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I investigate the observational signatures of the formation of dark matter cores in dwarf galaxies. I adopt the paradigm where the energy from star formation feedback is injected into the orbits of dark matter particles, forming a constant density core consistent with observations of dwarf galaxies. Using physically motivated constraints I show there is ample feedback energy available given the average stellar mass of dwarf galaxies to form cores in $10^{8}$--$10^{11}$\thinspace M$_{\odot}$ halos, and predict the maximum core size as a function of stellar mass. I describe how observational features of the old stellar content of dwarf galaxies are due to this core formation paradigm. As both dark matter and stars are collisionless fluids, the stars responsible for the feedback form in the centres of dwarf galaxies and have their orbits grown by subsequent star formation. This will naturally lead to age and metallicity gradients, with the younger and more metal rich stellar population near the dwarf centres. This process also prevents the destruction of globular clusters by driving them out of the dwarf nucleus --- the decrease in central dark matter density reduces the strength of dynamical friction --- and increases the likelihood of being stripped onto the stellar halos of larger galaxies. It also offers a model for forming multiple populations in globular clusters, with the only assumption being that the source of the polluted gas resides within the dwarf progenitor. As the orbit of a globular cluster grows, it will experience multiple accretion events with each pass through the gas-rich galaxy centre. The simple accretion model exhibits two traits revealed from observations --- a short accretion timescale and a sensitive dependence on mass --- without requiring an exotic initial stellar mass function or the initial globular cluster mass function to be 10--25 times larger than at present. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Globular clusters are not simple stellar populations. Practically all globular clusters show multiple populations (MPs), where at the same metallicity [Fe/H], approximately half of their stars are enriched by the products of high-temperature hydrogen burning relative to the rest that show field-like abundances. The source of enrichment for forming the enriched population is an unresolved problem. Interacting massive binaries are an underexplored proposed source of enrichment. Many assessments of the theory are based on only one modelled binary. We simulate a suite of metal-intermediate, [Fe/H]=-1.44, interacting binaries with initial primary masses of 10 to 40 solar masses, with mass ratios ranging from 0.15 to 0.9, over periods ranging from about 2 to 700 days using MESA. Our simulations show that binaries at higher masses, higher mass ratios, and near our upper period limit tend to be the most enriching with ejecta showing HeNaCNOAlMg variations consistent with hot-H burning. Some binaries do not eject material, suggesting binary mass loss can contribute to the dilution of enrichment. As a realistic population, binaries within our parameter space eject about ten times as much mass as they would as single stars. Ejection occurs on timescales of about 11 Myr, consistent with observed and theoretical limits on the age spreads for MPs. Our systems are rare, making them more suited to explaining the stochastic nature of MPs but not the large fraction of enriched stars. Spreads in He, N, Na, C, and Al for our ejecta could reasonably explain the observed spreads in clusters. Reduced variation in O and Mg suggests more massive binaries should be investigated. A multi-scale approach to cluster formation with multiple types of enrichment sources is a necessary next step for validating MP formation scenarios. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / The majority of stars form in star clusters. Globular clusters are the oldest and most massive type of star cluster. Formerly thought to be made of stars of the same age and chemical composition, nearly all observed globular clusters are now known to host multiple populations. About half of their stars form from similar material as isolated stars. The other half show signs of enrichment. How enriched stars get their enriching material is an open problem in cluster formation. Pairs of stars orbiting each other as binaries were proposed to eject the material needed to form these stars. We model 408 binaries to find that some systems eject large amounts of enrichment, especially when the stars are more massive. The rarity of these systems suggests binaries can explain the variations seen in multiple populations between clusters but cannot fully explain the large fraction of enriched stars seen.

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No description available.

