In this work, we study the galaxy cluster MS0735.6+7421 that hosts the most energetic observed active galactic nucleus (AGN) outburst so far. Explaining this very energetic AGN outburst is found to be challenging. McNamara et al. 2009 grappled with this problem and proposed two possible solutions: either the black hole (BH) must be an ultra massive one (with mass $> 10^{10} \ \text{M}_\odot$), or the efficiency of the mass to energy conversion ($\epsilon$) should be higher than the generally assumed value of $\epsilon \sim 0.1$. However, the efficiency of the mass to energy conversion depends on the BH's spin {Benson and Babul 2009}; higher $\epsilon$ can be achieved with a higher spinning BH. Here, we explore the second solution in detail, and ask the question: How did the BH spin up to the very high spins in advance of the outburst? We also explore the attendant physical processes, such as star formation, during the spin-up mode and investigate the associated observational implications. Comparing our results with what is generally expected from simulations and observational studies suggests that for all intents and purposes, the existence of an ultra massive BH is the simplest solution. / Graduate

Giant molecular clouds (GMCs), out of which stars form, are complex, dynamic systems, which both influence and are shaped by the process of star formation. In this dissertation, I examine three different facets of the dynamical motions within GMCs. Collapse modes in different dimensional objects. Molecular clouds contain lower dimensional substructures, such as filaments and sheets. The collapse properties of finite filaments and sheets differ from those of spherical objects as well as infinite sheets and filaments. I examine the importance of local collapse modes of small central perturbations, relative to global collapse modes, in different dimensional objects to elucidate whether strong perturbations are required for molecular clouds to fragment to form stars. I also calculate the dependence of the global collapse timescale upon the aspect ratio of sheets and filaments. I find that lower dimensional objects are more readily fragmented, and that for a constant density, lower dimensional objects and clouds with larger aspect ratios collapse more slowly. An edge-driven collapse mode also exists in sheets and filaments and is most important in elongated filaments. The failure to consider the geometry of a gas cloud is shown to lead to an overestimation of the star formation rate by up to an order of magnitude. Molecular tracers of turbulent energy dissipation. Molecular clouds contain supersonic turbulence that simulations predict will decay rapidly via shocks. I use shock models to predict which species emit the majority of the turbulent energy dissipated in shocks and find that carbon monoxide, CO, is primarily responsible for radiating away this energy. By combining these shock models with estimates for the turbulent energy dissipation rate of molecular clouds, I predict the expected shock spectra of CO from molecular clouds. I compare the results of these shock models to predictions for the emission from the unshocked gas in GMCs and show that mid-to-high rotational transitions of CO (e.g., J = 8 to 7), should be dominated by shocked gas emission and should trace the turbulent energy being dissipated in molecular clouds. Orion-Eridanus superbubble. The nearby Orion star forming region has created a large bubble of hot plasma in the local interstellar medium referred to as the Orion-Eridanus superbubble. This bubble is unusual in that it is highly elongated, is believed to be oriented roughly parallel to the galactic plane, and contains bright filamentary features on the Eridanus side. I fit models for a wind driven bubble in an exponential atmosphere to the Orion-Eridanus superbubble and show that the elongation of the bubble cannot be explained by such a model in which the scale height of the galactic disk is the typical value of 150 pc. Either a much smaller scale height must be adopted or some additional physics must be added to the model. I also show that the Eridanus filaments cannot be equilibrium objects ionized by the Orion star forming region. / Graduate / 0606 / andyrpon@gmail.com

[Special characters cannot be displayed. Please see the pdf version of the Abstract for an accurate reproduction.] We studied the circumstellar discs, the initial mass function (IMF), mass distribution, binarity and the fundamental properties of the [special character] 9 Myr-old pre-main sequence (PMS) [special character] Chamaeleontis cluster. Using JHKL colour-colour and colour-excess diagrams, we found the circumstellar disc fraction to be [special character] 0.60 among the late-type members. Four stars with [special character] (K - L) > 0.4 were identified as experiencing ongoing accretion which was later confirmed by high-resolution spectroscopic study. Quantitative analysis of the H[special character] profiles found accretion in these four stars at rates comparable to that of two members of the similarly-aged TW Hydrae Association (TWA); rates 1 - 3 orders of magnitude lower than in younger classical T Tauri stars. Together these results suggest that, while the mass accretion rate decreases with age, PMS stars can retain their inner discs for [special character] 10 Myr. An optical photometric survey spanning 1.3 ?? 1.3 pc added two low-mass stars to the cluster inventory. Together with other recent surveys the population is likely to be significantly complete for primaries with masses M > 0.15M[special character]. The cluster now consists of 18 primaries and 9 confirmed and candidate secondaries, with [special character] 2-4 times higher multiplicity than seen in field dwarfs. The cluster IMF is consistent with that of rich young clusters and field stars. By extending the IMF to lower masses, we predict 20-29 low-mass stars and brown dwarfs may remain undiscovered. From study of the cluster???s spatial and mass distribution, we find the [special character] Cha cluster has significant mass segregation, with > 50 per cent of the stellar mass residing within the central 0.17 pc. Lastly we classified members of the cluster with low-resolution spectra, providing information about the fundamental properties of the PMS stars by comparison to standard dwarfs. Broadband VRI colours and pseudocontinuum indices derived for the cluster stars are indistinguishable from dwarfs at visual and red wavelengths. This suggests the temperature sequence for the PMS [special character] Cha cluster is similar to that of the dwarf sequence. Narrow-band spectral indices for the [special character] Cha cluster possibly indicate higher metallicity and strongly indicate lower surface gravity than the dwarf indices.

