Cette thèse utilise le relevé de donné du Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System 1 Survey pour trouver de nouveaux satellites du Groupe Local: les galaxies naines et les amas globulaires. Le relevé est important pour résoudre les tensions entre les observations et les modèles. Premièrement, un algorithme de détection est développé, découvrant cinq nouveaux satellites. Bien que cinq découvertes soient faites, le nombre de découvertes est inférieur à ce qu’on s’attendrait, en présumant une distribution isotrope de galaxies naines. Ce résultat mène au deuxième objectif de la these: quantifier les limites de détections du relevé PS1. Les cartes d’efficacité de détection du ciel complet peuvent être utilisées pour quantifier la distribution (an)isotrope des galaxies satellites de la Voie Lactée. En outre, ces informations peuvent mener a redériver la fonction de luminosité des satellites. / This thesis uses the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System 1 Survey to find new Local Group satellites such as dwarf galaxies and globular clusters. This survey is instrumental in helping resolve tensions that have become apparent between observation and theories. In a first phase, a search algorithm is developed, discovering five new satellites. Though yielding five discoveries, this number is lower than one would expect, assuming isotropy of the dwarf galaxies. This leads to the second aim of this thesis, namely quantifying the detection limits of the PS1 Survey. The detection efficiency maps over the entire PS1 sky can be used as a stepping–stone towards the quantification of the (an)isotropy of the Milky Way satellites’ distribution. Using this information, the luminosity function of these satellites can be re–derived.

O presente trabalho propõe uma abordagem abrangente para descrever a evolução da região central da Via Láctea, compreendendo-se aí o bojo, a barra e as interfaces dos mesmos com o limite interno do disco e com a região central do halo. Pretende-se investigar as propriedades químicas e cinemáticas destas estruturas, que são interconectadas, com o objetivo de separá-las e aplicar os resultados daí obtidos a um modelo de formação e evolução do bojo e da região interna do disco que descreva simultaneamente distintos aspectos da evolução da região central da Galáxia. Na primeira parte do trabalho, uma amostra de nebulosas planetárias (NPs) localizadas no disco interno e no bojo da Galáxia é utilizada para encontrar a distância galactocêntrica que melhor separa estas duas populações, do ponto de vista das abundâncias. Foram utilizadas escalas de distâncias estatísticas para o estudo da distribuição das abundâncias na interface bojo-disco. A aplicação do teste Kolmogorov-Smirnov mostrou que, em média, a população interna não segue o gradiente radial de abundâncias do disco na direção do centro galáctico. Baseado neste estudo, propõe-se uma distância galactocêntrica de 1.5 kpc para definir a interface bojo-disco. Na segunda parte do trabalho, foram realizadas observações espectrofotométricas de 21 NPs localizadas na direção do centro da Galáxia com o telescópio SOAR. Estes objetos estão localizados bem próximos ao plano galáctico na direção central da Via Láctea, onde não existem dados de NPs na literatura. Os resultados mostram que as NPs localizadas nesta região apresentam baixas abundâncias de oxigênio comparadas com as NPs do disco interno e de outras regiões do bojo. Os resultados indicam que o bojo apresenta uma complexa composição de populações estelares. Por um lado, a presença de nebulosas com baixas abundâncias mostra que o bojo pode ter se formado a partir de um disco galáctico antigo através de uma evolução secular. Por outro lado, existem alguns objetos do bojo para os quais as abundâncias coincidem com o limite do gradiente radial do disco nesta região. Esta é uma evidência para um bojo composto por duas ou mais populações: uma originada do disco fino, e outra originada do disco espesso. Na última parte do trabalho propõe-se a inclusão de fluxos radiais de gás em um modelo de evolução química para simular os efeitos de uma barra localizada no centro da Galáxia nas distribuições de abundâncias, densidade de gás e taxa de formação estelar (SFR). Os resultados das simulações indicam que os modelos com fluxos de gás apresentam uma SFR mais alta no bojo e que os perfis da SFR e da densidade de gás na região central são melhor reproduzidos após a inclusão dos fluxos radiais no modelo. As simulações indicam ainda que o gradiente de abundâncias do disco é mais plano para o caso da inclusão da barra. Estes resultados indicam que a barra e os fluxos de gás exercem um importante papel na formação de estrelas no centro das galáxias espirais barradas. / This project proposes a comprehensive approach to describe the evolution of the central region of the Galaxy, comprising the bulge, the bar and their interfaces with the inner disk and the central region of the halo. We intend to investigate the chemical and kinematic properties of these structures, which are interconnected, aiming to separate them and apply these results to a model for the formation and evolution of the bulge and inner disk, capable to describe simultaneously distinct aspects of the evolution of the central region of the Galaxy. First, a sample of planetary nebulae (PNe) located in the inner-disk and bulge of the Galaxy is used in order to find the galactocentric distance that better separates these two populations, from the point of view of abundances. Statistical distance scales were used to study the distribution of abundances across the disk-bulge interface. A Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to