arXiv subjects

Sami Dib

Publications and source records attributed to Sami Dib.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

Magnetic field structure around cores with very low luminosity objects

[Abridged] We carried out optical polarimetry of five dense cores, (IRAM 04191, L1521F, L328, L673-7, and L1014) which are found to harbour VeLLO. This study was conducted mainly to understand the role played by the magnetic field in the formation of very low and substellar mass range objects using optical polarisation. The angular offsets between the envelope magnetic field direction (inferred from optical polarisation measurements) and the outflow position angles from the VeLLOs in IRAM 04191, L1521F, L328, L673-7, and L1014 are found to be 84$^\circ$, 53$^\circ$, 24$^\circ$, 08$^\circ$, and 15$^\circ$, respectively. The mean value of the offsets for all the five clouds is $\sim37^\circ$. If we exclude IRAM 04191, the mean value reduces to become $\sim25^\circ$. In IRAM 04191, the offset between the projected envelope and the inner magnetic field (inferred from the submillimetre data from SCUPOL) is found to be $\sim68^\circ$. The inner magnetic field, however, is found to be nearly aligned with the projected position angles of the minor axis, the rotation axis of the cloud, and the outflow from the IRAM 04191-IRS. We discuss a possible explanation for the nearly perpendicular orientation between the envelope and core scale magnetic fields in IRAM04191. The angular offset between the envelope magnetic field direction and the minor axis of IRAM 04191, L1521F, L673-7, and L1014 are 82$^\circ$, 60$^\circ$, 47$^\circ$, and 55$^\circ$, respectively. The mean value of the offsets between the envelope magnetic field and the minor axis position angles for the four cores is found to be $\sim60^\circ$. The results obtained from our study on the limited sample of five cores with VeLLOs show that the outflows in three of them tend to nearly align with the envelope magnetic field.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2014

Testing the universality of the IMF with Bayesian statistics: young clusters

The universality of the stellar initial mass function (IMF) is tested using Bayesian statistics with a sample of eight young Galactic stellar clusters (IC 348, ONC, NGC 2024, NGC 6611, NGC 2264, $ρ$ Ophiuchi, Chameleon I, and Taurus). We infer the posterior probability distribution function (pPDF) of the IMF parameters when the likelihood function is described by a tapered power law function, a lognormal distribution at low masses coupled to a power law at higher masses, and a multi-component power law function. The inter-cluster comparison of the pPDFs of the IMF parameters for each likelihood function shows that these distributions do not overlap within the $1σ$ uncertainty level. Furthermore, the most probable values of the IMF parameters for most of the clusters deviate substantially from their values for the Galactic field stellar IMF. We also quantify the effects of taking into account the completeness correction as well as the uncertainties on the measured masses. The inclusion of the former affects the inferred pPDFs of the slope of the IMF at the low mass end while considering the latter affects the pPDFs of the slope of the IMF in the intermediate- to high mass regime. As variations are observed in all of the IMF parameters at once and for each of the considered likelihood functions, even for completeness corrected samples, we argue that the observed variations are real and significant, at least for the sample of eight clusters considered in this work. The results presented here clearly show that the IMF is not universal.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2013

Feedback regulated star formation: II. dual constraints on the SFE and the age spread of stars in massive clusters

We show that the termination of the star formation process by winds from massive stars in protocluster forming clumps imposes dual constraints on the star formation efficiencies (SFEs) and stellar age spreads ($Δτ_{*}$) in stellar clusters. We have considered two main classes of clump models. One class of models in one in which the core formation efficiency (CFE) per unit time and as a consequence the star formation rate (SFR) is constant in time and another class of models in which the CFE per unit time, and as a consequence the SFR, increases with time. Models with an increasing mode of star formation yield shorter age spreads (a few 0.1 Myrs) and typically higher SFEs than models in which star formation is uniform in time. We find that the former models reproduce remarkably well the SFE$-Δτ_{*}$ values of starburst clusters such as NGC 3603 YC and Westerlund 1, while the latter describe better the star formation process in lower density environments such as in the Orion Nebula Cluster. We also show that the SFE and $Δτ_{*}$ of massive clusters are expected to be higher in low metallicity environments. This could be tested with future large extragalactic surveys of stellar clusters. We advocate that placing a stellar cluster on the SFE-$Δτ_{*}$ diagram is a powerful method to distinguish between different stellar clusters formation scenarios such as between generic gravitational instability of a gas cloud/clump or as the result of cloud-cloud collisions. It is also a very useful tool for testing star formation theories and numerical models versus the observations.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2012

