We report on neon abundances derived from Spitzer high resolution spectral data of eight Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars using the forbidden line of [Ne III] 15.56 μm. Our targets include four WN stars of subtypes 4–7, and four WC stars of subtypes 4–7. We derive ion fraction abundances γ of Ne2+ for the winds of each star. The ion fraction abundance is a product of the ionization fraction Qi in stage i and the abundance by number AE of element E relative to all nuclei. Values generally consistent with solar are obtained for the WN stars, and values in excess of solar are obtained for the WC stars.

Context.The presence of magnetic fields in O-type stars has been suspected for a long time. The discovery of these fields would explain a wide range of well documented enigmatic phenomena in massive stars, in particular cyclical wind variability, Hα emission variations, chemical peculiarity, narrow X-ray emission lines, and non-thermal radio/X-ray emission. Aims.To investigate the incidence of magnetic fields in O stars, we acquired 38 new spectropolarimetric observations with FORS 1 (FOcal Reducer low dispersion Spectrograph) mounted on the 8-m Kueyen telescope of the VLT. Methods.Spectropolarimetric observations were obtained at different phases for a sample of 13 O stars. Ten stars were observed in the spectral range 348−589 nm, HD 36879 and HD 148937 were observed in the spectral region 325−621 nm, and HD 155806 was observed in both settings. To prove the feasibility of the FORS 1 spectropolarimetric mode for the measurements of magnetic fields in hot stars, we present in addition 12 FORS 1 observations of the mean longitudinal magnetic field in θ1 Ori C and compare them with measurements obtained with the MuSiCoS, ESPaDOnS, and Narval spectropolarimeters. Results.Most stars in our sample, which were observed on different nights, show a change of the magnetic field polarity, but a field at a significance level of 3σ was detected in only four stars, HD 36879, HD 148937, HD 152408, and HD 164794. The largest longitudinal magnetic field, Bz = −276 ± 88 G, was detected in the Of?p star HD 148937. We conclude that large-scale organized magnetic fields with polar field strengths larger than 1 kG are not widespread among O-type stars.

Aims.We report on observations of the eclipsing and interacting binary beta Lyrae from the Suzaku X-ray telescope. This system involves an early B star embedded in an optically and geometrically thick disk that is siphoning atmospheric gases from a less massive late B II companion. Methods.Motivated by an unpublished X-ray spectrum from the Einstein X-ray telescope suggesting unusually hard emission, we obtained time with Suzaku for pointings at three different phases within a single orbit. Results.From the XIS detectors, the softer X-ray emission appears typical of an early-type star. What is surprising is the remarkably unchanging character of this emission, both in luminosity and in spectral shape, despite the highly asymmetric geometry of the system. We see no eclipse effect below 10 keV. The constancy of the soft emission is plausibly related to the wind of the embedded B star and Thomson scattering of X-rays in the system, although it might be due to extended shock structures arising near the accretion disk as a result of the unusually high mass-transfer rate. There is some evidence from the PIN instrument for hard emission in the 10-60 keV range. Follow-up observations with the RXTE satellite will confirm this preliminary detection.

