-ray emission. This study has yielded a catalog of properties of >14,000 X-ray point sources; >9800 of them have multiwavelength counterparts. Using Chandra's unsurpassed X-ray spatial resolution, we have separated these point sources from the extensive, spatially-complex diffuse emission that pervades the region; X-ray properties of this diffuse emission suggest that it traces feedback from Carina's massive stars. In this introductory paper, we motivate the survey design, describe the Chandra observations, and present some simple results, providing a foundation for the 15 papers that follow in this Special Issue and that present detailed catalogs, methods, and science results.

astro-ph.SR↗