The Lesser Role of Shear in Star Formation: Insight from the Galactic Ring Survey

We analyse the role played by shear in regulating star formation in the Galaxy on the scale of individual molecular clouds. The clouds are selected from the 13^CO J=1-0 line of the Galactic Ring Survey. For each cloud, we estimate the shear parameter which describes the ability of density perturbations to grow within the cloud. We find that for almost all molecular clouds considered, there is no evidence that shear is playing a significant role in opposing the effects of self-gravity. We also find that the shear parameter of the clouds does not depend on their position in the Galaxy. Furthermore, we find no correlations between the shear parameter of the clouds with several indicators of their star formation activity. No significant correlation is found between the shear parameter and the star formation efficiency of the clouds which is measured using the ratio of the massive young stellar objects luminosities, measured in the Red MSX survey, to the cloud mass. There are also no significant correlations between the shear parameter and the fraction of their mass that is found in denser clumps which is a proxy for their clump formation efficiency, nor with their level of fragmentation expressed in the number of clumps per unit mass. Our results strongly suggest that shear is playing only a minor role in affecting the rates and efficiencies at which molecular clouds convert their gas into dense cores and thereafter into stars.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2012

The evolution of the core mass function by gas accretion

We show how the mass function of dense cores (CMF) which results from the gravoturbulent fragmentation of a molecular cloud evolves in time under the effect of gas accretion. Accretion onto the cores leads to the formation of larger numbers of massive cores and to a flattening of the CMF. This effect should be visible in the CMF of star forming regions that are massive enough to contain high mass cores and when comparing the CMF of cores in and off dense filaments which have different environmental gas densities.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2012

Dynamical friction in an isentropic gas

When a gravitating object moves across a given mass distribution, it creates an overdense wake behind it. Here, we performed an analytical study of the structure of the flow far from object when the flow is isentropic and the object moves subsonically within it. We show that the dynamical friction force is the main drag force on the object and by using a perturbation theory, we obtain the density, velocity and pressure of the perturbed flow far from the mass. We derive the expression of the dynamical friction force in an isentropic flow and show its dependence on the Mach number of the flow and on the adiabatic index. We find that the dynamical friction force becomes lower as the adiabatic index increases. We show analytically that the wakes are less dense in our isentropic case in comparison to the isothermal ones.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2011

Surface convection: from the Sun to red giant stars

We check how the change in surface conditions between the Sun and red giant branch stars changes the characteristic surface convection length scale to be used in models. We investigate the question in the case of the mixing length theory and of the phenomenology of full spectrum of turbulence. For the observational part, we rely on independent measurements of effective temperatures and interferometric radii of nearby red giants. We find that the local red giant branch cannot be explained taking into account the solar calibrated convective length scale.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2011

Distances to dense cores that contain Very Low Luminosity Objects

The aim of the paper is to estimate distances to dense molecular cores that harbour Very Low Luminosity Objects (VeLLO) detected by Spitzer Space Telescope and to confirm their VeLLO nature. The cloud distances are estimated using near-IR photometric method. We use a technique that provides spectral classification of stars lying towards the fields containing the clouds into main sequence and giants. In this technique, the observed (J-H) and (H-Ks) colours are dereddened simultaneously using trial values of A_V and a normal interstellar extinction law. The best fit of the dereddened colours to the intrinsic colours giving a minimum value of chi^{2} then yields the corresponding spectral type and A_V for the star. The main sequence stars, thus classified, are then utilized in an A_V versus distance plot to bracket the cloud distances. The typical error in the estimation of distances to the clouds are found to be ~18%.We estimated distances to seven cloud cores, IRAM04191, L1521F, BHR111, L328, L673-7, L1014, and L1148 using the above method. These clouds contain VeLLO candidates. The estimated distances to the cores are found to be 127\pm25 pc (IRAM04191), 136\pm36 pc (L1521F), 355\pm65 pc (BHR111), 217\pm30 pc (L328), 240\pm45 pc (L673-7), 258\pm50 pc (L1014), and 301\pm55 pc (L1148). We re-evaluated the internal luminosities of the VeLLOs discovered in these seven clouds using the distances estimated from this work. Except for L1014-IRS (L_{int}=0.15 L_{\odot}), all other VeLLO candidates are found to be consistent with the definition of a VeLLO (L_{int}<=0.1L_{\odot}). In addition to the cores that harbour VeLLO candidates, we also obtained distances to the clouds L323, L675, L676, CB 188, L1122, L1152, L1155, L1157 and L1158 which are located in the directions of the above seven cores. Towards L1521F and L1148 we found evidence of the presence of multiple dust layers.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2011