find the distance in which the chemical properties of these regions better separates. The results of the statistical analysis indicate that, on the average, the inner population has lower abundances than the outer. Additionally, for the $\\alpha$-elements abundances, the inner population does not follow the disk radial gradient towards the galactic centre. Based on our results, we suggest a bulge-disk interface at 1.5 kpc, marking the transition between the bulge and inner-disk of the Galaxy, as defined by the intermediate mass population. Second, we present spectrophotometric observations for a sample of 21 PNe located towards the galactic centre of the Galaxy. The abundances are derived based on observations in the optical domain made at the SOAR telescope. Their location is interesting since there are no observations of PNe in this region. The data show lower oxygen abundances compared to those from PNe located in the inner disk and other bulge regions. The results show that the bulge has a complex composition of stellar populations. The presence of PNe with low abundances indicates that the bulge might be formed from an old galactic disk through secular evolution. On the other hand, other objects from our sample have abundances compared to those from inner disk PNe. This is evidence that two or more populations might compose the bulge: one originated from the thin disk, and the other from the thick disk. Last, we propose a chemical evolution model that includes radial gas flows. This is done in order to mimic the effects of the galactic bar on the chemical abundances distributions and the gas density profiles and the star formation rate (SFR). The results of the models with radial flows point to a high SFR in the bulge and, additionally, the SFR and gas density profiles in the inner Galaxy are better reproduced after the inclusion of radial gas flows in the model. After including a specific velocity pattern for the bar, the results show a flattening of the radial abundance gradient. Our results indicate that radial gas flows may play an important role in the star formation near the centre of barred spiral galaxies.

Dans le domaine complexe de l’archéologie galactique, l’étude des flux stellaires s’est imposée comme une voie essentielle pour dévoiler la formation et l’évolution des galaxies, en particulier celle de la Voie lactée. Ces systèmes stellaires perturbés portent l’empreinte de l’histoire de la Voie lactée, offrant des perspectives sur l’accrétion de galaxies plus petites et de grappes d’étoiles sur des milliards d’années. Avec l’avènement de la mission Gaia et de ses données d’observation inédites, l’application d’outils d’apprentissage automatique non supervisés à la détection d’anomalies est devenue de plus en plus pertinente dans la recherche de ces énigmatiques flux stellaires. L’objectif principal de cette recherche était d’exploiter la puissance des intégrales de mouvement et des algorithmes de regroupement pour élaborer une méthodologie permettant d’identifier les flux stellaires au sein du halo de la Voie lactée. Guidés par la volonté d’affiner notre compréhension des dynamiques complexes de la galaxie, nous nous sommes efforcés de développer une méthode robuste capable de mettre au jour ces structures stellaires perturbées. Notre approche a impliqué une évaluation exhaustive des algorithmes de regroupement, notamment Single Linkage, Ward, DBSCAN et OPTICS, afin de distinguer des groupes cohérents d’étoiles qui présentent des motifs ou des relations distincts, une caractéristique clé des flux stellaires. Les données synthétiques ont servi de terrain de test, facilitant l’évaluation des performances des algorithmes et l’étalonnage optimal des hyperparamètres. Cette exploration a couvert trois phases, englobant des flux isolés, la résilience face au bruit de fond et les complexités de dispersions de vitesse plus élevées. Alors que la méthodologie a donné des résultats favorables sur des données synthétiques, lorsque nous l’avons appliquée aux données de la Gaia Data Release 3 (DR3), nous avons constaté que les grappes étaient principalement situées autour du noyau galactique ou du Système solaire, contrairement à nos attentes de découvrir des courants stellaires dans le halo galactique. Cette divergence par rapport à nos résultats anticipés met en évidence la nature complexe de la dynamique de la Voie lactée et soulève un défi important couramment rencontré en apprentissage automatique : le problème hors distribution. La capacité des algorithmes d’apprentissage automatique à généraliser à partir des données d’entraînement vers de nouvelles données non vues peut être entravée par la présence de points de données qui tombent en dehors de la distribution sur laquelle ils ont été formés. Dans le contexte de notre recherche, ce défi souligne la nécessité de techniques avancées en détection d’anomalies et d’adapter les modèles d’apprentissage automatique pour gérer les complexités de l’observation du monde réel. / In the intricate realm of galactic archaeology, the study of stellar streams has emerged as a vital avenue for unraveling the formation and evolution of galaxies, particularly the Milky Way. These disrupted stellar systems, bear the imprint of the Milky Way’s history, offering insights into the accretion of smaller galaxies and star clusters over billions of years. With the advent of the Gaia mission and its unprecedented observational data, the application of unsupervised machine learning tools to anomaly detection has become increasingly relevant in the search for these elusive stellar streams. The primary aim of this research was to harness the power of integrals of motion and