arXiv subjects

R. Wunsch

Publications and source records attributed to R. Wunsch.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Accelerated gas flow along Ophiuchus B44 filament: Breaking Position-Position-Velocity degeneracy

(Abridged) Stellar feedback from massive stars in the Upper-Sco has been proposed to have reshaped the gas in the nearby Ophiuchus complex. In this framework, feedback organizes the gas into two filament types based on their orientation relative to the source of feedback: radial (R-type) filaments, aligned radially to the massive stars, and tangential (T-type) filaments, which are orthogonal to the feedback direction. A key prediction of this scenario is that gas within R-type filaments should flow longitudinally away from the massive stars. In this paper, we test this scenario by measuring the three-dimensional gas flow inside the potential R-type filament B44, combining the 3D orientation of the filament from Gaia-based 3D dust maps with radial velocities from CO observations. We find that gas flows longitudinally along the B44 filament away from the massive stars in Upper-Sco with both tracers yielding consistent velocity fields. This result confirms B44 is a R-type filament formed by stellar feedback from Sco-Cen with an implied filament assembly timescale of $\sim$3~Myr, well within the age of the Upper-Sco massive stars. Moreover, we find that the gas motion along B44 and away from the massive stars is accelerated with $a\sim$1.8~km/s/Myr ($\sim 6 \times 10^{-11}$~m/s$^2$). This acceleration is compatible with the accelerations recorded along the Sco-Cen cluster chains over the past $\sim$15~Myr, indicating that B44 is likely a present-day, gas-phase counterpart of the same feedback-driven process that produced those stellar sequences. We further find evidence for a shock at the wind-facing head of the filament, with a deprojected flow Mach number of $\sim$2 and a matching density jump. Our findings demonstrate that Gaia 3D dust maps can lift the line-of-sight ambiguity intrinsic to PPV spectral data, enabling direct deprojection of the gas velocity field in coherent filaments.

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arXiv2021

Extreme adaptive optics astrometry of R136. Searching for high proper motion stars

We compared high-contrast near-infrared images of the core of R136 taken by VLT/SPHERE, in two epochs separated by 3.06 years. For the first time we monitored the dynamics of the detected sources in the core of R136 from a ground-based telescope with adaptive optics. The aim of these observations was to search for High prOper Motion cAndidates (HOMAs) in the central region of R136 (r<6") where it has been challenging for other instruments. Two bright sources (K<15mag and V<16mag) are located near R136a1 and R136c (massive WR stars) and have been identified as potential HOMAs. These sources have significantly shifted in the images with respect to the mean shift of all reliable detected sources and their neighbours, and six times their own astrometric errors. We calculate their proper motions to be 1.36\pm0.22 mas/yr (321\pm52 km/s) and 1.15\pm0.11 mas/yr (273\pm26 km/s). We discuss different possible scenarios to explain the magnitude of such extreme proper motions, and argue for the necessity to conduct future observations to conclude on the nature of HOMAs in the core of R136.

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arXiv2016

Attack of the Flying Snakes : Formation of Isolated HI Clouds By Fragmentation of Long Streams

The existence of long (> 100 kpc) HI streams and small (< 20 kpc) free-floating HI clouds is well-known. While the formation of the streams has been investigated extensively, and the isolated clouds are often purported to be interaction debris, little research has been done on the formation of optically dark HI clouds that are not part of a larger stream. One possibility is that such features result from the fragmentation of more extended streams, while another idea is that they are primordial, optically dark galaxies. We test the validity of the fragmentation scenario (via harassment) using numerical simulations. In order to compare our numerical models with observations, we present catalogues of both the known long HI streams (42 objects) and free-floating HI clouds suggested as dark galaxy candidates (51 objects). In particular, we investigate whether it is possible to form compact features with high velocity widths (> 100 km/s), similar to observed clouds which are otherwise intriguing dark galaxy candidates. We find that producing such features is possible but extremely unlikely, occurring no more than 0.2% of the time in our simulations. In contrast, we find that genuine dark galaxies could be extremely stable to harassment and remain detectable even after 5 Gyr in the cluster environment (with the important caveat that our simulations only explore harassment and do not yet include the intracluster medium, heating and cooling, or star formation). We also discuss the possibility that such objects could be the progenitors of recently discovered ultra diffuse galaxies.

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arXiv2013

Clumps and triggered star formation in ionised molecular clouds

Infrared shells and bubbles are ubiquitous in the Galaxy and can generally be associated with HII regions formed around young, massive stars. In this paper, we use high-resolution 3D SPH simulations to explore the effect of a single O7 star emitting photons at 10^49 1/s and located at the centre of a molecular cloud with mass 10^4 M_sun and radius 6.4 pc; the internal structure of the cloud is characterised by its fractal dimension, D (with 2.0 <= D <= 2.8), and the variance of its (log-normal) density distribution, sigma_0^2 (with 0.36 <= sigma_0^2 <= 1.42). Our study focuses on the morphology of the swept-up cold gas and the distribution and statistics of the resulting star formation. If the fractal dimension is low, the border of the HII region is dominated by extended shell-like structures, and these break up into a small number of massive high-density clumps which then spawn star clusters; star formation occurs relatively quickly, and delivers somewhat higher stellar masses. Conversely, if the fractal dimension is high, the border of the HII region is dominated by a large number of pillars and cometary globules, which contain compact dense clumps and tend to spawn single stars or individual multiple systems; star formation occurs later, the stellar masses are somewhat lower, and the stars are more widely distributed.