The Dependence of the Galactic Star Formation Laws on Metallicity

We describe results from semi-analytical modelling of star formation in protocluster clumps of different metallicities. In this model, gravitationally bound cores form uniformly in the clump following a prescribed core formation efficiency per unit time. After a contraction timescale which is equal to a few times their free-fall times, the cores collapse into stars and populate the IMF. Feedback from the newly formed OB stars is taken into account in the form of stellar winds. When the ratio of the effective energy of the winds to the gravitational energy of the system reaches unity, gas is removed from the clump and core and star formation are quenched. The power of the radiation driven winds has a strong dependence on metallicity and it increases with increasing metallicity. Thus, winds from stars in the high metallicity models lead to a rapid evacuation of the gas from the protocluster clump and to a reduced star formation efficiency, as compared to their low metallicity counterparts. We derive the metallicity dependent star formation efficiency per unit time in this model as a function of the gas surface density Sigma_g. This is combined with the molecular gas fraction in order to derive the dependence of the surface density of star formation Sigma_SFR on Sigma_g. This feedback regulated model of star formation reproduces very well the observed star formation laws in galaxies extending from low gas surface densities up to the starburst regime. Furthermore, the results show a dependence of Sigma_SFR on metallicity over the entire range of gas surface densities, and can also explain part of the scatter in the observations.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2011

Feedback Regulated Star Formation: Implications for the Kennicutt-Schmidt Law

We derive a metallicity dependent relation between the surface density of the star formation rate (Sigma_{SFR}) and the gas surface density (Sigma_{g}) in a feedback regulated model of star formation in galactic disks. In this model, star formation occurs in gravitationally bound protocluster clumps embedded in larger giant molecular clouds with the protocluster clump mass function following a power law function with a slope of -2. Metallicity dependent feedback is generated by the winds of OB stars (M > 5 Msol) that form in the clumps. The quenching of star formation in clumps of decreasing metallicity occurs at later epochs due to weaker wind luminosities, thus resulting in higher final star formation efficiencies (SFE_{exp}). By combining SFE_{exp} with the timescales on which gas expulsion occurs, we derive the metallicity dependent star formation rate per unit time in this model as a function of Sigma_{g}. This is combined with the molecular gas fraction in order to derive the global dependence of Sigma_{SFR} on Sigma_{g}. The model reproduces very well the observed star formation laws extending from low gas surface densities up to the starburst regime. Furthermore, our results show a dependence of $Σ_{SFR}$ on metallicity over the entire range of gas surface densities in contrast to other models, and can also explain part of the scatter in the observations. We provide a tabulated form of the star formation laws that can be easily incorporated into numerical simulations or semi-analytical models of galaxy formation and evolution.

astro-ph.CO↗

arXiv2011

Feedback Regulated Star Formation: From Star Clusters to Galaxies

This paper summarises results from semi-analytical modelling of star formation in protocluster clumps of different metallicities. In this model, gravitationally bound cores form uniformly in the clump following a prescribed core formation efficiency per unit time. After a contraction timescale which is equal to a few times their free-fall times, the cores collapse into stars and populate the IMF. Feedback from the newly formed OB stars is taken into account in the form of stellar winds. When the ratio of the effective wind energy of the winds to the gravitational energy of the system reaches unity, gas is removed from the clump and core and star formation are quenched. The power of the radiation driven winds has a strong dependence on metallicity and increases with increasing metallicity. Thus, winds from stars in the high metallicity models lead to a rapid evacuation of the gas from the protocluster clump and to a reduced star formation efficiency, SFE_{exp}, as compared to their low metallicity counterparts. By combining SFE_{exp} with the timescales on which gas expulsion occurs, we derive the metallicity dependent star formation rate per unit time in this model as a function of the gas surface density Sigma_{g}. This is combined with the molecular gas fraction in order to derive the dependence of the surface density of star formation Sigma_{SFR} on Sigma_{g}. This feedback regulated model of star formation reproduces very well the observed star formation laws extending from low gas surface densities up to the starburst regime. Furthermore, the results show a dependence of Sigma_{SFR} on metallicity over the entire range of gas surface densities, and can also explain part of the scatter in the observations.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2011