See http://www.asu.cas.cz/~wg2prague/

Aiming at understanding the role of stellar feedback in galaxy evolution, I present a study of the hot interstellar medium in several representative galaxies, based primarily on X-ray observations as well as theoretical modelling. I find that, in the massive disk galaxies NGC2613 and M104, the observed amount of hot gas is much less than that predicted by current galaxy formation models. Such a discrepancy suggests a lack of appropriate treatments of stellar/AGN feedback in these models. I also find that stellar feedback, primarily in the form of mass loss from evolved stars and energy released from supernovae, and presumably consumed by the hot gas, is largely absent from the inner regions of M104, a galaxy of a substantial content of evolved stars but little current star formation. A natural understanding of this phenomenon is that the hot gas is in the form of a galactic-scale outflow, by which the bulk of the stellar feedback is transported to the outer regions and perhaps into the intergalactic space. A comparison between the observed sub-galactic gas structures and model predictions indicate that this outflow is probably subsonic rather than being a classical supersonic galactic wind. Such outflows are likely prevalent in most early-type galaxies of intermediate masses in the present-day universe and thus play a crucial role in the evolution of such galaxies. For the first time I identify the presence of diffuse hot gas in and around the bulge of the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), our well-known neighbor. Both the morphology and energetics of the hot gas suggest that it is also in the form of a large-scale outflow. Assisted with multiwavelength observations toward the circumnuclear regions of M31, I further reveal the relation between the hot gas and other cooler phases of the interstellar medium. I suggest that thermal evaporation, mostly likely energized by Type Ia supernovae, acts to continuously turn cold gas into hot, a process that naturally leads to the inactivity of the central supermassive blackhole as well as the launch of the hot gas outflow. Such a mechanism plays an important role in regulating the multi-phase interstellar medium in the circumnuclear environment and transporting stellar feedback to the outer galactic regions.

One of the primary drivers in the development of large format millimeter detector arrays is the study of sub-millimeter galaxies (SMGs) - a population of very luminous high-redshift dust-obscured starbursts that are widely believed to be the dominant contributor to the Far-Infrared Background (FIB). The characterization of such a population requires the ability to map large patches of the (sub-)millimeter sky to high sensitivity within a feasible amount of time. I present this dissertation on the design, integration, and characterization of the 144-pixel AzTEC millimeter-wave camera and its application to the study of the sub-millimeter galaxy population. In particular, I present an unprecedented characterization of the "blank-field" (fields with no known mass bias) SMG number counts by mapping over 0.5 deg 2 to 1.1mm depths of ∼1mJy - a previously unattained depth on these scales. This survey provides the tightest SMG number counts available, particularly for the brightest and rarest SMGs that require large survey areas for a significant number of detections. These counts are compared to the predictions of various models of the evolving mm/sub-mm source population, providing important constraints for the ongoing refinement of semi-analytic and hydrodynamical models of galaxy formation. I also present the results of an AzTEC 0.15 deg 2 survey of the COSMOS field, which uncovers a significant over-density of bright SMGs that are spatially correlated to foreground mass structures, presumably as a result of gravitational lensing. Finally, I compare the results of the available SMG surveys completed to date and explore the effects of cosmic variance on the interpretation of individual surveys.

This thesis is a study of massive star formation: the environments in which they form and the effect that their radiation feedback has on their environments. We present high-performance supercomputer simulations of massive star formation inside molecular cloud clumps and cores. First, we present a novel radiative transfer code that hybridizes two previous approaches to radiative transfer (raytracing and flux-limited diffusion) and implements it in a Cartesian grid-based code with adaptive mesh refinement, representing the first of such implementations. This hybrid radiative transfer code allows for more accurate calculations of the radiation pressure and irradiated gas temperature that are the hallmark of massive star formation and which threaten to limit the mass which stars can ultimately obtain. Next, we apply this hybrid radiative transfer code in simulations of massive protostellar cores. We simulate their gravitational collapse and the formation of a massive protostar surrounded by a Keplerian accretion disk. These disks become gravitationally unstable, increasing the accretion rate onto the star, but do not fragment to form additional stars. We demonstrate that massive stars accrete material predominantly through their circumstellar disks, and via radiation pressure drive large outflow bubbles that appear stable to classic fluid instabilities. Finally, we present simulations of the larger context of star formation: turbulent, magnetised, filamentary cloud clumps. We study the magnetic field geometry and accretion flows. We find that in clouds where the turbulent and magnetic energies are approximately equal, the gravitational energy must dominate the kinetic energy for there to be a coherent magnetic field structure. Star cluster formation takes place inside the primary filament and the photoionisation feedback from a single massive star drives the creation of a bubble of hot, ionised gas that ultimately engulfs the star cluster and destroys the filament. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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