clustering algorithms to devise a methodology for identifying stellar streams within the halo of the Milky Way. Guided by the goal of refining our understanding of the galaxy’s intricate dynamics, we endeavored to develop a robust method capable of uncovering these disrupted stellar structures. Our approach involved a comprehensive evaluation of clustering algorithms, including Single Linkage, Ward, DBSCAN, and OPTICS, to distinguish cohesive groups of stars that exhibit distinct patterns or relationships—a key characteristic of stellar streams. Synthetic data served as a testing ground, facilitating algorithm performance assessment and optimal hyperparameter calibration. This exploration spanned three phases, encompassing isolated streams, resilience against background noise, and the complexities of higher velocity dispersions. While the methodology yielded favorable outcomes on synthetic data, when applied to the Gaia Data Release 3 (DR3) data, we found that clusters were predominantly located around the galactic core or the Solar System, in contrast to our expectations of discovering stellar streams in the galactic halo. This deviation from our anticipated results highlights the complex nature of the Milky Way’s dynamics and raises an important challenge commonly encountered in machine learning: the out-of-distribution problem. The ability of machine learning algorithms to generalize from training data to new, unseen data can be hindered by the presence of data points that fall outside the distribution they were trained on. In the context of our research, this challenge underscores the need for advanced techniques in anomaly detection and adapting machine learning models to handle real-world observational complexities.

O principal objetivo deste trabalho é mostrar que é possível buscar por estrelas pobres em metais a partir da premissa de que uma grande fração destas será rica em carbono. Essa hipótese ainda não havia sido verificada pois muitas das chamadas estrelas CEMP (Carbon Enhanced Metal-Poor) foram negligenciadas em estudos anteriores devido à forma como foram executadas as buscas por estas estrelas. Estes objetos são importantes pois assumem o papel de registros fósseis das primeiras gerações estelares, uma vez que retêm em suas atmosferas informações vitais acerca da composição química do meio em que foram geradas. Por não apresentarem bandas moleculares intensas de carbono em seus espectros, muitas dessas estrelas não foram selecionadas para estudos em média/alta resolução. Este trabalho fornece, a partir do estudo da parte estelar do projeto HES (Hamburg/ESO Survey), que contém 4.404.908 objetos, dois novos índices de linha para a região da banda G do CH, em 4304 Å. Estes, pelo fato de possuírem uma largura de banda de 200 Å, conseguem superar falhas dos índices anteriormente definidos e representam com fidelidade as principais características desta região. Após uma análise detalhada da base de dados, e do cálculo dos novos índices de linha para todos os objetos disponíveis, foram identificadas com o telescópio SOAR 132 estrelas pobres em metais inéditas na literatura, sendo que 51% destas possuem metalicidades abaixo de [Fe/H] < -1.0 e apresentam consideráveis enriquecimentos em carbono ([C/Fe] > +0.5). Já para as estrelas encontradas com [Fe/H] < -2.5, a fração de estrelas com abundâncias de carbono [C/Fe] > +1.0 chega a 80%. Estimativas de abundâncias de elementos químicos tais como bário e estrôncio revelam que, mesmo com parâmetros atmosféricos e abundâncias de carbono semelhantes, as estrelas analisadas por este trabalho possuem mais de um tipo de cenário possível para sua formação. Neste ínterim, os objetos adicionados à literatura contribuem tanto para o aumento da estatística de estrelas pobres em metais quanto para testes de modelos teóricos de enriquecimento químico da Via Láctea. Finalmente, este trabalho também gerou uma lista de 6123 candidatas a estrelas CEMP inéditas na literatura. / The main goal of this work is to show that is possible to search for metal-poor stars based on the premise that a large fraction of these will be carbon-rich. This hypothesis had not yet been verified because many of the so-called CEMP (Carbon Enhanced Metal-Poor) stars were neglected in previous studies due to the design of the search for metal-poor stars with carbon enhancements. Those objects play a major role as fossil records of the very first generation of stars, since they carry in their atmospheres vital informations concerning the chemical composition of the medium where they were formed. By not showing strong carbon molecular bands in their spectra, many of those stars were not selected for follow-up studies in medium/high resolution. This work provides, based on the study of the stellar part of the HES (Hamburg/ESO Survey), two new line indices for the G band (4304 Å) that, by having a line band of 200 Å, can overcome the flaws of the previously defined indices and also truly represent the main features of this region. After an extensive analysis of the database and the calculation of the line indices for all the available objects, 132 new metal-poor stars were identified with the SOAR telescope, being that 51% of those stars with [Fe/H] < 1.0 present considerable carbon enhancements ([C/Fe]> +0.5). For the observed stars with [Fe/H] < 2.5, the fraction of objects with [C/Fe] > +1.0 rises up to 80%. Abundance estimates for barium and strontium show that, even with similar atmospheric parameters and carbon abundances, the stars analysed in this work have more than one possible formation scenario. Finally, this work also contributes with a 6123 CEMP star candidate list of unpublished objects.

