Understanding how diffuse molecular clouds at large scales (~10 pc) assemble mass into dense, star-forming cores at small scales (~ 0.1 pc) is crucial to building a holistic theory of star formation. While recent observations suggest that filaments play an important role in the mass assembly of dense cores, detailed gas kinematics studies are still lacking. My dissertation presents three innovative techniques that enable us to study star-forming filaments' complex gas kinematics in unprecedented detail: multi-component spectral fit, multi-dimensional filament identification, and membership assignment of velocity-coherent structures. Through these techniques, I analyzed star-forming filaments in the Perseus Molecular Cloud and unveiled unexpectedly complex velocity structures at scales where filaments are well resolved, to as low as the 0.01 pc scale. Moreover, the correlations I discovered between the various filament properties further suggest a scenario in which thermally supercritical filaments grow continuously via accretion from their surroundings while simultaneously forming cores through fragmentation along their lengths. / Graduate / 2022-01-08

The thesis introduces physical processes that are at work in astrophysical plasmas and reviews the current state of research related to the emission of ionizing photons, i.e. Lyman continuum (LyC). Star forming galaxies and active galactic nuclei are discussed as sources of LyC. Observations of LyC leakage at all redshifts are summarized and escape fractions are brought into a cosmological context, i.e. its implications for the reionization of the Universe, one of the major gas phase changes that was completed already after ∼1Gyr after the Big Bang at redshift z∼6.The main work focuses on observations of the local LyC leaking galaxy Tololo 1247-232. Physical properties of the interstellar medium, its porosity and neutral medium column density, could be derived using newly obtained Hubble Space Telescope (HST) data. The work is based on spectroscopy obtained with the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS), as well as optical and ultraviolet multi-band imaging with the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). An improved COS data reduction procedure was adopted. The recent detection of ionizing radiation emerging from Tololo 1247-232 could be confirmed. A LyC escape fraction of 6.6% was derived, in agreement with previous results. We used FUV absorption lines of Si II and Si IV as a probe of the neutral and ionized interstellar medium and find that most of the ISM gas is ionized, likely facilitating LyC escape from density bounded regions. Neutral gas covering as a function of line-of-sight velocity is derived using the apparent optical depth method. The ISM is found to be sufficiently clumpy, supporting the direct escape of LyC photons. We further report on broadband UV and optical continuum imaging as well as narrowband imaging of Lyα, Hα and Hβ. We also performed VLA 21cm imaging. The hydrogen hyperfine transition was not detected, but a deep upper limit atomic gas mass of 10^9 Mo could be derived. The upper limit gas fraction is only 20 percent. Evidence is found that the H I gas halo is relatively small compared to other Lyman Alpha emitters.

4 Title: Reactions of astrophysically important positive ions with molecules and atoms at low temperatures Author: Serhiy Rednyk Department: Department of Surface and Plasma Science Supervisor of the doctoral thesis: prof. RNDr. Juraj Glosík, DrSc, Ph.D., Department of Surface and Plasma Science Abstract: In the present work, the results of the experimental study of reactions of ions with atomic and molecular hydrogen are presented. Experiments were performed using a cold radiofrequency 22-pole ion trap apparatus in the temperature range, relevant for interstellar clouds (from 300 down to 15 K). The present study is devoted to experimental investigation of the reactions of NH+, NH2 + and NH3 + ions with H2. The reaction of NH+ with H2 has two channels, which lead to NH2 + (about 97 %) and H3 + (3 %) formation with nearly constant reaction rate coefficients. The reaction of NH2 + + H2 produces only NH3 + ions and the measured reaction rate coefficient is decreasing with increasing temperature from 6∙10−10 cm3 s−1 to 2∙10−10 cm3 s−1 . The measured reaction rate coefficient of NH3 + with H2, producing NH4 +, is increasing with decreasing temperature from 80 K down to 15 K, confirming predicted mechanism of tunneling through a potential barrier. Reaction of NH+ + H was studied using a combination of the 22-pole...