Η παρούσα διατριβή παρουσιάζει τα αποτελέσματα μιας συστηματικής έρευνας των πληθυσμών Υπολειμμάτων Υπερκαινοφανών (Υ/Υ) σε έξι κοντινούς γαλαξίες (NGC 2403, NGC 3077, NGC 4214, NGC 4395, NGC 4449 και NGC 5204) βασισμένη σε αρχειακά δεδομένα του δορυφόρου ακτίνων-Χ Chandra, και σε βαθειές οπτικές παρατηρήσεις με τα στενά φίλτρα Hα (λ 6563) και [SΙΙ] (λλ 6716, 6731) καθώς και φασματοσκοπικές παρατηρήσεις. Η ταξινόμηση των Υ/Υ επιλεγμένων στις ακτίνες-Χ βασίστηκε στα μαλακά, θερμικά φάσματα (kT < 3 keV) των πηγών στις ακτίνες-Χ ή στα χρώματά τους στις ακτίνες-Χ. Αντίστοιχα, η ταξινόμηση των οπτικών Υ/Υ βασίστηκε στο καθιερωμένο κριτήριο του λόγου των γραμμών εκπομπής [SΙΙ](λλ 6716, 6731)/Hα > 0.4. Εντοπίστηκαν 37 θερμικά Υ/Υ στις ακτίνες-Χ, 30 εκ των οποίων είναι νέες ανακαλύψεις και ~400 (~350 από αυτά είναι νέες ανιχνεύσεις) φωτομετρικά Υ/Υ, για 67 από τα οποία πιστοποιήθηκε φασματοσκοπικά η φύση τους ως Υ/Υ. Πολλοί από τους γαλαξίες στο δείγμα μας μελετώνται για πρώτη φορά στις ακτίνες-Χ (NGC 4214, NGC 4395 και NGC 5204) ή στο οπτικό μέρος του φάσματος (NGC 4395, NGC 3077) με συστηματικό τρόπο, καταλήγοντας στην ανακάλυψη αρκετών νέων Υ/Υ. Σε πολλές περιπτώσεις, η ταξινόμηση των πηγών ως Υ/Υ στις ακτίνες-Χ ή στο οπτικό μέρος του φάσματος επιβεβαιώνεται από ομόλογα Υ/Υ που έχουν ανιχνευθεί σε άλλα μήκη κύματος, δείχνοντας ότι οι μέθοδοι ανίχνευσης που χρησιμοποιούμε είναι αξιόπιστες. Συζητάμε τις ιδιότητες (π.χ. φωτεινότητα, θερμοκρασία, πυκνότητα, ταχύτητα σοκ) των Υ/Υ σε διάφορους τύπους γαλαξιών και ως εκ τούτου διαφορετικά περιβάλλοντα, προκειμένου να δούμε την εξάρτησή τους από το μεοσαστρικό μέσο. Συσχετίζουμε παραμέτρους των ανιχνευμένων οπτικών Υ/Υ (λόγος [SΙΙ]/Hα, φωτεινότητα) με τις παραμέτρους των αντίστοιχων Υ/Υ στις ακτίνες-Χ (θερμοκρασία, φωτεινότητα, πυκνότητα) προκειμένου να κατανοήσουμε την εξέλιξή τους. Μερικά από τα πιο ενδιαφέροντα αποτελέσματα αυτής της έρευνας είναι τα ακόλουθα: α) Βρίσκουμε ότι τα Υ/Υ που είναι ανιχνευμένα στις ακτίνες-Χ και βρίσκονται σε άμορφους γαλαξίες φαίνεται να είναι πιο λαμπρά από εκείνα στους σπειροειδείς γαλαξίες. Αποδίδουμε αυτό το γεγονός στη χαμηλότερη μεταλλικότητα των άμορφων γαλαξιών από αυτή των σπειροειδών (η χαμηλότερη μεταλλικότητα δημιουργεί πρόγονους αστέρες μεγαλύτερης μάζας) ή στις υψηλότερες τοπικές πυκνότητες που παρατηρούνται στο μεσοαστρικό μέσο των άμορφων γαλαξιών, β) Η σύγκριση του αριθμού των παρατηρούμενων λαμπρών Υ/Υ στις ακτίνες-Χ με τον αριθμό αυτών που αναμένονται με βάση τις κατανομές φωτεινότητας των Υ/Υ στις ακτίνες-Χ στα Νέφη του Μαγγελάνου και στον M33, δείχνουν ότι κατανομές φωτεινότητας των Υ/Υ μεταξύ σπειροειδών και άμορφων γαλαξιών είναι διαφορετικές, από αυτές που αφορούν τα Υ/Υ στους άμορφους γαλαξίες και τείνουν να είναι πιο επίπεδες, γ) Βρίσκουμε ότι υπάρχει διαφορά στους λόγους [NΙΙ]/Hα των Υ/Υ μεταξύ διαφορετικών τύπων γαλαξιών, το οποίο κατά πάσα