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arXiv2012

Dispersal of molecular clouds by ionising radiation

The role of feedback from massive stars is believed to be a key element in the evolution of molecular clouds. We use high-resolution 3D SPH simulations to explore the dynamical effects of a single O7 star located at the centre of a molecular cloud with mass 10^4M_sun and radius 6.4pc. The initial internal structure of the cloud is characterised by its fractal dimension, D=2.0 - 2.8, and its log-normal density PDF. (i) As regards star formation, in the short term ionising feedback is positive, in the sense that star formation occurs much more quickly in gas that is compressed by the high pressure of the ionised gas. However, in the long term ionising feedback is negative, in the sense that most of the cloud is dispersed with an outflow rate of up to ~0.01M_sun/yr, on a timescale comparable with the sound-crossing time for the ionised gas (~1-2Myr), and triggered star formation is therefore limited to a few percent of the cloud's mass. (ii) As regards the morphology of the ionisation fronts (IFs) bounding the HII region and the systematics of outflowing gas, we distinguish two regimes. For low D<=2.2, the initial cloud is dominated by large-scale structures, so the neutral gas tends to be swept up into a few extended coherent shells, and the ionised gas blows out through a few large holes between these shells; we term these HII regions "shell-dominated". Conversely, for high D>=2.6, the initial cloud is dominated by small-scale structures, and these are quickly overrun by the advancing IF, thereby producing neutral pillars whilst the ionised gas blows out through a large number of small holes between the pillars; we term these HII regions "pillar-dominated". (iii) As regards the injection of bulk kinetic energy, by ~1Myr, the expansion of the HII region has delivered a rms velocity of ~6km/s; this represents less than 0.1% of the total energy radiated by the O7 star.

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arXiv2010

On the extreme positive star-formation feedback condition in SCUBA sources

We present a detailed study of the hydrodynamics of the matter reinserted by massive stars via stellar winds and supernovae explosions in young assembling galaxies. We show that the interplay between the thermalization of the kinetic energy provided by massive stars, radiative cooling of the thermalized plasma and the gravitational pull of the host galaxy, lead to three different hydrodynamic regimes. These are: a) The quasi-adiabatic supergalactic winds. b) The bimodal flows, with mass accumulation in the central zones and gas expulsion from the outer zones of the assembling galaxy. c) The gravitationally bound regime, for which all of the gas returned by massive stars remains bound to the host galaxy and is likely to be reprocessed into futher generations of stars. Which of the three possible solutions takes place, depends on the mass of the star forming region its mechanical luminosity (or star formation rate) and its size. The model predicts that massive assembling galaxies with large star formation rates similar to those detected in SCUBA sources ($\sim 1000$ M$_\odot$ yr$^{-1}$) are likely to evolve in a positive star-formation feedback condition, either in the bimodal, or in the gravitationally bound regime. This implies that star formation in these sources may have little impact on the intergalactic medium and result instead into a fast interstellar matter enrichment, as observed in high redshift quasars.

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arXiv2009

Supersonic Line Broadening within Young and Massive Super Star Clusters

The origin of supersonic infrared and radio recombination nebular lines often detected in young and massive superstar clusters are discussed. We suggest that these arise from a collection of repressurizing shocks (RSs), acting effectively to re-establish pressure balance within the cluster volume and from the cluster wind which leads to an even broader although much weaker component. The supersonic lines are here shown to occur in clusters that undergo a bimodal hydrodynamic solution (Tenorio-Tagle et al. 2007), that is within clusters that are above the threshold line in the mechanical luminosity or cluster mass vs the size of the cluster (Silich et al. 2004). The plethora of repressurizing shocks is due to frequent and recurrent thermal instabilities that take place within the matter reinserted by stellar winds and supernovae. We show that the maximum speed of the RSs and of the cluster wind, are both functions of the temperature reached at the stagnation radius. This temperature depends only on the cluster heating efficiency ($η$). Based on our two dimensional simulations (Wunsch et al. 2008) we calculate the line profiles that result from several models and confirm our analytical predictions. From a comparison between the predicted and observed values of the half-width zero intensity of the two line components we conclude that the thermalization efficiency in SSC's above the threshold line must be lower than 20%.