O principal objetivo deste trabalho é mostrar que é possível buscar por estrelas pobres em metais a partir da premissa de que uma grande fração destas será rica em carbono. Essa hipótese ainda não havia sido verificada pois muitas das chamadas estrelas CEMP (Carbon Enhanced Metal-Poor) foram negligenciadas em estudos anteriores devido à forma como foram executadas as buscas por estas estrelas. Estes objetos são importantes pois assumem o papel de registros fósseis das primeiras gerações estelares, uma vez que retêm em suas atmosferas informações vitais acerca da composição química do meio em que foram geradas. Por não apresentarem bandas moleculares intensas de carbono em seus espectros, muitas dessas estrelas não foram selecionadas para estudos em média/alta resolução. Este trabalho fornece, a partir do estudo da parte estelar do projeto HES (Hamburg/ESO Survey), que contém 4.404.908 objetos, dois novos índices de linha para a região da banda G do CH, em 4304 Å. Estes, pelo fato de possuírem uma largura de banda de 200 Å, conseguem superar falhas dos índices anteriormente definidos e representam com fidelidade as principais características desta região. Após uma análise detalhada da base de dados, e do cálculo dos novos índices de linha para todos os objetos disponíveis, foram identificadas com o telescópio SOAR 132 estrelas pobres em metais inéditas na literatura, sendo que 51% destas possuem metalicidades abaixo de [Fe/H] < -1.0 e apresentam consideráveis enriquecimentos em carbono ([C/Fe] > +0.5). Já para as estrelas encontradas com [Fe/H] < -2.5, a fração de estrelas com abundâncias de carbono [C/Fe] > +1.0 chega a 80%. Estimativas de abundâncias de elementos químicos tais como bário e estrôncio revelam que, mesmo com parâmetros atmosféricos e abundâncias de carbono semelhantes, as estrelas analisadas por este trabalho possuem mais de um tipo de cenário possível para sua formação. Neste ínterim, os objetos adicionados à literatura contribuem tanto para o aumento da estatística de estrelas pobres em metais quanto para testes de modelos teóricos de enriquecimento químico da Via Láctea. Finalmente, este trabalho também gerou uma lista de 6123 candidatas a estrelas CEMP inéditas na literatura. / The main goal of this work is to show that is possible to search for metal-poor stars based on the premise that a large fraction of these will be carbon-rich. This hypothesis had not yet been verified because many of the so-called CEMP (Carbon Enhanced Metal-Poor) stars were neglected in previous studies due to the design of the search for metal-poor stars with carbon enhancements. Those objects play a major role as fossil records of the very first generation of stars, since they carry in their atmospheres vital informations concerning the chemical composition of the medium where they were formed. By not showing strong carbon molecular bands in their spectra, many of those stars were not selected for follow-up studies in medium/high resolution. This work provides, based on the study of the stellar part of the HES (Hamburg/ESO Survey), two new line indices for the G band (4304 Å) that, by having a line band of 200 Å, can overcome the flaws of the previously defined indices and also truly represent the main features of this region. After an extensive analysis of the database and the calculation of the line indices for all the available objects, 132 new metal-poor stars were identified with the SOAR telescope, being that 51% of those stars with [Fe/H] < 1.0 present considerable carbon enhancements ([C/Fe]> +0.5). For the observed stars with [Fe/H] < 2.5, the fraction of objects with [C/Fe] > +1.0 rises up to 80%. Abundance estimates for barium and strontium show that, even with similar atmospheric parameters and carbon abundances, the stars analysed in this work have more than one possible formation scenario. Finally, this work also contributes with a 6123 CEMP star candidate list of unpublished objects.