Star formation efficiency as a function of metallicity: from star clusters to galaxies

We explore how the star formation efficiency in a protocluster clump is regulated by metallicity dependent stellar winds from the newly formed massive OB stars (Mstar >5 Msol). The model describes the co-evolution of the mass function of gravitationally bound cores and of the IMF in a protocluster clump. Dense cores are generated uniformly in time at different locations in the clump, and contract over lifetimes that are a few times their free fall times. The cores collapse to form stars that power strong stellar winds whose cumulative kinetic energy evacuates the gas from the clump and quenches further core and star formation. This sets the final star formation efficiency, SFEf. Models are run with various metallicities in the range Z/Zsol=[0.1,2]. We find that the SFEf decreases strongly with increasing metallicity.The SFEf-metallicity relation is well described by a decaying exponential whose exact parameters depend weakly on the value of the core formation efficiency. We find that there is almost no dependence of the SFEf-metallicity relation on the clump mass. This is due to the fact that an increase (decrease) in the clump mass leads to an increase (decrease) in the feedback from OB stars which is opposed by an increase (decrease) in the gravitational potential of the clump. The clump mass-cluster mass relations we find for all of the different metallicity cases imply a negligible difference between the exponent of the mass function of the protocluster clumps and that of the young clusters mass function. By normalizing the SFEs to their value for the solar metallicity case, we compare our results to SFE-metallicity relations derived on galactic scales and find a good agreement. As a by-product of this study, we also provide ready-to-use prescriptions for the power of stellar winds of main sequence OB stars in the mass range [5,80] Msol in the metallicity range we have considered

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2010

A method to determine distances to molecular clouds using near-IR photometry

Aims: We aim to develop a method to determine distances to molecular clouds using JHK near-infrared photometry. Methods: The method is based on a technique that aids spectral classification of stars lying towards the fields containing the clouds into main sequence and giants. In this technique, the observed (J-H) and (H-K_s) colours are dereddened simultaneously using trial values of A V and a normal interstellar extinction law. The best fit of the dereddened colours to the intrinsic colours giving a minimum value of Chi^2 then yields the corresponding spectral type and A_V for the star. The main sequence stars, thus classified, are then utilized in an A V versus distance plot to bracket the cloud distances. Results: We applied the method to four clouds, L1517, Chamaeleon I, Lupus 3 and NGC 7023 and estimated their distances as 167+-30, 151+-28, 157+-29 and 408+-76 pc respectively, which are in good agreement with the previous distance estimations available in the literature

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2010

The Angular Momentum of Magnetized Molecular Cloud Cores: A 2D-3D Comparison

We study the rotational properties of magnetized and self-gravitating molecular cloud cores formed in 2 very high resolution 3D molecular cloud simulations.The simulations have been performed using the code RAMSES at an effective resolution of 4096^3.One simulation represents a mildly magnetically-supercritical cloud and the other a strongly magnetically-supercritical cloud.A noticeable difference between the 2 simulations is the core formation efficiency (CFE) of the high density cores.In the strongly supercritical simulations the CFE is ~33 % per free-fall time of the cloud tff,cl, whereas in the mildly supercritical simulations this value goes down to ~6%/tff,cl. A comparison of the intrinsic specific angular momentum j3D distributions of the cores with the distribitions of j2D derived using synthetic 2D velocity maps of the cores,shows that the synthetic observations tend to overestimate the true value of j by a factor of ~10.The origin of this discrepancy lies in the fact that contrary to the intrinsic determination which sums up the individual gas parcels contributions to j, the determination of j using the observational procedure which is based on a measurement on the global velocity gradient under the hypothesis of uniform rotation smoothes out the complex fluctuations present in the 3D velocity field. Our results provide a natural explanation for the discrepancy by a factor ~10 observed between the intrinsic 3D distributions of j and the corresponding distributions derived in real observations.We suggest that measurements of j which are based on the measurement of the observed global velocity gradients may need to be reduced by a factor of ~10 in order to derive a more accurate estimate of j in the cores.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2010