πιθανότητα οφείλεται σε διαφορές στη μεταλλικότητά τους και δ) Υπάρχουν ισχυρές ενδείξεις για μια γραμμική σχέση μεταξύ του αριθμού των λαμπρών Υ/Υ στο οπτικό και στις ακτίνες-Χ και του ρυθμού αστρογένεσης των γαλαξιών του δείγματος. / This thesis presents the results of a comprehensive investigation of the Supernova Remnant (SNR) populations in six nearby galaxies (NGC 2403, NGC 3077, NGC 4214, NGC 4395, NGC 4449 and NGC 5204) based on Chandra archival data and deep optical narrow-band Hα and [SΙΙ] images, as well as spectroscopic observations. The classification of X-ray emitting SNRs was based on their soft thermal spectra (kT < 3 keV) or their X-ray colors and for optically-emitting SNRs on the well-established emission-line flux criterion of [SΙΙ](λλ 6716, 6731)/Hα(λ 6563) > 0.4. We have identified 37 X-ray selected thermal SNRs, 30 of which are new discoveries and ~400 optical SNRs (~350 are new detections), for 67 of which we spectroscopically verified their shock-excited nature. Many of the galaxies in our sample are studied for the first time in the X-ray (NGC 4214, NGC 4395, and NGC 5204) or optical (NGC 4395, NGC 3077) band in a self-consistent way, resulting in the discovery of many new SNRs. In many cases, the X-ray and optical classifications are confirmed based on the identification of SNR counterparts in other wavelengths, giving us confidence that the detection methods we use are robust. We discuss the properties (e.g. luminosity, temperature, density, shock velocity) of the X-ray/optically detected SNRs in different types of galaxies and hence different environments, in order to address their dependence on their interstellar medium. We compare optical ([SΙΙ]/Hα ratio, luminosity) and X-ray parameters (temperature, luminosity, density) of the detected SNRs, in order to understand their evolution and investigate possible selection effects. The most intriguing results of this survey are the following: a) We find that X-ray selected SNRs in irregular galaxies appear to be more luminous than those in spirals. We attribute this either to the lower metallicities and therefore more massive progenitor stars of irregular galaxies or to the higher local densities of the interstellar medium, b) A comparison of the numbers of observed luminous X-ray selected SNRs with those expected from the luminosity functions of X-ray SNRs in the Magellanic Clouds and M33 suggest different luminosity distributions between the SNRs in spiral and irregular galaxies, with the latter tending to have flatter distributions, c) We find that there is a difference in [NΙΙ]/Hα line ratios of the SNR populations between different types of galaxies which is the result of the low metalicity of irregular galaxies, and d) We find evidence for a linear relation between the number of luminous optical or X-ray SNRs and Star Formation Rate in our sample of galaxies.