The interstellar matter in the Galaxy is concentrated in a thin layer close to the galactic plane, mostly in spiral arms. Most of the interstellar matter is in a form of atomic and molecular gas and only 1% of its mass is in a form of small (0.01 – 0.1 µm) dust grains which absorb and scatter the light of stars and cause the interstellar extinction. A part of interstellar gas and dust are in a diffuse form and fill the space with density which exponentially decreases with the distance from the galactic plane. However, in the spiral arms gigantic molecular clouds are present which play an outstanding role in the evolution of the Galaxy, since in them star forming processes take place. Molecular and dust clouds, young star clusters and associations and other star forming regions are concentrated in the Milky Way plane. However, due to gravitational and radiation interactions between the molecular clouds and the young massive stars, some fragments of spiral arms deviate from the galactic plane. One of such deviating branches from the Local (Orion) spiral arm is a huge elongated system of molecular and dust clouds located in the Cepheus constellation which is known as the Cepheus Flare. Most of the objects investigated in this dissertation belong to this branch of the Local spiral arm. The objects selected for the investigation are star forming regions in the vicinity of the reflection nebula NGC 7023, a group of dark clouds TGU 619, the young open cluster NGC 7129 and the... [to full text] / Paukščių tako Galaktikoje didžioji dalis tarpžvaigždinės medžiagos yra susitelkusi į ploną sluoksnį Galaktikos plokštumoje, daugiausiai spiralinėse vijose. Didžiąją dalį tarpžvaigždinės medžiagos sudaro atominės ir molekulinės dujos ir tik maždaug 1% masės yra mažos (0.01 – 0.1 µm) dydžio dulkelės, kurios sugeria ir išsklaido šviesą ir sukelia tarpžvaigždinės ekstinkcijos reiškinį. Spiralinėse vijose esantys molekuliniai debesys yra svarbūs Galaktikos evoliucijos procese, nes juose vyksta aktyvūs žvaigždžių formavimosi procesai. Molekuliniai ir dulkių debesys, jaunų žvaigždžių spiečiai ir asociacijos bei kitos žvaigždžių susidarymo sritys dažniausiai yra Galaktikos plokštumoje. Tačiau dėl gravitacinės ir radiacinės sąveikos tarp jaunų didelės masės žvaigždžių ir molekulinių debesų kai kuriose Paukščių Tako srityse žvaigždėdaros rajonai nukrypsta nuo Galaktikos plokštumos. Viename iš tokių rajonų Cefėjo žvaigždyno kryptimi dalis tarpžvaigždinių debesų ir žvaigždėdaros rajonų yra nukrypę nuo Galaktikos plokštumos link šiaurinio dangaus poliaus ir sudaro Paukščių Tako atšaką, literatūroje žinomą kaip Cepheus Flare. Dauguma šioje disertacijoje tyrinėjamų objektų priklauso šiai Cefėjo atšakai. Šio darbo tikslas yra Cefėjo žvaigždėdaros rajonų, žinomų kaip atspindžio ūkas NGC 7023, tamsiųjų debesų kompleksas TGU 619 ir jaunas spiečius NGC 7129 fotometrinis tyrimas, siekiant nustatyti šių objektų nuotolį ir tarpžvaigždinę ekstinkciją, jauno spiečiaus NGC 7129 ir... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

Paukščių Tako Galaktikoje didžioji dalis tarpžvaigždinės medžiagos yra susitelkusi į ploną sluoksnį Galaktikos plokštumoje, daugiausiai spiralinėse vijose. Didžiąją dalį tarpžvaigždinės medžiagos sudaro atominės ir molekulinės dujos ir tik maždaug 1% masės yra mažos (0.01 – 0.1 µm) dydžio dulkelės, kurios sugeria ir išsklaido šviesą ir sukelia tarpžvaigždinės ekstinkcijos reiškinį. Spiralinėse vijose esantys molekuliniai debesys yra svarbūs Galaktikos evoliucijos procese, nes juose vyksta aktyvūs žvaigždžių formavimosi procesai. Molekuliniai ir dulkių debesys, jaunų žvaigždžių spiečiai ir asociacijos bei kitos žvaigždžių susidarymo sritys dažniausiai yra Galaktikos plokštumoje. Tačiau dėl gravitacinės ir radiacinės sąveikos tarp jaunų didelės masės žvaigždžių ir molekulinių debesų kai kuriose Paukščių Tako srityse žvaigždėdaros rajonai nukrypsta nuo Galaktikos plokštumos. Viename iš tokių rajonų Cefėjo žvaigždyno kryptimi dalis tarpžvaigždinių debesų ir žvaigždėdaros rajonų yra nukrypę nuo Galaktikos plokštumos link šiaurinio dangaus poliaus ir sudaro Paukščių Tako atšaką, literatūroje žinomą kaip Cepheus Flare. Dauguma šioje disertacijoje tyrinėjamų objektų priklauso šiai Cefėjo atšakai. Šio darbo tikslas yra Cefėjo žvaigždėdaros rajonų, žinomų kaip atspindžio ūkas NGC 7023, tamsiųjų debesų kompleksas TGU 619 ir jaunas spiečius NGC 7129 fotometrinis tyrimas, siekiant nustatyti šių objektų nuotolį ir tarpžvaigždinę ekstinkciją, jauno spiečiaus NGC 7129 ir... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The interstellar matter in the Galaxy is concentrated in a thin layer close to the galactic plane, mostly in spiral arms. Most of the interstellar matter is in a form of atomic and molecular gas and only 1% of its mass is in a form of small (0.01 – 0.1 µm) dust grains which absorb and scatter the light of stars and cause the interstellar extinction. A part of interstellar gas and dust are in a diffuse form and fill the space with density which exponentially decreases with the distance from the galactic plane. However, in the spiral arms gigantic molecular clouds are present which play an outstanding role in the evolution of the Galaxy, since in them star forming processes take place. Molecular and dust clouds, young star clusters and associations and other star forming regions are concentrated in the Milky Way plane. However, due to gravitational and radiation interactions between the molecular clouds and the young massive stars, some fragments of spiral arms deviate from the galactic plane. One of such deviating branches from the Local (Orion) spiral arm is a huge elongated system of molecular and dust clouds located in the Cepheus constellation which is known as the Cepheus Flare. Most of the objects investigated in this dissertation belong to this branch of the Local spiral arm. The objects selected for the investigation are star forming regions in the vicinity of the reflection nebula NGC 7023, a group of dark clouds TGU 619, the young open cluster NGC 7129 and the... [to full text]

Multiple coherent supernova explosions (SNe) in an OB association can produce a strong shock that moves through the interstellar medium (ISM). These shocks fronts carve out hot and tenuous regions in the ISM known as superbubbles. The density contour plot at three different times (0.5 Myr (left panel), 4 Myr (middle panel), 9.5 Myr (right panel)) showing different stages of superbubble evolution for n0 = 0.5 cm−3, z0 = 300 pc, and for NOB = 104. This density contour plot is produced using ZEUS-MP 2D hydrodynamic simulation with a resolution of 512 × 512 with a logarithmic grid extending from 2 pc to 2.5 kpc. For a detailed description of this figure, see Roy et. al., 2015. The evolution of a superbubble is marked by different phases, as it moves through the ISM. Consider an OB association at the center of a disk galaxy. Initially the distance of the shock front is much smaller than the disk scale height. The superbubble shell sweeps up the ISM material, and once the amount of swept up material becomes comparable to the ejected material during SNe, the superbubble enters a self-similar phase (analogous to the Sedov-Taylor phase of individual SNe). As the superbubble shell sweeps up material, its velocity decreases, and thus the corresponding post-shock temperature drops. At a temperature of ∼ 2 × 105 K (where the cooling function peaks), the superbubble shell becomes radiative and starts losing energy via radiative cooling. This radiative phase is shown in the left panel of Figure 1. The superbubble shell starts fragmenting into clumps and channels due to Rayleigh-Taylor instabilities (RTI) (which is seeded by the thermal instability; for details see Roy et. al., 2013) when the superbubble shell crosses a few times the scale height. This is represented in the middle panel of the same figure. At a much later epoch, RTI has a strong effect on the shell fragmentation and the top of the bubble is completely blown off (the right panel). In the first chapter of the thesis (reported in Sharma et. al., 2014), we show using ZEUS-MP hydrodynamic simulations that an isolated supernova loses almost all its mechanical energy within a Myr whereas superbubbles can retain up to ∼ 40% of the input energy over the lifetime of the starcluster (∼ few tens of Myr), consistent with the analytic estimate of the second chapter. We also compare different recipes (constant luminosity driven model (LD model), kinetic energy driven model (KE model) to implement SNe feedback in numerical simulations. We determine the constraints on the injection radius (within which the SNe input energy is injected) so that the supernova explosion energy realistically couples to the interstellar medium (ISM). We show that all models produce similar results if the SNe energy is injected within a very small volume ( typically 1–2 pc for typical disk parameters). The second chapter concentrates on the conditions for galactic disks to produce superbubbles which can give rise to galactic winds after breaking out of the disk. The Kompaneets formalism provides an analytic expression for the adiabatic evolution of a superbubble. In our calculation, we include radiative cooling, and implement the supernova explosion energy in terms of constant luminosity through out the life-time of the OB stars in an exponentially stratified medium (Roy et. al., 2013). We use hydrodynamic simulations (ZEUS-MP) to determine the evolution of the superbubble shell. The main result of our calculation is a clear demarcation between the energy scales of sources causing two different astrophysical phenomenon: (i) An energy injection rate of ∼ 10−4 erg cm−2 s−1 (corresponding Mach number ∼ 2–3, produced by large OB associations) is relevant for disk galaxies with synchrotron emitting gas in the extra-planar regions. (ii) A larger energy injection scale ∼ 10−3 erg cm−2 s−1, or equivalently a surface density of star formation rate ∼ 0.1 M⊙ yr−1 kpc−2 corresponding to superbubbles with high Mach number (∼ 5–10) produces galactic-scale superwinds (requires superstar clusters to evolve coherently in space and time). The stronger energy injection case also satisfies the requirements to create and maintain a multiphase halo (matches with observations). Roy et. al., 2013 also points out that Rayleigh-Taylor instability (RTI) plays an important role in the fragmentation of superbubble shell when the shell reaches a distance approximately 