The IMF of stellar clusters: effects of accretion and feedback

(abridged) We develop a model which describes the coevolution of the mass function of dense cores and of the IMF in a protocluster clump. In the model, cores injected in the clump evolve under the effect of gas accretion. Accretion onto the cores follows a time-dependent accretion rate that describes accretion in a turbulent medium. Once the accretion timescales of cores exceed their contraction timescales, they are turned into stars. We include the effect of feedback by the newly formed massive stars through their stellar winds. A fraction of the wind's energy is assumed to counter gravity and disperse the gas from the protocluster and as a consequence, quench further star formation. The latter effect sets the final IMF of the cluster. We apply our model to a clump that is expected to resemble the progenitor clump of the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC). Our model is able to reproduce both the shape and normalization of the ONC's IMF and the mass function of dense cores in Orion. The complex features of the ONC's IMF,i.e., a shallow slope in the mass range ~0.3-2.5 Msol,a steeper slope in the mass range ~2.5-12 Msol, and a nearly flat tail at the high mass end are reproduced. The model predicts a 'rapid' star formation process with an age spread for the stars of 2.3 10^5 yr which is consistent with the fact that 80% of the ONC's stars have ages of <=0.3 Myr. The model predicts a primordial mass segregation with the most massive stars being born in the region between 2-4 times the core radius of the cluster. In parallel, the model also reproduces, simultaneously, the mass function of dense cores in Orion. We study the effects of varying the model parameters on the resulting IMF and show that the IMF of stellar clusters is expected to show significant variations, provided variations in the clumps and cores properties exist.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2009

The orientations of molecular clouds in the outer Galaxy: Evidence for the scale of the turbulence driver ?

Supernova explosions inject a considerable amount of energy into the interstellar medium (ISM) in regions with high to moderate star formation rates. In order to assess whether the driving of turbulence by supernovae is also important in the outer Galactic disk, where the star formation rates are lower, we study the spatial distribution of molecular cloud (MC) inclinations with respect to the Galactic plane. The latter contains important information on the nature of the mechanism of energy injection into the ISM. We analyze the spatial correlations between the position angles (PAs) of a selected sample of MCs (the largest clouds in the catalogue of the outer Galaxy published by Heyer et al. 2001). Our results show that when the PAs of the clouds are all mapped to values into the [0,90]degrees interval, there is a significant degree of spatial correlation between the $PA$s on spatial scales in the range of 100-800 pc. These scales are of the order of the sizes of individual SN shells in low density environments such as those prevailing in the outer Galaxy and where the metallicity of the ambient gas is of the order of the solar value or smaller. These findings suggest that individual SN explosions, occurring in the outer regions of the Galaxy and in likewise spiral galaxies, albeit at lower rates, continue to play an important role in shaping the structure and dynamics of the ISM in those regions. The SN explosions we postulate here are likely associated with the existence of young stellar clusters in the far outer regions of the Galaxy and the UV emission and low levels of star formation observed with the GALEX satellite in the outer regions of local galaxies.

astro-ph.GA↗

arXiv2009

Magneto-thermal condensation modes including the effects of charged dust particles

We study thermal instability in a magnetized and partially ionized plasma with charged dust particles. Our linear analysis shows that the growth rate of the unstable modes in the presence of dust particles strongly depends on the ratio of the cooling rate and the modified dust-cyclotron frequency. If the cooling rate is less than the modified dust-cyclotron frequency, then growth rate of the condensation modes does not modify due to the existence of the charged dust particles. But when the cooling rate is greater than (or comparable to) the modified dust-cyclotron frequency, the growth rate of unstable modes increases because of the dust particles. Also, wavenumber of the perturbations corresponding to the maximum growth rate shifts to the smaller values (larger wavelengths) as the cooling rate becomes larger than the modified dust-cyclotron frequency. We show that growth rate of the condensation modes increases with the electrical charge of the dust particles.

astro-ph↗

arXiv2008

Formation and Properties of Molecular Cloud Cores

In this paper, we review some of the properties of dense molecular cloud cores. The results presented here rely on three-dimensional numerical simulations of isothermal, magnetized, turbulent, and self-gravitating molecular clouds (MCs) in which dense core form as a consequence of the gravo-turbulent fragmentation of the clouds. In particular we discuss issues related to the mass spectrum of the cores, their lifetimes and their virial balance.

astro-ph↗