大质量恒星的形成:理论与观测

文章简要叙述了有关大质量恒星形成的理论以及相关观测证据。目前大质量恒星形成的理论主要有两种，即吸积说和并合说．吸积说认为，大质量星可能与小质量星形成于相似的过程；并合说主张大质量星可能是由小质量年轻星碰撞合并而成．解决这两种理论争论的关键在于在大质量星附近能否观测到吸积盘的存在，最新的观测表明大质量星更有可能是通过吸积增加自身的质量，但最终解决这一问题可能还需要更多的观测证据。文章还提出了一些本领域尚未解决的问题，为感兴趣的研究者提供参考。     

The history of star formation in the universe

Our primary means of studying how galaxies form and evolve over cosmic time is through measurements of the rate at which massive stars are born in galaxies per unit comoving volume of the universe. Only recently have the most distant, most massively star-forming galaxies in the universe even been discovered, and these discoveries are challenging the standard cosmological scenario in which galaxies form hierarchically, with low-mass objects collapsing first and then merging to form larger and larger systems over cosmic time. We now know that these incredibly luminous galaxies, which have all but vanished in the local universe, are cocooned in dust, hiding them from optical view. They can only be detected at long wavelengths where the dust reradiates the starlight that it has absorbed. In this review, I trace the spectacular progress that has been made over the last decade towards understanding the cosmic history of star formation, with a particular emphasis on the important role of dusty sources in that history.     

ISO spectroscopy: the study of low-mass star formation

Summary The current observational scenario pertaining to the study of low-mass star formation is discussed together with the evolutionary sequence that such a scenario seems to suggest. The opportunities offered by the spectrometers on board of the ISO satellite for improving our understanding of the involved physical processes are then discussed. Paper presented at the V Cosmic Physics National Conference, S. Miniato, November 27–30, 1990.     

大质量分子云核和恒星形成活动

用国家台紫金山天文台13.7米望远镜的三谱线系统对23个有线翼特征的大质量恒星形成区进行了观测.获得了12个云核,发现其中5个具有外向流,2个有系统的速度变化,1个可能有塌缩,这些核的质量分布在9.4*10e2到2.2*10e5个太阳质量,氢分子密度从每立方厘米3.4*10e2到1.2*10e4.外向流的质量大于3.5个太阳质量,动能高于9*10e37焦耳,比低质量年轻星体附近的外向流大很多,每个核往往包含着几十个2mass源,其色指数和亮度各不相同,但最红的那个总是在IRAS源的误差椭圆内,可能就是IRAS源的对应体.     

Constraining hadronic superfluidity with neutron star precession

I show that the standard picture of the neutron star core containing coexisting neutron and proton superfluids, with the proton component forming a type II superconductor threaded by flux tubes, is inconsistent with observations of long-period (approximately 1 yr) precession in isolated pulsars. I conclude that either the two superfluids coexist nowhere in the stellar core, or the core is a type I superconductor rather than type II. Either possibility would have interesting implications for neutron star cooling and theories of spin jumps (glitches).     

Grand-scale low-mass star formation in our Galaxy

Summary We present the first results of an observational programme to identify star forming regions and to provide the near-infrared energy distributions of embedded objects selected by their IRAS colours. Based on data collected at the European Southern Observatory, La Silla, Chile.     

The formation of stars

We review the process of star formation, detailing the theories underlying the stability of molecular clouds and their collapse to protostars, and discussing the empirical evidence and models which inform them. We give emphasis to the role that the magnetic field plays in influencing the stability of molecular clouds and hence the star formation rate. The end result of star formation is a mass function which appears constant within our Galaxy. A relative abundance of low mass stars is observed over high mass stars and most of the stars that do form are found to exist as members of a binary system. The origin of binarity is reviewed as is the discovery, formation and observations of some of the lowest mass stars known, the brown dwarfs.     

Dark matter and the first stars: a new phase of stellar evolution

A mechanism is identified whereby dark matter (DM) in protostellar halos dramatically alters the current theoretical framework for the formation of the first stars. Heat from neutralino DM annihilation is shown to overwhelm any cooling mechanism, consequently impeding the star formation process and possibly leading to a new stellar phase. A "dark star" may result: a giant ( greater, similar 1 AU) hydrogen-helium star powered by DM annihilation instead of nuclear fusion. Observational consequences are discussed.     