2–3 times the scale-height; and before the initiation of RTI, thermal instability helps to corrugate the shell and seed the RTI. Another important finding of this chapter is the analytic estimation of the energetics of superbubble shell. The shell retains almost ∼ 30% of the thermal energy after the radiative losses at the end of the lifetime of OB associations. The third chapter considers the escape of hydrogen ionizing (Lyc) photons arising from the central OB-association that depends on the superbubble shell dynamics. The escape fraction of Lyc photons is expected to decrease at an initial stage (when the superbubble is buried in the disk) as the dense shell absorbs most of the ionizing photons, whereas the subsequently formed channels (created by RTI and thermal instabilities) in the shell creates optically thin pathways at a later time (∼ 2–3 dynamical times) which help the ionizing photons to escape. We determine an escape fraction (fesc) of Lyc photons of ∼ 10 ± 5% from typical disk galaxies (within 0 ≤ z (redshift) ≤ 2) with a weak variation with disk masses (reported in Roy et. al., 2015). This is consistent with observations of local galaxies as well as constraints from the epoch of reionization. Our work connects the fesc with the fundamental disk parameters (mid-plane density (n0), scale-height (z0)) via a relation that fescαn20z03 (with a ≈ 2.2) is a constant. In the fourth chapter, we have considered a simple model of molecule formation in the superbubble shells produced in starburst nuclei. We determine the threshold conditions on the disk parameters (gas density and scale height) for the formation of molecules in superbubble shells breaking out of disk galaxies. This threshold condition implies a gas surface density of ≥ 2000 M⊙ pc−2, which translates to a SFR of ≥ 5 M⊙ yr−1 within the nuclear region of radius ∼ 100 pc, consistent with the observed SFR of galaxies hosting molecular outflows. Consideration of molecule formation in these expanding superbubble shells predicts molecular outflows with velocities ∼ 30–40 km s−1 at distances ∼ 100–200 pc with a molecular mass ∼ 106–107 M⊙, which tally with the recent ALMA observations of NGC 253. We also consider different combinations of disk parameters and predict velocities of molecule bearing shells in the range of ∼ 30–100 km s−1 with length scales of ≥ 100 pc, in rough agreement with the observations of molecules in NGC 3628 and M82 (Roy et. al., 2016, submitted to MNRAS).

More than half a decade of X-ray astronomy with various balloon borne and space orbiting X-ray instruments, have led to discoveries and detailed studies of X-ray binaries. An important property of X-ray binaries is intensity variations of different magnitudes in a wide range of timescales from milliseconds (quasi-periodic oscillations, millisecond pulsations), to a few weeks (orbital and super-orbital modulations) or longer (outbursts etc). In this thesis, different types of variabilities of X-ray binaries are considered in X-ray binary population studies and to investigate certain aspects of some individual systems. In Chapter 1, we provide an introduction to various types of variabilities seen in different classes of X-ray binaries. We mention in detail the various periodic and aperiodic variabilities seen in X-ray binaries. In Chapter 2, we describe, in some detail, the various X-ray all sky monitors and X-ray observatories, data from which has been utilized in the work carried out in this thesis. We also describe the various data analysis techniques that we have used. The rest of the thesis is divided into two major sections: Variability studies of indi-vidual systems and X-ray binary population studies Variability studies of individual systems In Chapter 3, we report results from an investigation of energy resolved orbital in-tensity pro les and from exhaustive orbital phase resolved spectroscopic measurements of GX 301{2 with MAXI{GSC . The orbital variation of the spectral parameters, es-pecially the relation between the equivalent width of Fe line and the column density of absorbing matter are then utilized to examine the models for the mode of accretion onto the neutron star in GX 301{2: circumstellar disk model by Pravdo & Ghosh (2001), and the accretion stream model by Leahy & Kostka (2008). A very large equivalent width of the iron line along with a small value of the column density in the orbital phase range 0.10-0.30 after the periastron passage indicates an asymmetry in the distribution of the matter around the neutron star, strongly favoring the accretion stream model by Leahy & Kostka (2008). Presence of an eclipse in an X-ray binary can be useful in determining orbital param-eters like inclination and in estimating the orbital evolution by eclipse timing method, which is reported in Chapter 4. For the HMXB system IGR J16393{4643, we found a short eclipse in the Swift{BAT light-curve and utilized it to constrain the orbital in-clination of the system. We have also studied, for the rst time, broad-band pulsation and spectral characteristic of the system with a Suzaku observation, showing sub-orbital intensity variations. For another eclipsing and non-pulsing HMXB 4U 1700{37, the orbital evolution is studied using mid-eclipse times from observations with narrow eld instruments as well as from long term light-curves of X-ray all sky monitors. The orbital period decay rate is estimated to be 5 10 7 /yr, an order slower than a previous measurement by Rubin et al.