Stars form inside clouds of molecular gas and dust. In the early stages of stellar evolution the remainders of the initial cloud form a circumstellar disk. For the next few million years the disk will slowly dissipate via accretion, outflows, photoevaporation and planet growth while the star makes its way onto the Main Sequence. This stage of a star's life is referred to as the T Tauri phase and is characterised by high-level spectrophotometric variability. This thesis aims to study and map out the environments of T Tauri stars down to the very low mass regime by the means of time-domain monitoring. Different physical processes in the system manifest themselves as variability on different time- scales as well as produce characteristic spectroscopic and photometric features at various wave- lengths. In order to study young stellar objects in depth, the observing campaigns presented in this work were designed to cover a large range of time-scales - minutes, hours, days and months. Combining all the data, this thesis establishes a baseline of over a decade for some objects. The observations also cover a wide range of wavelengths from the optical to the mid-infrared part of the spectrum. The star RW Aur experienced two long-lasting dimming events in 2010 and 2014. This thesis presents a large collection of spectral and photometric measurements carried out just before and during the 2014 event. Spectral accretion signatures indicate no change in the accretion activity of the system. Photometry indicates that parallel to the dimming in the optical the star becomes brighter in the mid-infrared. The observations in this work combined with literature data suggest that the origin of the 2014 event is most likely obscuration of the star by hot dust from the disk being lifted into the disk wind. Very low mass stars (< 0.4 M⊙) are the most common type of star in the Galaxy. In order to understand the early stages of stellar evolution we must study young very low mass stars. This work investigates the photometric and spectroscopic variability of seven brown dwarfs in star forming regions near σ Ori and ε Ori. All targets exhibit optical photometric variability between from 0.1 to over 1.0 magnitude that persists on a time-scale of at least one decade. Despite the photometric variability no change in the spectral type is measured. In the cases where the stars are accreting, modelling of the spectral changes suggest the accretion flow is more homogeneous and less funnelled compared to Sun-like T Tauri stars. The non-accreting variables are more plausibly explained by obscuration by circumstellar material, possibly a ring made out of multiple clouds of dust grains and pebbles with varying optical depths. The star-disk systems studied in this thesis have some broader implications for star and planet formation theory. The case-study of RW Aur has unambiguously demonstrated that the planet- forming environment is very dynamic and can change dramatically on short time-scales, which in turn would have implications for the diversity of planetary systems found in the Galaxy. The Orion stars have shown that the current theory for the T Tauri stage of stellar evolution is valid down to the very low mass regime. The seven dwarfs are a good example for the evolutionary path of circumstellar disks, showing the transition from gas-high, flared accretion disks (σ Ori) to dust-dominated, depleted, structured debris disks (ε Ori).

Star and stellar cluster formation in spiral galaxies is one of the biggest questions of astrophysics. In this thesis, I study how star formation, and the formation of stellar clusters, proceeds using SPH simulations. These simulations model a region of 400 pc and 107 solar masses. Star formation is modelled through the use of sink particles which represent small groups of stars. Star formation occurs in high density regions, created by galactic spiral arm passage. The spiral shock compresses the gas and generates high density regions. Once these regions attain sufficiently high density, self-gravity becomes dominant and drives collapse and star formation. The regions fragment hierarchically, forming local small groups of stars. These fall together to form clusters, which grow through subsequent mergers and large scale gas infall. As the individual star formation occurs over large distances before forming a stellar cluster, this process can result in significant age spreads of 1-2 Myrs. One protocluster is found to fail to merge due to the large scale tidal forces from the nearby regions, and instead expands forming a dispersed population of young stars such as an OB association.

1720 MHz OH masers have been detected towards a number of supernova remnants (SNRs) at the shock interface where the SNR slams into the interstellar medium. Models indicate that these masers are shock excited and can only be produced under tight constraints of the physical conditions. In particular, the masers can only form behind a C-type shock. Jets from newlyformed stars plow into the surrounding gas, creating nebulous regions known as Herbig Haro (HH) objects. Signatures of C-type shocks have been found in many HH objects. If conditions behind the shock fronts of HH objects are able to support 1720 MHz OH masers they would be a usefull diagnostic tool for star formation. A survey toward HH objects detected a number of 1720 MHz OH lines in emission, but future observations with arrays are required to confirm the presence of masers. / Physics / M.Sc. (Astronomy)

Les protoétoiles de masse intermédiaire (IM) (2 ≤ M* ≤ 8 Msun) sont le lien entre les étoiles de faible et haute masse car elles couvrent également un intervalle intermédiaire de luminosités, de densités et de températures [Fuente et al., 2012]. Même si les « IM-YSOs » jouent un rôle important dans l'étude de la formation des étoiles, on a très peu de connaissances sur la formation et l'évolution des premières étapes des protoétoiles de masse intermédiaire. Les études systématiques spectrales sont un outil puissant pour caractériser la composition chimique d'un objet astrophysique, et la seule façon d'obtenir un recensement complet des espèces chimiques. Une étude spectrale fournit également des lignes multiples de la même molécule, donnant la possibilité d'une analyse multifréquences ainsi que d'une modélisation. En outre, grâce aux profils des raies, nous pouvons obtenir des informations sur la cinématique, et identifier les structures au long de la ligne de vue, en tant que sources multiples, des jets ou des cavités, par exemple, [Caux et al., 2011]. Les phénomènes d'éjection (jets, des vents et des « outflows » bipolaires moléculaires), sont une phase inhérente au processus de formation d'étoiles observées dans les YSOs de toutes masses dans des longueurs d'onde millimétriques. Cependant, il n'y a pas d'études systématiques dans l'intervalle de masse intermédiaire comme dans le cas des protoétoiles de faible et haute masse. Compte tenu de l'absence d'une étude systématique de la partie mm/submillimétrique dans le spectre des protoétoiles de masse intermédiaire, au cours de ma thèse, j'ai mené une étude systématique spectrale vers la protoétoile de masse intermédiaire de classe 0 Cep E et de son « outflow » moléculaire. / Intermediate-mass (IM) protostars (2 ≤ M∗ ≤8 Msun) are the link between low and the high mass stars as they cover also an intermediate range of luminosities, densities and temperatures [Fuente et al., 2012]. Even though the IM-YSOs are important in the study of star formation, very little is known about the formation and first evolutionary stages of IM protostars. Unbiased spectral surveys are a powerful tool to characterize the chemical composition of an astrophysical object, and the only way to obtain a complete census of the chemical species. A spectral survey provides also multiple lines from the same molecule, giving the possibility of a multi-frequency analysis and modeling. Also, through line profiles, we can obtain kinematic information, and identify structures along the line of sight, as multiple sources, outflows, jets or cavities, e.g. [Caux et al., 2011]. The outflow phenomena (jets, winds and bipolar molecular outflows), are an inherent phase in the process of star formation observed in YSOs of all range of masses at millimeter wavelengths. However, there are not systematic studies in IM range as in the case of of low- and high-mass protostars. Given the lack of a systematic study of the mm/submm spectrum of IM protostars, during my thesis I carried out an unbiased spectral survey towards IM Class 0 Cep E protostar and its molecular outflow.