<p> Stars are born in turbulent molecular clouds that fragment and collapse under the influence of their own gravity, forming a cluster of hundred or more stars. The star formation process is controlled by the interplay between supersonic turbulence and gravity. In this work, the properties of stellar clusters created by numerical simulations of gravoturbulent fragmentation are compared to those from observations. This includes the analysis of properties of individual protostars as well as statistical properties of the entire cluster. </p> <p> It is demonstrated that protostellar mass accretion is a highly dynamical and time-variant process. The peak accretion rate is reached shortly after the formation of the protostellar core. It is about one order of magnitude higher than the constant accretion rate predicted by the collapse of a classical singular isothermal sphere, in agreement with the observations. </p> <p> For a more reasonable comparison, the model accretion rates are converted to the observables bolometric temperature, bolometric luminosity, and envelope mass. The accretion rates from the simulations are used as input for an evolutionary scheme. The resulting distribution in the T_bol-L_bol-M_env parameter space is then compared to observational data by means of a 3D Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. The highest probability found that the distributions of model tracks and observational data points are drawn from the same population is 70%. </p> <p> The ratios of objects belonging to different evolutionary classes in observed star-forming clusters are compared to the temporal evolution of the gravoturbulent models in order to estimate the evolutionary stage of a cluster. While it is difficult to estimate absolute ages, the realtive numbers of young stars reveal the evolutionary status of a cluster with respect to other clusters. The sequence shows Serpens as the youngest and IC 348 as the most evolved of the investigated clusters. </p> <p> Finally the structures of young star clusters are investigated by applying different statistical methods like the normalised mean correlation length and the minimum spanning tree technique and by a newly defined measure for the cluster elongation. The clustering parameters of the model clusters correspond in many cases well to those from observed ones. The temporal evolution of the clustering parameters shows that the star cluster builds up from several subclusters and evolves to a more centrally concentrated cluster, while the cluster expands slower than new stars are formed. </p> / <p>Sterne entstehen im Inneren von turbulenten Molekülwolken, die unter dem Einfluss ihrer eigenen Gravitation fragmentieren und kollabieren. So entsteht ein Sternhaufen aus hundert oder mehr Objekten. Der Sternentstehungsprozess wird durch das Wechselspiel von Überschallturbulenz und Gravitation reguliert. In dieser Arbeit werden verschiedene Eigenschaften solcher Sternhaufen, die mit Hilfe von numerischen Simulationen modelliert wurden, untersucht und mit Beobachtungsdaten verglichen. Dabei handelt es sich sowohl um Eigenschaften einzelner Protosterne, als auch um statistische Parameter des Sternhaufens als Ganzes.</p> <p>Es wird gezeigt, dass die Massenakkretion von Protosternen ein höchst dynamischer und zeitabhängiger Prozess ist. Die maximale Akkretionsrate wird kurz nach der Bildung des Protosterns erreicht, bevor sie annähernd exponentiell abfällt. Sie ist, in Übereinstimmung mit Beobachtungen, etwa um eine Größenordnung höher als die konstante Rate in den klassischen Modellen.</p> <p>Um die Akkretionsraten der Modelle zuverlässiger vergleichen zu können, werden sie mit Hilfe eines Evolutionsschemas in besser beobachtbare Parameter wie bolometrische Temperatur und Leuchtkraft sowie Hüllenmasse umgewandelt. Die dreidimensionale Verteilung dieser Parameter wird anschließend mittels eines Kolmogorov-Smirnov-Tests mit Beobachtungsdaten verglichen.