Polarization is a powerful tool for understanding stellar atmospheres and circumstellar environments. Mira and semi-regular variable stars have been observed for decades and some are known to be polarimetrically variable, however, the semi-regular variable V Canes Venatici displays an unusually large, unexplained amount of polarization. We present ten years of optical polarization observations obtained with the HPOL instrument, supplemented by published observations spanning a total interval of about forty years for V CVn. We find that V CVn shows large polarization variations ranging from 1 - 6%. We also find that for the past forty years the position angle measured for V CVn has been virtually constant suggesting a long-term, stable, asymmetric structure about the star. We suggest that this asymmetry is caused by the presence of a stellar wind bow shock and tail, consistent with the star's large space velocity.

We present an overview of four deep phase-constrained Chandra HETGS X-ray observations of δ Ori A. Delta Ori A is actually a triple system that includes the nearest massive eclipsing spectroscopic binary, δ Ori Aa, the only such object that can be observed with little phase-smearing with the Chandra gratings. Since the fainter star, δ Ori Aa2, has a much lower X-ray luminosity than the brighter primary (δ Ori Aa1), δ Ori Aa provides a unique system with which to test the spatial distribution of the X-ray emitting gas around δ Ori Aa1 via occultation by the photosphere of, and wind cavity around, the X-ray dark secondary. Here we discuss the X-ray spectrum and X-ray line profiles for the combined observation, having an exposure time of nearly 500 ks and covering nearly the entire binary orbit. The companion papers discuss the X-ray variability seen in the Chandra spectra, present new space-based photometry and ground-based radial velocities obtained simultaneously with the X-ray data to better constrain the system parameters, and model the effects of X-rays on the optical and UV spectra. We find that the X-ray emission is dominated by embedded wind shock emission from star Aa1, with little contribution from the tertiary star Ab or the shocked gas produced by the collision of the wind of Aa1 against the surface of Aa2. We find a similar temperature distribution to previous X-ray spectrum analyses. We also show that the line half-widths are about 0.3−0.5 times the terminal velocity of the wind of star Aa1. We find a strong anti-correlation between line widths and the line excitation energy, which suggests that longer-wavelength, lower-temperature lines form farther out in the wind. Our analysis also indicates that the ratio of the intensities of the strong and weak lines of Fe XVII and Ne X are inconsistent with model predictions, which may be an effect of resonance scattering.

Line ratios in "fir" triplets of helium-like ions have proven to be a powerful diagnostic of conditions in X-ray emitting gas surrounding massive stars. Recent observations indicate that these ratios can be variable with time. The possible causes of variation in line ratios are limited: changes in the radiation field or changes in density, and changes in mass-loss or geometry. In this paper, we investigate the ability of changes in the radiation field to induce variability in the ratio R=f/i. To isolate the radiative effect, we use a heuristic model of temperature and radius changes in variable stars in the B and O range with low-density, steady-state winds. We model the changes in emissivity of X-ray emitting gas close to the star due to differences in level-pumping from available UV photons at the location of the gas. We find that under these conditions, variability in R is dominated by the stellar temperature. Although the relative amplitude of variability is roughly comparable for most lines at most temperatures, detectable variations are limited to a few lines for each spectral type. We predict that variable values in R due to stellar variability must follow predictable trends found in our simulations. Our model uses radial pulsations as a mode of stellar variability that maximizes the amplitude of variation in R. This model is robust enough to show which ions will provide the best opportunity for observing variability in the f/i ratio at different stellar temperatures, and the correlation of that variability with other observable parameters. In real systems, the effects would be more complex than in our model, with differences in phase and suppressed amplitude in the presence of non-radial pulsations. This suggests that changes in R across many lines concurrently are not likely to be produced by a variable radiation field.