Density functional theory simulations of water–metal interfaces: waltzing waters, a novel 2D ice phase, and more

There are few molecules, if any, more important than water. Yet remarkably little is known about how it interacts with solid surfaces, particularly at the all important atomic level. This is true despite widespread general interest and compelling environmental and economic incentives. Here, I will discuss detailed density-functional theory studies aimed at putting our understanding of water–solid interfaces, specifically water–metal interfaces, on a much firmer footing. In this paper, I will attempt to answer some key questions: Where do isolated water monomers adsorb on flat metal surfaces? How do water monomers diffuse across metal surfaces? How do water dimers adsorb and diffuse across metal surfaces? What factors control the structure and stability of water bilayers on metal surfaces?     

小视场轻型星敏感器在白天测星中的应用

从白天天空背景、恒星光谱特性、星敏感器的构造特点3方面分析白天大气层内小视场轻型星敏感器对恒星探测的可行性。在此基础上,采用光谱滤波、合理选择系统参数等方法,研制了小视场轻型星敏感器,并在高海拔地区进行了白天地面观星实验,理论分析和实验结果表明:小视场轻型星敏感器能够实现白天恒星的探测。在3 km海拔高度、大气能见度10 km、视场21.5、太阳规避角30以外、天空晴朗无云的环境下,可探测星等极限值达到3.8等。     

The stellar interferometry of a star cluster with a prominent variable

By subtracting the autocorrelation pattern of a star cluster with a prominent variable obtained by stellar interferometry at the time of variable minimum from a similar pattern taken at the time of variable maximum, all cross terms due to non-variable stars disappear and the resultant pattern greatly simplifies the interpretation of the cluster.     

Statistical physics of inference: thresholds and algorithms

Many questions of fundamental interest in today's science can be formulated as inference problems: some partial, or noisy, observations are performed over a set of variables and the goal is to recover, or infer, the values of the variables based on the indirect information contained in the measurements. For such problems, the central scientific questions are: Under what conditions is the information contained in the measurements sufficient for a satisfactory inference to be possible? What are the most efficient algorithms for this task? A growing body of work has shown that often we can understand and locate these fundamental barriers by thinking of them as phase transitions in the sense of statistical physics. Moreover, it turned out that we can use the gained physical insight to develop new promising algorithms. The connection between inference and statistical physics is currently witnessing an impressive renaissance and we review here the current state-of-the-art, with a pedagogical focus on the Ising model which, formulated as an inference problem, we call the planted spin glass. In terms of applications we review two classes of problems: (i) inference of clusters on graphs and networks, with community detection as a special case and (ii) estimating a signal from its noisy linear measurements, with compressed sensing as a case of sparse estimation. Our goal is to provide a pedagogical review for researchers in physics and other fields interested in this fascinating topic.     

The Coevolution of Galaxies and Supermassive Black Holes in the Near Universe

A fundamental role is attributed to supermassive black holes (SMBH), and the feedback they generate, in the evolution of galaxies. But theoretical models trying to reproduce the M_SMBH vs. sigma relation (between the SMBH mass and stellar velocity dispersion of the galaxy bulge) make broad assumptions about the physical processes involved. These assumptions are needed due to the scarcity of observational constraints on the relevant physical processes which occur when the SMBH is being fed via mass accretion in active galactic nuclei (AGN). In search for these constraints, our group—AGN integral field spectroscopy (AGNIFS)—has been mapping the gas kinematics as well as the stellar population properties of the inner few hundred parsecs of a sample of nearby AGN hosts. In this contribution, I report on results obtained so far which show gas inflows along nuclear spirals and compact disks in the inner tens to hundreds of pc in nearby AGN hosts which seem to be the sources of fuel to the AGN. As the inflow rates are much larger than the AGN accretion rate, the excess gas must be depleted via formation of new stars in the bulge. Indeed, in many cases, we find ～100 pc circumnuclear rings of recent star formation (ages ～10–500 Myr) that can be interpreted as a signature of coevolution of the host galaxy and its AGN. I also report on the mapping of outflows in ionized gas, which are ubiquitous in Seyfert galaxies, and discuss mass outflow rates and powers.     