Ventos (em inglês outflows) de ampla abertura e larga escala sâo uma característica comum em galáxias ativas, como as galáxias Seyfert. Em sistemas como este, onde buracos negros supermassivos (em inglês super massive black holes, SMBHs) de núcleos galácticos ativos de galáxias (em inglês active galactic nuclei, AGN) coexistem com regiões de formação estelar (em inglês star forming, SF), nâo está claro das observações se o AGN SMBH ou o SF (ou ambos) são responsaveis pela indução desses ventos. Neste trabalho, estudamos como ambos podem influenciar a evolução da galáxia hospedeira e seus outflows, considerando galáxias tipo Seyfert nas escalas de kilo-parsec (kpc). Para este objetivo, estendemos o trabalho anterior desenvolvido por Melioli & de Gouveia Dal Pino (2015), que considerou ventos puramente hidrodinâmicos impulsionados tanto pela SF quanto pelo AGN, mas levando em conta para este último apenas ventos bem estreitos (colimados). A fim de obter uma melhor compreensão da influencia (feedback) desses mecanismos sobre a evolução da galáxia e seus outflows, incluímos também os efeitos de ventos de AGN com maior ângulo de abertura, já que ventos em forma de cone podem melhorar a interação com o meio interestelar da galáxia e assim, empurrar mais gás nos outflows. Além disso, incluímos também os efeitos dos campos magnéticos no vento, já que estes podem, potencialmente, ajudar a preservar as estruturas e acelerar os outflows. Realizamos simulações tridimensionais magneto-hidrodinâmicas (MHD) considerando o resfriamento radiativo em equilíbrio de ionização e os efeitos dos ventos do AGN com dois diferentes ângulos de abertura (0º e 10º) e razões entre a pressão térmica e a pressão magnética beta=infinito, = 300 e 30, correspondentes a campos magnéticos 0, 0,76 micro-Gauss e 2,4 micro-Gauss respectivamente. Os resultados de nossas simulações mostram que os ventos impulsionados pelos produtos de SF (isto é, pelas explosões de supernovas, SNe) podem direcionar ventos com velocidades 100-1000 km s¹, taxas de perda de massa da ordem de 50 Massas solares/ano, densidades de ~1-10 cm-3 e temperaturas entre 10 e 10 K, que se assemelham às propriedades dos denominados absorvedores de calor (em inglês warm absorbers, WAs) e também são compatíveis com as velocidades dos outflows moleculares observadas. No entanto, as densidades obtidas nas simulações são muito pequenas e as temperaturas são muito grandes para explicar os valores observados nos outflows moleculares (que têm n ~150-300 cm³ e T<1000 K). Ventos colimados de AGN (sem a presença de ventos SF) também são incapazes de conduzir outflows, mas podem acelerar estruturas a velocidades muito altas, da ordem de ~10.000 km s¹ e temperaturas T> 10 K, tal como observado em ventos ultra rapidos (em inglês, ultra-fast outflows, UFOs). A introdução do vento de AGN, particularmente com um grande ângulo de abertura, causa a formação de estruturas semelhantes a fontes galácticas. Isso faz com que parte do gás em expansão (que está sendo empurrado pelo vento de SF) retorne para a galáxia, produzindo um feedback \'positivo\' na evolução da galáxia hospedeira. Descobrimos que esses efeitos são mais pronunciados na presença de campos magnéticos, devido à ação de forças magnéticas extras pelo vento AGN, o qual intensifica o efeito de retorno do gás (fallback), e ao mesmo tempo reduz a taxa de perda de massa nos outflows por fatores de até 10. Além disso, a presença de um vento de AGN colimado (0º) causa uma remoção significativa da massa do núcleo da galáxia em poucos 100.000 anos, mas este é logo reabastecido pelo de gás acretante proveniente do meio interestelar (ISM) à medida que as explosões de SNe se sucedem. Por outro lado, um vento de AGN com um grande ângulo de abertura, em presença de campos magnéticos, remove o gás nuclear inteiramente em alguns 100.000 anos e não permite o reabastecimento posterior pelo ISM. Portanto, extingue a acreção de combustível e de massa no SMBH. Isso indica que o ciclo de trabalho desses outflows é de cerca de alguns 100.000 anos, compatível com as escalas de tempo inferidas para os UFOs e outflows moleculares observados. Em resumo, os modelos que incluem ventos de AGN com um ângulo de abertura maior e campos magnéticos, levam a velocidades médias muito maiores que os modelos sem vento de AGN, e também permitem que mais gás seja acelerado para velocidades máximas em torno de ~10 km s¹, com densidades e temperaturas compatíveis com aquelas observadas em UFOs. No entanto, as estruturas com velocidades intermediárias de vários ~100 km s¹ e densidades até uns poucos 100 cm³, que de fato poderiam reproduzir os outflows moleculares observados, têm temperaturas que são muito grandes para explicar as características observadas nos outflows moleculares, que tem temperaturas T< 1000 K. Além disso, estes ventos de AGN não colimados em presença de campos magnéticos entre T< 1000 K. Alem disso, estes grandes ventos AGN de angulo de abertura em fluxos magnetizados reduzem as taxas de perda de massa dos outflows