De nos jours environ 200 molécules ont été observées dans le milieu interstellaire, environ 75% d'entre elles sont carbonées et 25% sont des hydrocarbures. Les grains de poussières contiennent également du carbone en grande quantité. La présence du carbone dans la majorité des molécules et dans les grains de poussières s'explique par son abondance et sa capacité à former des liaisons. Il est donc crucial de les étudier d'un point de vue astrochimique. Dans une première partie, ce travail présente les mesures des rapports de branchement et des énergies dissipées sous forme d'énergie cinétique dans les fragments neutres lors d'une collision à haute vitesse, des molécules carbonées suivantes : SiC, AlC, AlCH, C ₂ O, CN, CH ₂ et CH. Ces mesures ont été obtenues grâce au dispositif expérimental AGAT. Ce dernier est installé à demeure auprès de l'accélérateur Tandem d'Orsay. Il permet la collision molécule-atome en cinématique inverse et la détection 100% efficace de tous les fragments émis, y compris les neutres. Dans une seconde partie, l'effet de l'ajout ou la correction de nouveaux rapports de branchement d'hydrocarbures est discuté, sur la modélisation de la chimie de deux objets célèbres : la région de photo-dissociation de la nébuleuse de la Tête de Cheval et le nuage moléculaire TMC-1. Ces deux objets sont bien connus pour leur richesse en molécules observées. Ces nouveaux rapports de branchement diminuent les abondances calculées des espèces de la phase gazeuse, déjà trop basses par rapport aux observations. Une hypothèse stipule que des hydrocarbures sont dégagés dans la phase gazeuse via les grains de poussières carbonés. Suite à cette hypothèse, pour la première fois, les effets de l'incorporation de réactions de photo-production d'hydrocarbures par les grains de carbone amorphes hydrogénés ont été étudiés, sur la chimie de la phase gazeuse de la nébuleuse de la Tête de Cheval. L'ajout de ces réactions resserre l'écart entre la modélisation et les observations. / Nowadays, about 200 molecules have been observed in the interstellar medium, about 75% are carbon molecules and 25% hydrocarbons. Dust grains also contain carbon in large quantities. The presence of carbon in the majority of molecules of the gaseous phase and in the dust is due to its abundance and its ability to form bonds. So, it is crucial to study the carbon in an astrochemical point of view.In the first part, this work presents measurements of branching ratios and energy dissipated as kinetic energy in neutral fragments which are emitted in a high speed collision, of the following carbon molecules: SiC, AlC, AlCH, C ₂ O, CN, CH ₂ and CH. These measurements were obtained from the experimental setup AGAT. This setup is permanently installed at the Tandem Orsay facility. It allows molecule-atom collisions and 100% effective detection of all the transmitted fragments, including neutral ones.In the second part, the effect of the addition or correction of new hydrocarbon branching ratios is discussed, by modeling of chemistry of two famous objects: the photo-dissociation region of the Horsehead nebula and the molecular cloud TMC-1. Both objects are well known for their numerous observed molecules. These new branching ratios reduce the calculated abundances of species in the gas phase, even though these abundances were already too low compared to the observations. A hypothesis states that hydrocarbons are released into the gas phase via the carbonaceous interstellar dust. Following this assumption, for the first time, the effects of the incorporation of photo-production reactions of hydrocarbons from the hydrogenated amorphous carbons were studied on the chemistry of the gaseous phase of the Horsehead nebula. The addition of these reactions narrows the gap between modeling and observations.