(1996). Since no pulsations are detected in this system, it is difficult to estimate its orbital parameters, especially its eccentricity. Using mid-eclipse times from 10 years of Swift{BAT data, we have independently constrained the eccentricity of the binary system. X-ray binary population studies In Chapter 5, we report results from an analysis of the 16 years light-curves of X-ray binaries in 2-10 keV energy band of RXTE{ASM , used to construct the differential and integral probability distributions of count-rates. These distributions are then employed to construct multiple snapshots of X-ray binary luminosity functions of the Milky Way instead of averaging the luminosities, an improvement over previous analysis by Grimm et al. (2002). We found that the averaged luminosities of highly variable X-ray binaries do not represent their true positions in XLFs and the variability of X-ray binaries do indeed signi cantly affect the luminosity functions. In Chapter 6, the measurements of the averaged spectra of X-ray binaries using MAXI{GSC data are reported and are used for constructing the composite X-ray spec-trum. These composite X-ray binary spectra are useful in estimating the contribution of X-ray binaries in extra-galactic SEDs constructed from the simultaneous Chandra / XMM{Newton and NuSTAR observations of these galaxies. These SEDs will also serve as a useful input in estimating the contribution of X-ray binary heating at high redshift IGM during the Epoch of Re-ionization. In Chapter 7, we summarize the main conclusions of the work carried out in this thesis and discuss some future prospects related to this thesis.

L'étude de la composition chimique et de la cinématique des étoiles de la Voie Lactée est essentielle afin de comprendre comment les grandes structures de notre Galaxie se sont formées. Les étoiles de faible masse gardent en mémoire dans leur atmosphère la composition chimique du milieu interstellaire dans lequel elles sont nées, et leur cinématique est essentielle afin de caractériser les différentes populations stellaires. Dans cette thèse, nous étudions le disque galactique, composante majeure de notre Galaxie. Dans le cadre de la mission spatiale Gaia, nous avons développé une procédure automatique de mesure d'abondances chimiques, GAUGUIN, utilisée dans le cadre du Gaia-ESO Survey GES (abondances chimiques d'éléments alpha et du pic du fer pour 10000 étoiles) et du projet AMBRE (abondances de lithium pour 7300 étoiles). GAUGUIN va être intégré au pipeline d'analyse des spectres RVS de Gaia. Nous avons étudié l'évolution des dispersions des vitesses dans le disque galactique en fonction du [Mg/Fe], utilisé comme proxy de l'âge. A partir de 6800 étoiles de GES, nous avons détecté la présence d'étoiles du disque épais cinématiquement froides mais avec des valeurs élevées du rapport [Mg/Fe], donc possiblement âgées. Dans le contexte d'un milieu turbulent, nous discutons la présence de ces étoiles dans le cadre des différents modèles de formation du disque galactique. Nous avons également montré que l'abondance du lithium dans le disque montre une croissance avec la métallicité sur le domaine -1<[M/H]<+0 dex et décroît pour les métallicités super-solaires. Enfin, le disque mince et le disque épais seraient caractérisés par des évolutions chimiques différentes en abondance de lithium. / Studying both the chemical composition and kinematics of Milky Way stars is essential to understand how big structures of our Galaxy are formed. Indeed, low-mass stars retain in their photosphere the chemical composition of the interstellar medium is which they were born. Additionally, the kinematics are essential to characterize stellar populations. In this thesis, we focus on the galactic disc, a major component of the Milky Way. In the context of the Gaia mission, we have developed an automatic procedure GAUGUIN, devoted to deriving chemical abundances. We first applied our method to the Gaia-ESO Survey (GES) data to derive alpha and iron-peak chemical abundances for 10000 stars. We then derived lithium abundances for 7300 stars from the AMBRE project. GAUGUIN is well adapted to massive spectroscopic surveys, both in terms of computation time and accuracy. GAUGUIN will be soon integrated into the RVS DPAC analysis pipeline of the Gaia mission. We studied the velocity dispersions in the galactic disc as a function of the [Mg/Fe] ratio, used as an age proxy. Thanks to 6800 GES stars, we detected thick disc stars with cool kinematics and high [Mg/Fe] ratio, so presumably old. In the generally turbulent context of the primitive galactic disc, this thesis places these results in the framework of the different disc formation and evolution scenarios. We also showed that the lithium abundance in the galactic disc increases as a function of the metallicity in the domain -1<[M/H]+0 dex and decreases at super-solar metallicities. Finally, the thin and the thick discs could be characterized by different lithium abundance evolutions.