para valores menores que aqueles observados tanto em outflows moleculares quanto em UFOs. Em trabalhos futuros, pretendemos estender o espaço paramétrico aqui investigado e também incluir novos ingredientes em nossos modelos, como o resfriamento radioativo fora do equilíbrio, a fim de tentar reproduzir as características acima que não foram explicadas pelo modelo atual. / Large-scale broad outflows are a common feature in active galaxies, like Seyfert galaxies. In systems like this, where supermassive black hole (SMBH) active galactic nuclei (AGN) coexist with star-forming (SF) regions it is unclear from the observations if the SMBH AGN or the SF (or both) are driving these outflows. In this work, we have studied how both may influence the evolution of the host galaxy and its outflows, considering Seyfert-like galaxies at kilo-parsec (kpc) scales. For this aim, we have extended previous work developed by Melioli & de Gouveia Dal Pino (2015), who considered purely hydrodynamical outflows driven by both SF and AGN, but considering for the latter only very narrow (collimated) winds. In order to achieve a better understanding of the feedback of these mechanisms on the galaxy evolution and its outflows, here we have included the effects of AGN winds with a larger opening angle too, since conic-shaped winds can improve the interaction with the interstellar medium of the galaxy and thus push more gas into the outflows. Besides, we have also included the effects of magnetic fields in the flow, since these can potentially help to preserve the structures and speed up the outflows. We have performed three-dimensional magneto-hydrodynamical (MHD) simulations considering equilibrium radiative cooling and the effects of AGN-winds with two different opening angles (0º and 10º), and thermal pressure to magnetic pressure ratios of beta=infinite, 300 and 30 corresponding to magnetic fields 0, 0.76 micro-Gauss and 2.4 micro-Gauss, respectively. The results of our simulations show that the winds driven by the products of SF (i.e., by explosions of supernovae, SNe) alone can drive outflows with velocities ~100-1000 km s¹, mass outflow rates of the order of 50 Solar Masses yr¹, densities of ~1-10 cm³, and temperatures between 10 and 10 K, which resemble the properties of warm absorbers (WAs) and are also compatible with the velocities of the observed molecular outflows. However, the obtained densities from the simulations are too small and the temperatures too large to explain the observed values in molecular outflows (which have n ~ 150-300 cm³ and T<1000 K). Collimated AGN winds alone (without the presence of SF-winds) are also unable to drive hese outflows, but they can accelerate structures to very high speeds, of the order of ~ 10.000 km s¹, and temperatures T> 10 K as observed in ultra-fast outflows (UFOs). The introduction of an AGN wind, particularly with a large opening angle, causes the formation of fountain-like structures. This makes part of the expanding gas (pushed by the SF-wind) to fallback into the galaxy producing a \'positive\' feedback on the host galaxy evolution. We have found that these effects are more pronounced in presence of magnetic fields, due to the action of extra magnetic forces by the AGN wind producing enhanced fallback that reduces the mass loss rate in the outflows by factors up to 10. Furthermore, the presence of a collimated AGN wind (0º) causes a significant removal of mass from the core region in a few 100.000 yr, but this is soon replenished by gas inflow from the interstellar medium (ISM) when the SNe explosions fully develop. On the other hand, an AGN wind with a large opening angle in presence of magnetic fields is able to remove the nuclear gas entirely within a few 100.000 yr and does not allow for later replenishment. Therefore, it quenches the fueling and mass accretion onto the SMBH. This indicates that the duty cycle of these outflows is around a few 100.000 yr, compatible with the time-scales inferred for the observed UFOs and molecular outflows. In summary, models that include AGN winds with a larger opening angle and magnetic fields, lead to to be accelerated to maximum velocities around 10 km s¹ (than models with collimated AGN winds), with densities and temperatures which are compatible with those observed in UFOs. However, the structures with intermediate velocities of several ~100 km s¹ and densities up to a few 100 cm3, that in fact could reproduce the observed molecular outflows, have temperatures which are too large to explain the observed molecular features, which have temperatures T<1000 K. Besides, these large opening angle AGN winds in magnetized flows reduce the mass loss rates of the outflows to values smaller than those observed both in molecular outflows and UFOs. In future work, we intend to extend the parametric space here investigated and also include new ingredients in our models, such as non-equilibrium radiative cooling, in order to try to reproduce the features above that were not explained by the current model.