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arXiv2009

Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics simulations of expanding HII regions. I. Numerical methods and tests

We describe a new algorithm for including the dynamical effects of ionizing radiation in SPH simulations, and we present several examples of how the algorithm can be applied to problems in star formation. We use the HEALPix software to tessellate the sky and to solve the equation of ionization equilibrium along a ray towards each of the resulting tesserae. We exploit the hierarchical nature of HEALPix to make the algorithm adaptive, so that fine angular resolution is invoked only where it is needed, and the computational cost is kept low. We present simulations of (i) the spherically symmetric expansion of an HII region inside a uniform-density, non--self-gravitating cloud; (ii) the spherically symmetric expansion of an HII region inside a uniform-density, self-gravitating cloud; (iii) the expansion of an off-centre HII region inside a uniform-density, non--self-gravitating cloud, resulting in rocket acceleration and dispersal of the cloud; and (iv) radiatively driven compression and ablation of a core overrun by an HII region. The new algorithm provides the means to explore and evaluate the role of ionizing radiation in regulating the efficiency and statistics of star formation.

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arXiv2008

Two-Dimensional Hydrodynamic Models of Super Star Clusters with a Positive Star Formation Feedback

Using the hydrodynamic code ZEUS, we perform 2D simulations to determine the fate of the gas ejected by massive stars within super star clusters. It turns out that the outcome depends mainly on the mass and radius of the cluster. In the case of less massive clusters, a hot high velocity ($\sim 1000$ km s$^{-1}$) stationary wind develops and the metals injected by supernovae are dispersed to large distances from the cluster. On the other hand, the density of the thermalized ejecta within massive and compact clusters is sufficiently large as to immediately provoke the onset of thermal instabilities. These deplete, particularly in the central densest regions, the pressure and the pressure gradient required to establish a stationary wind, and instead the thermally unstable parcels of gas are rapidly compressed, by a plethora of re-pressurizing shocks, into compact high density condensations. Most of these are unable to leave the cluster volume and thus accumulate to eventually feed further generations of star formation. The simulations cover an important fraction of the parameter-space, which allows us to estimate the fraction of the reinserted gas which accumulates within the cluster and the fraction that leaves the cluster as a function of the cluster mechanical luminosity, the cluster size and heating efficiency.

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arXiv2007

Super stellar clusters with a bimodal hydrodynamic solution: an Approximate Analytic Approach

We look for a simple analytic model to distinguish between stellar clusters undergoing a bimodal hydrodynamic solution from those able to drive only a stationary wind. Clusters in the bimodal regime undergo strong radiative cooling within their densest inner regions, which results in the accumulation of the matter injected by supernovae and stellar winds and eventually in the formation of further stellar generations, while their outer regions sustain a stationary wind. The analytic formulae are derived from the basic hydrodynamic equations. Our main assumption, that the density at the star cluster surface scales almost linearly with that at the stagnation radius, is based on results from semi-analytic and full numerical calculations. The analytic formulation allows for the determination of the threshold mechanical luminosity that separates clusters evolving in either of the two solutions. It is possible to fix the stagnation radius by simple analytic expressions and thus to determine the fractions of the deposited matter that clusters evolving in the bimodal regime blow out as a wind or recycle into further stellar generations.

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arXiv2005

Two-dimensional models of layered protoplanetary discs - II. The effect of a residual viscosity in the dead zone

We study axisymmetric models of layered protoplanetary discs taking radiative transfer effects into account, and allowing for a residual viscosity in the dead zone. We also explore the effect of different viscosity prescriptions. In addition to the ring instability reported in the first paper of the series we find an oscillatory instability of the dead zone, accompanied by variations of the accretion rate onto the central star. We provide a simplified analytical description explaining the mechanism of the oscillations. Finally, we find that the residual viscosity enables stationary accretion in large regions of layered discs. Based on results obtained with the help of a simple 1-D hydrocode we identify these regions, and discuss conditions in which layered discs can give rise to FU~Orionis phenomena.

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arXiv2005

2-D models of layered protoplanetary discs: I. The ring instability

In this work we use the radiation hydrodynamic code TRAMP to perform a two-dimensional axially symmetric model of the layered disc. Using this model we follow the accumulation of mass in the dead zone due to the radially varying accretion rate. We found a new type of instability which causes the dead zone to split into rings. This "ring instability" works due to the positive feedback between the thickness of the dead zone and the mass accumulation rate. We give an analytical description of this instability, taking into account non-zero thickness of the dead zone and deviations from the Keplerian rotational velocity. The analytical model agrees reasonably well with results of numerical simulations. Finally, we speculate about the possible role of the ring instability in protoplanetary discs and in the formation of planets.

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arXiv2001

The fragmentation of expanding shells: cloud formation rates and masses

The gravitational instability of expanding shells is discussed. Linear and nonlinear terms are included in an analytical solution in the static and homogeneous medium. We discuss the interaction of modes and give the time needed for fragmentation. Masses of individual fragments are also estimated and their formation rates and the initial mass function are derived. Results of simulations are compared to observation.

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arXiv2001

Gravitational instability of expanding shells: Solution with nonlinear terms

A model of the thin shell expanding into a uniform ambient medium is developed. Density perturbations are described using equations with linear and quadratic terms, and the linear and the nonlinear solutions are compared. We follow the time evolution of the fragmentation process and separate the well defined fragments. Their mass spectrum is compared to observations and we also estimate their formation time.

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