The astrophysical environment of the solar birthplace

Our Sun, like all stars, formed within a cold molecular cloud. Astronomical observations and theory provide considerable detail into this process. Yet cosmochemical observations of short-lived radionuclides in primitive meteorites, in particular ⁶⁰Fe, provide unequivocal evidence that the early solar system inherited fresh nucleosynthetic material from the core of a hot, massive star, almost certainly ejected in a supernova explosion. I give a short introduction to the fields of star formation and meteoritics and discuss how the reconciliation of their disparate clues to our origin places strong constraints on the environment of the solar birthplace. Direct injection of supernova ejecta into a protoplanetary disc or a dense molecular core is unlikely since their small sizes require placement unusually close to the massive star. Lower density molecular cloud clumps can capture more ejecta but the radionuclides decay during the slow gravitational collapse. The most likely scenario is on the largest scales via the formation of enriched molecular clouds at the intersection of colliding supernova bubbles in spiral arms.     

A Unified Grand Tour of Theoretical Physics, 3rd edn., by Ian D. Lawrie

The emergence of the first black holes during the first billion years of cosmic history marks a key event in cosmology. Their formation is part of the overall process of ending the cosmic dark ages, when the first stars appeared in low-mass dark matter haloes about a few 100 million years after the Big Bang. The first stars, galaxies, and black holes transformed the Universe from its simple initial state into one of ever increasing complexity. We review recent progress on our emerging theoretical picture of how the first black holes appeared on the cosmic scene, and how they impacted the subsequent history of the Universe. Our focus is on supermassive black holes, in particular assessing possible pathways to the formation of the billion-solar-mass black holes inferred to power the luminous quasars at high redshifts. We conclude with a discussion of upcoming empirical probes, such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), and the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), further ahead in time.     

CO observations of massive star forming regions at different evolutionary phases

The ¹²CO (J=1-0), ¹³CO (J=1-0) and C¹⁸O (J=1-0) emissions in 9 massive star forming regions, which are believed to be at different stages of massive star formation, were mapped with the 13.7 m millimeter wave telescope at Qinghai Station of Purple Mountain Observatory. Of the observed 9 sources, ¹³CO cores were detected in seven of them, and C¹⁸O cores in five of them. And only two sources associated with C¹⁸O cores and H₂O masers showed the extended structures and strong outflows. This is the first detection of outflow associated with IRAS 22566+5828 in the observing field of S152/S153. The physical parameters of cores and outflows for these sources, derived from Local Thermal Equilibrium (LTE) analysis, are presented. These observing results suggest that the C¹⁸O cores will only appear when the gas density is high enough and the probability to have an outflow is very high when the clumps show the C¹⁸O and H₂O maser simultaneously.     

Image jitter of a laser guide star in a monostatic formation scheme

The image jitter of a spherical wave with a random center is calculated. A rigorous formula is proposed for a random vector that determines the image position of the spherical wave at the focus of the telescope under the condition that the source position also fluctuates. The variance of these fluctuations is calculated. The dependence of the variance on parameters describing the optical experiment is analyzed. The analysis of this problem is of interest for solving of a number of practical tasks including the analysis of the possibility of solution of the tilt problem upon using a laser guide star.     

The shadow of a collapsing dark star

The shadow of a black hole is usually calculated, either analytically or numerically, on the assumption that the black hole is eternal, i.e., that it has existed for all time. Here we ask the question of how this shadow comes about in the course of time when a black hole is formed by gravitational collapse. To that end we consider a star that is spherically symmetric, dark and non-transparent and we assume that it begins, at some instant of time, to collapse in free fall like a ball of dust. We analytically calculate the dependence on time of the angular radius of the shadow, first for a static observer who is watching the collapse from a certain distance and then for an observer who is falling towards the centre following the collapsing star.     

星点图像超精度亚像元细分定位算法的研究

在CCD星敏感器中,星点图像质心定位的准确性影响星图识别的正确性,也决定了星敏感器测量的有效性。质心法是星点质心亚像元定位的传统方法,然而,它存在系统误差和随机误差。分析了误差产生的原因。在传统质心法的基础上提出了采用二元线性插值和自适应质心窗来改善信噪比,并对误差进行校正,实验证明了它比传统的质心法有更高的精度。     

The lead nucleus as a miniature surrogate for a neutron star

The nucleus of ²⁰⁸Pb, a system 18 orders of magnitude smaller and 55 orders of magnitude lighter than a neutron star, may be used as a miniature surrogate to establish important correlations between its neutron skin and several neutron-star properties. Indeed, models with a thicker neutron skin in ²⁰⁸Pb generate larger neutron stars that have a lower liquid-to-solid transition density. Further, we illustrate how the correlation between the neutron skin in ²⁰⁸Pb and the radius of a 1.4 solar-mass neutron star may be used to place important constraints on the equation of state of neutron-rich matter and how it may help elucidate the existence of a phase transition at the core of the star.