</p> <p>Die relative Anzahl junger Sterne in verschiedenen Entwicklungsstadien wird mit der zeitlichen Entwicklung der Modelle verglichen, um so den Entwicklungsstand des Sternhaufens abschätzen zu können. Während eine genaue Altersbestimmung schwierig ist, kann der Entwicklungsstand eines Haufens relativ zu anderen gut ermittelt werden. Von den untersuchten Objekten stellt sich Serpens als der jüngste und IC 348 als der am weitesten entwickelte Sternhaufen heraus.</p> <p>Zuletzt werden die Strukturen von jungen Sternhaufen an Hand verschiedener statistischer Methoden und eines neuen Maßes für die Elongation eines Haufens untersucht. Auch hier zeigen die Parameter der Modelle eine gute Übereinstimmung mit solchen von beobachteten Objekten, insbesondere, wenn beide eine ähnliche Elongation aufweisen. Die zeitliche Entwicklung der Parameter zeigt, dass sich ein Sternhaufen aus mehreren kleineren Gruppen bildet, die zusammenwachsen und einen zum Zentrum hin konzentrierten Haufen bilden. Dabei werden neue Sterne schneller gebildet als sich der Sternhaufen ausdehnt.</p>

A Milky Way region in the direction of the North America and Pelican Nebulae is investigated using CCD photometry of 2600 stars in the Vilnius seven-color system. Its central part was covered with a CCD camera on the Maksutov wide-field telescope of the Moletai Observatory. Deeper CCD exposures for most interesting selected targets were taken with the 1 m telescope of the USNO Flagstaff Station. The author developed a new method for CCD data processing trying to reduce systematic errors and to increase photometric accuracy. This allowed us to measure M67 stars with high precision and use it as a CCD standard region in all our subsequent observations. To investigate interstellar extinction law in the area we obtained spectra for 33 B-type stars with the 2.3 m telescope of Steward Observatory at Kitt Peak. We also used near-infrared 2MASS data and other data sources when they were available. From photometric results in the Vilnius system we determined two-dimensional spectral types, color excesses, interstellar extinctions and distances of ~1300 stars. For more accurate determination of open cluster ages we recalibrated the zero-age main sequence in absolute magnitude vs. color diagram of the Vilnius system. We also investigated the possible connection between two open clusters in the area and surrounding star-forming region. Young stellar objects and possible ionizing sources of the NAP gas clouds were identified. / Naudojant CCD fotometriją, ištirta Paukščių Tako sritis Šiaurės Amerikos ir Pelikano ūkų kryptimi. Vilniaus fotometrinėje sistemoje išmatuota 2600 žvaigždžių. Didesnė sritis, apimanti abu ūkus ir tarp jų esantį dulkių debesį L935 buvo eksponuojama Molėtų observatorijos plataus lauko Maksutovo sistemos teleskopu. Mažesnės sritys, turinčios svarbių objektų, buvo eksponuojamos JAV laivyno observatorijos Flagstafo stoties 1 m. teleskopu. Autorius sukūrė metodiką. kaip ženkiai sumažinti sistematines redukcijos paklaidas ir padidinti CCD fotometrijos tikslumą. Tiksliai išmatuoti CCD fotometriniai standartai padrikąjame spiečiuje M67 bus naudojami tolimesniuose stebėjimuose. Ekstinkcijos dėsnio tyrimui buvo gauti 33 O-B žvaigždžių spektrai Stiuarto observatorijos 2.3 m teleskopu. Taip pat buvo panaudota 2MASS infraraudonosios fotometrijos katalogas ir kiti duomenys. Iš CCD ekspozicijų Vilniaus sistemoje fotometrijos daugumai fotometruotų žvaigždžių nustatyta: spektrinė ir šviesio klasė (MK sistemoje), spalvos ekscesas, tarpžvaigždinė ekstinkcija ir nuotolis. Tikslesniam padrikųjų spiečių amžiaus nustatymui iš naujo sukalibruota nulinio amžiaus pagrindinė seka Vilniaus fotometrinėje sistemoje. Ištirti du padrikieji žvaigždžių spiečiai esantys Šiaurės Amerikos ūko kryptimi ir patikrintas jų ryšys su aplinkine žvaigždėdaros sritimi. Aptikta apie 30 jaunų emisinių žvaigždžių ir 4 ar 5 žvaigždės, kurios galėtų būti ūkų jonizacijos šaltiniai.