High-mass stars play a significant role in the evolution of the Universe and the process that leads to the formation of such objects is still an open question in Astrophysics. The details of the structures connected to the central sources, such as the circumstellar disks and the morphology of the jets at their launching points, still lack of observational evidence. In this thesis, the high-mass star forming process is investigated in terms of the evolution of high-mass clumps selected from the ATLASGAL survey based on their CO emission in the sub-millimetre. While single-dish sub-millimetre observations provide a large-scale view of the high-mass star formation process, higher angular resolution observations are required to disentangle the details of the protostars within the clumps. For this, three-dimensional infrared spectroscopy was obtained for a group of RMS sources to characterise the circumstellar environment of high-mass YSOs in linear scales of ~100-1000 AU. The ATLASGAL TOP100 sample offers a unique opportunity to analyse a statistically complete sample of high-mass clumps at different evolutionary stages. APEX data of three rotational J transitions of the CO (the CO(4-3), CO(6-5) and CO(7-6)) were used to characterise the properties of their warm gas (~155 K) content and to derive the relations between the CO and the clump properties. The CO line luminosities were derived and the analysis indicated that the CO emission increases as a function of the evolutionary stage of the clumps (from infrared-weak to HII regions) and as a function of the bolometric luminosity and mass of the sources. The comparison of the TOP100 with low-mass objects observed in the CO(6-5) and CO(7-6), together with CO(10-9) data observed for a complementary sample of objects indicated that the dependency of the CO luminosity with the bolometric luminosity of the sources gets steeper towards higher-J transitions. Although the CO luminosity of more luminous clumps are systematically larger than the values obtained for the less luminous sources, the individual analysis of each subsample suggests a similar dependency of the CO luminosity versus the bolometric luminosity for each luminosity regime. Finally, the presence of high-velocity CO emission observed for the TOP100 suggests that ~85% of the sources are driving molecular outflows. The selection of isolated high-mass objects undergoing mass accretion is fundamental to investigate if these objects are formed through an accretion disc or if they are formed by merging of low-mass YSOs. The near-infrared window provides one of the best opportunities to investigate the interior of the sub-mm clumps and study in details their individual members. Thanks to the relatively high-resolution obtained in the K-band and the moderate reddening effects in the K-band, a sample of eight (8) HMYSOs exhibiting large-scale H2 outflows were selected to follow-up K-band spectroscopic observations using the NIFS spectrometer (Gemini North). All sources exhibit extended continuum emission and exhibit atomic and molecular transitions typical of embedded objects, such as Brackett-gama, H2 and the CO lines. The H2 lines are tracing the launching point of the large-scale jets in scales of ~100 AU in five of eight sources (63%). The identification of jets at such small scales indicates that these objects are still undergoing mass accretion. The Brackett-gama emission probes the ionised gas around the HMYSOs. The analysis of the Brackett-gama spectro-astrometry at sub-pixel scales suggests that the line arises from the cavity of the outflows or from rotating structures perpendicular to the H2 jets (i.e., disc). Five sources also exhibit CO emission features (63%), and three HMYSOs display CO absorption features (38%), indicating that they are likely associated with circumstellar discs. By further investigating the kinematics of the spatially resolved CO absorption features, the Keplerian mass of three sources was estimated in 5±3, 8±5 and 30±10 solar masses. These results support that high-mass stars are formed through discs, similarly as observed towards low-mass stars. The comparison between the collimation degree of the molecular jets or outflows detected in the NIFS data with their large-scale counterparts indicate that these structures present a relatively wide range of collimation degrees. / Estrelas de alta massa têm grande impacto na evolução do Universo e o processo de formação destes objetos ainda é um problema em aberto na Astrofísica. Os detalhes das estruturas associadas às regiões mais próximas dos objetos centrais, tais como os discos circunstelares e a morfologia dos jatos próximos à base de lançamento, ainda não foram estudados em detalhe e carecem de evidências observacionais. Esta tese apresenta um estudo da formação de estrelas de alta massa em termos da evolução de glóbulos de alta massa (clumps), selecionados a partir do levantamento ATLASGAL, a partir de observações da molécula do CO na faixa espectral do sub-milimétrico. Enquanto observações \"single-dish\" no sub-milimétrico possibilitam o estudo em larga escala do processo de formação de estrelas de alta massa, observações com maior resolução angular são necessárias para investigar os detalhes das protoestrelas no interior dos glóbulos. Para isso, espectroscopia tri-dimensional no infra-vermelho próximo foi obtida para um grupo de fontes RMS para caracterizar o meio circunstelar de objetos estelares jovens e de alta massa (HMYSOs) em escalas lineares de ~100-1000 UA. A amostra TOP100 oferece uma oportunidade ímpar de analisar um conjunto estatisticamente completo de glóbulos de alta massa em diversas fases evolutivas. Observações realizadas com o radiotelescópio APEX de três transições rotacionais da molécula do CO (CO(4-3), CO(6-5) e CO(7-6)) foram utilizadas para estudar as propriedades do gás morno (~155 K) associado aos glóbulos, e obter as relações entre a emissão do CO e as propriedades físicas dos glóbulos. A luminosidade das diferentes transições do CO foi obtida e sua análise mostrou que a emissão do gás aumenta em função do estágio evolutivo dos glóbulos (de glóbulos com emissão fraca no infravermelho longínquo a regiões HII) e em função da luminosidade bolométrica e massa dos glóbulos. A comparação entre os glóbulos de alta massa presentes na amostra TOP100 com fontes de menor massa observadas nas transições do CO(6-5) e CO(7-6), juntamente com a análise de uma amostra complementar de fontes observadas na transição do CO(10-9) mostrou que a dependência da luminosidade do CO com a luminosidade bolométrica aumenta em função do número quântico J associado à transição do CO. Este estudo também mostrou que as relações entre a luminosidade do CO e dos clumps são dominadas pelas fontes de alta luminosidade presentes na amostra analisada. A análise individual de fontes de baixa e alta luminosidade sugerem que a dependência entreas luminosidades do CO e bolométrica é a mesma em ambos os regimes de luminosidade, embora as luminosidades do CO sejam sistematicamente maiores para os glóbulos de alta massa. Por fim, a análise da emissão do CO em altas-velocidades mostrou que ~85% dos glóbulos presentes na amostra TOP100 apresentam jatos moleculares. A seleção de objetos de alta massa isolados em estágio de acreção ativa é crucial para decidir se ela ocorre através de um disco de acreção e/ou via fusão de YSOs de menor massa. Para isso, observações no infra-vermelho próximo são ideais para se investigar o conteúdo dos glóbulos sub-milimétricos e resolver seus membros individuais. Devido a alta resolução espacial na banda K e a extinção interestelar moderada nesta faixa espectral, um conjunto de oito (8) HMYSOs associados a jatos em H2 em larga-escala foram selecionados para observações espectroscópicas na banda K utilizando o espectrômetro NIFS no Gemini Norte. Todos os objetos investigados com o NIFS apresentam emissão extendida no contínuo, bem como nas linhas espectrais típicas de fontes jovens, tais como o Brackett-gama, transições do H2 e a emissão nas bandas moleculares do CO. A emissão em H2 está associada aos jatos moleculares em escalas de ~100 UA em cinco das oito fontes (63%). A indentificação de jatos moleculares em escalas tão próximas ao objeto central indica que o processo de acreção de massa ainda está ativo nestes objetos. A emissão do Brackett-gama provém do gás ionizado nas regiões mais próximas das fontes centrais ou regiões de choque próximas aos jatos. A espectro-astrometria da linha do Brackett-gama em escalas de sub-píxeis, indica que a emissão do gás ocorre nas cavidades dos jatos moleculares ou delineiam estruturas alinhadas perpendicularmente aos jatos, tais como os discos de acreção. Cinco fontes também apresentam emissão nas bandas do CO (63%), e três HMYSOs apresentam linhas do CO em absorção (38%), indicando que estes objetos apresentam discos de acreção. A massa total do sistema \"disco e protoestrela\" foi determinada a partir do estudo da cinemática das linhas de absorção do CO, detectadas em três objetos. A partir de modelos de rotação Kepleriana, as massas das fontes foram estimadas em 5±3, 8±5 e 30±10 massas solares. Os resultados obtidos a partir da espectroscopia tri-dimensional no infravermelho corroboram a hipótese de que estrelas de alta massa são formadas a partir de acreção por discos, de maneira similar ao observado para estrelas de baixa massa. A comparação entre a morfologia dos jatos moleculares identificados nos campos do NIFS e das correspondentes contrapartidas em escalas maiores indicam que os jatos apresentam diferentes graus de colimação ao longo de suas estruturas, explicadas pela multiplicidade de fontes nas proximidades da base de lançamento dos jatos ou efeitos de precessão no objeto central.