Cool molecular hydrogen H2 may be the ultimate possible constituent to the Milky-Way missing baryon. We describe a new way to search for such transparent matter in the Galactic disc and halo, through the diffractive and refractive effects on the light of background stars. By simulating the phase delay induced by a turbulent medium, we computed the corresponding illumination pattern on the earth for an extended source and a given passband. We show that in favorable cases, the light of a background star can be subjected to stochastic fluctuations of the order of a few percent at a characteristic time scale of a few minutes. We have searched for scintillation induced by molecular gas in visible dark nebulae as well as by hypothetical halo clumpuscules of cool molecular hydrogen (H2_He) during two nights, using the NTT telescope and the IR SOFI detector. Amongst a few thousands of monitored stars, we found one light-curve that is compatible with a strong scintillation effect through a turbulent structure in the B68 nebula. Because no candidate were found toward the SMC, we are able to establish upper limits on the contribution of gas clumpuscules to the Galactic halo mass. We show that the short time-scale monitoring of a few 10^6 star _ hour in the visible band with a >4 m telescope and a fast readout camera should allow one to interestingly quantify or constrain the contribution of turbulent molecular gas to the Galactic halo.

A two-dimensional hydrodynamic numerical model is extended and applied to simulate the interaction between stellar winds and the interstellar medium (ISM). In particular, the stellar wind evolution of O- and B-type stars is calculated. First, the evolution of a stellar wind into the ambient interstellar medium and also a more dense molecular cloud are considered for the case of no relative motion between the star and the interstellar medium. This interaction results in a cavity being blown into the ISM. Of importance in this work is the boundary radius (astropause) of the stellar wind and also the location where the outflow speed decreases from supersonic to subsonic speeds, called the termination shock. Different parameters like ISM density, outflow speed and mass-loss rate were varied to study the effect these have on the computed astropause (AP) and termination shock (TS) radii. The evolution of these structures is presented up to a simulation time of 1 My. However, stars are not stationary relative to the ISM, and the evolution of stellar winds into the interstellar medium including relative motion is also considered. It is shown that the positions of the TS and AP are dependent on the mass-loss rate and stellar wind outflow speed of the star and the interstellar medium density and relative speed. When these massive stars reach the end of their life, they end their life in a supernova explosion. The explosion results in a blast wave moving outward, called the forward shock (FS) and a reverse shock (RS) also forms which moves inward. Previous work done by Ferreira and de Jager (2008) to simulate supernova remnant (SNR) evolution, was only done for the case of evolution into the undisturbed ISM (no cavity). In this work, the evolution of SNR is simulated taking also into account the pre-existing cavity blown out by the stellar winds of these massive stars. The results of this study showed that the evolution of the SNR is definitely influenced by the presence of a stellar wind cavity even if the cavity is only a few pc in extent. / Thesis (MSc (Space Physics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

A two-dimensional hydrodynamic numerical model is extended and applied to simulate the interaction between stellar winds and the interstellar medium (ISM). In particular, the stellar wind evolution of O- and B-type stars is calculated. First, the evolution of a stellar wind into the ambient interstellar medium and also a more dense molecular cloud are considered for the case of no relative motion between the star and the interstellar medium. This interaction results in a cavity being blown into the ISM. Of importance in this work is the boundary radius (astropause) of the stellar wind and also the location where the outflow speed decreases from supersonic to subsonic speeds, called the termination shock. Different parameters like ISM density, outflow speed and mass-loss rate were varied to study the effect these have on the computed astropause (AP) and termination shock (TS) radii. The evolution of these structures is presented up to a simulation time of 1 My. However, stars are not stationary relative to the ISM, and the evolution of stellar winds into the interstellar medium including relative motion is also considered. It is shown that the positions of the TS and AP are dependent on the mass-loss rate and stellar wind outflow speed of the star and the interstellar medium density and relative speed. When these massive stars reach the end of their life, they end their life in a supernova explosion. The explosion results in a blast wave moving outward, called the forward shock (FS) and a reverse shock (RS) also forms which moves inward. Previous work done by Ferreira and de Jager (2008) to simulate supernova remnant (SNR) evolution, was only done for the case of evolution into the undisturbed ISM (no cavity). In this work, the evolution of SNR is simulated taking also into account the pre-existing cavity blown out by the stellar winds of these massive stars. The results of this study showed that the evolution of the SNR is definitely influenced by the presence of a stellar wind cavity even if the cavity is only a few pc in extent. / Thesis (MSc (Space Physics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.