Naudojant CCD fotometriją, ištirta Paukščių Tako sritis Šiaurės Amerikos ir Pelikano ūkų kryptimi. Vilniaus fotometrinėje sistemoje išmatuota 2600 žvaigždžių. Didesnė sritis, apimanti abu ūkus ir tarp jų esantį dulkių debesį L935 buvo eksponuojama Molėtų observatorijos plataus lauko Maksutovo sistemos teleskopu. Mažesnės sritys, turinčios svarbių objektų, buvo eksponuojamos JAV laivyno observatorijos Flagstafo stoties 1 m. teleskopu. Autorius sukūrė metodiką. kaip ženkiai sumažinti sistematines redukcijos paklaidas ir padidinti CCD fotometrijos tikslumą. Tiksliai išmatuoti CCD fotometriniai standartai padrikąjame spiečiuje M67 bus naudojami tolimesniuose stebėjimuose. Ekstinkcijos dėsnio tyrimui buvo gauti 33 O-B žvaigždžių spektrai Stiuarto observatorijos 2.3 m teleskopu. Taip pat buvo panaudota 2MASS infraraudonosios fotometrijos katalogas ir kiti duomenys. Iš CCD ekspozicijų Vilniaus sistemoje fotometrijos daugumai fotometruotų žvaigždžių nustatyta: spektrinė ir šviesio klasė (MK sistemoje), spalvos ekscesas, tarpžvaigždinė ekstinkcija ir nuotolis. Tikslesniam padrikųjų spiečių amžiaus nustatymui iš naujo sukalibruota nulinio amžiaus pagrindinė seka Vilniaus fotometrinėje sistemoje. Ištirti du padrikieji žvaigždžių spiečiai esantys Šiaurės Amerikos ūko kryptimi ir patikrintas jų ryšys su aplinkine žvaigždėdaros sritimi. Aptikta apie 30 jaunų emisinių žvaigždžių ir 4 ar 5 žvaigždės, kurios galėtų būti ūkų jonizacijos šaltiniai. / A Milky Way region in the direction of the North America and Pelican Nebulae is investigated using CCD photometry of 2600 stars in the Vilnius seven-color system. Its central part was covered with a CCD camera on the Maksutov wide-field telescope of the Moletai Observatory. Deeper CCD exposures for most interesting selected targets were taken with the 1 m telescope of the USNO Flagstaff Station. The author developed a new method for CCD data processing trying to reduce systematic errors and to increase photometric accuracy. This allowed us to measure M67 stars with high precision and use it as a CCD standard region in all our subsequent observations. To investigate interstellar extinction law in the area we obtained spectra for 33 B-type stars with the 2.3 m telescope of Steward Observatory at Kitt Peak. We also used near-infrared 2MASS data and other data sources when they were available. From photometric results in the Vilnius system we determined two-dimensional spectral types, color excesses, interstellar extinctions and distances of ~1300 stars. For more accurate determination of open cluster ages we recalibrated the zero-age main sequence in absolute magnitude vs. color diagram of the Vilnius system. We also investigated the possible connection between two open clusters in the area and surrounding star-forming region. Young stellar objects and possible ionizing sources of the NAP gas clouds were identified.

Star clusters are thought to be the birthplaces of stars as well as the building blocks of galaxies. They typically consist of thousands to millions of stars bound together by self-gravity. These systems evolve on the scale of Myr to Gyr, there- fore, it is impossible for us to see any change in their global evolution even within hundreds of human lifetimes. Although the equations of motion of stars in a star cluster are simple New- tonian, it is impossible to predict precisely history of any star within them to any point in the future. Therefore, we may either compare the observations of different star clusters at different age, we may invent theoretical approaches and analytical predictions, or we must follow their evolution numerically (e.g. with direct N-body integrators) which is the main focus of my research and this thesis. First, we follow the evolution of star clusters in general while coming up with a novel method to estimate their characteristic timescale (i.e. the time of core collapse) based on global parameters. The core collapse is directly linked to the formation of hard binary stars, thus, we focus on their analysis as well. We also follow several recent observational results: (i) ALMA observations of the Serpens South star-forming region indicate that star clusters are born mass...

<p>The formation of star clusters occurs in a complex environment and involve a large number of physical processes. One of the most important processes to consider is radiative feedback. The radiation released by forming stars heats the surrounding gas and suppresses the fragmentation of low mass objects. Ionizing radiation can also drive large scale outflows and disperse the surrounding gas. Owing to all this complexity, the use of numerical simulations to study cluster formation in molecular clouds has become commonplace. In order to study the effects of radiative feedback on cluster formation over larger spatial scales than previous studies, we present hydrodynamical simulations using the AMR code FLASH which make use of cluster particles. Unlike previous studies, these particles represent an entire star cluster rather than individual stars. We present a subgrid model for representing the radiative output of a star cluster which involves randomly sampling an IMF over time to populate the cluster. We show that our model is capable of reproducing the properties of observed clusters. The model was then incorporated into FLASH to examine the effects of radiative feedback on cluster formation in full hydrodynamical simulations. We find that the inclusion of radiative transfer can drive large scale outflows and decreases the overall star formation efficiency by a factor of 2. The inclusion of radiative feedback also increases the degree of subclustering. The use of cluster particles in hydrodynamical simulations represents a promising method for future studies of cluster formation and the large scale effects of radiative feedback.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)