Retrograde precession of stellar orbits and gravitational loss-cone instability in galactic centers

We consider disk and spherical subsystems of stars with nearly radial orbits under conditions when the well-known radial orbit instability is not possible. This requires that the precession of stellar orbits be retrograde, i.e., in the direction opposite to the orbital rotation of stars. We show that an instability that is an analogue of the loss-cone instability known in plasma physics can then develop in the presence of a “loss cone” in the angular momentum distribution of stars, which ensures a deficit or even absence of stars with low angular momenta. Examples of systems with a loss cone are the centers of galaxies or star clusters with massive black holes. The instability can produce a flux of stars onto the galactic center, i.e., it can serve as a mechanism of fueling the nuclear activity of galaxies. Mathematically, the problem is reduced to analyzing simple characteristic equations that describe small perturbations in a disk and a sphere of radially highly elongated stellar orbits. In turn, these characteristics equations are derived through a number of successive simplifications of the general linearized Vlasov equations (i.e., the system that includes the collisionless Boltzmann kinetic equation and the Poisson equation) in action—angle variables.     

Infrared Study of T Tauri Stars Based on IRAS and 2MASS Observations

The IRAS and 2MASS associations for 193 T Tauri stars are identified in this paper. From the color–color diagrams and spectral index, it is found that the IR excesses for most samples are due to thermal emission from the circumstellar material, as suggested previously. It is also found that the IR excesses at IRAS region for few T Tauri stars and the near-IR excesses for some T Tauri stars are likely attributed to free-free emission or free-bound emission from the circumstellar ionized gas. Moreover, It is found in deredened J–H versus H–K color–color diagram that there is a slight separation in different spectral groups. The T Tauri stars locus equation in J–H versus H–K color–color diagram for our sample is also presented.     

The evolution of a quasar population based on a simple source model

The cosmological evolution of a population of quasars and AGNs is considered. The applied source model provides that the star collisions in the central stellar system should be the principal mechanism of supply of the gas falling on to the black hole. The continuity equation for the assumed population is solved for the zero birth function as well as for its special type. The solutions obtained depend on the distribution of two parameters characterizing a single source: the radius of stellar core and the number of stars in the system. All these solutions allow to describe practically whole evolutionary track of the considered source population, and to relate the evolution to some features of a single source.     

Free-convection and mass transfer effects on the flow past a vertical plate

In sequel to an earlier work (Mitra, 1984), I set out to find the appropriate equation of state of an isothermal (self-gravitating) cosmic gas sphere. It will be shown that because of self-gravitational interaction, a cosmic gas which is perfect otherwise, is destined to behave like an imperfect gas. It is found that for a cosmic gas in hydrostatic equilibrium the only mode of free expansion (or contraction) is by a homologous evolution. This theorem enables one to construct the equation of state in terms of the local thermodynamical parameters of the inhomogeneous medium in such a way that it is consistent with the boundary conditions at the centre and at the natural boundary of the system. This method can be extended even when there is a temperature gradient in the system. This analysis predicts that the density profile should be the same at least for all nondegenerate Newtonian stars having the same temperature profile and which can be considered to be in hydrostatic equilibrium. And the density profile will be that of a polytrope of indexn=3, modulated by a temperature profile.     

Stokes parameters for Thomson scattering in a strong magnetic field with radiation damping

The effect of a strong magnetic field on neutron stars or white dwarfs is calculated for Thomson scattering in a strong magnetic field with radiation damping. The Stokes's parameters for the scattered radiation are computed explicitly in terms of the state of polarization of the incident wave, the electrocyclotron frequency, the angle of incidence, and the angle of scattering. The criterion for the magnetic field to substantially affect the Stokes's parameters is that the photon frequency be less than the electrocyclotron frequency. The effects of classical radiation damping are explicitly taken into account by using the Abraham-Lorentz equation. The corresponding quantum mechanical treatment for Compton scattering in a relativistic electron gas is now under investigation.     

Shock fragmentation model for gravitational collapse

A cloud of gas collapsing under gravity will fragment.We present a new theory for this process,in which layers of shocked gas fragment due to their gravitational instability.Our model explains why angular momentum does not inhibit the collapse process.The theory predicts that the fragmentation process produces objects which are significantly smaller than most stars,implying that accretion onto the fragments plays an essential role in determining the initial masses of stars.This prediction is also consistent...     

Kinematic control of the inertiality of the system of Tycho-2 and UCAC2 stellar proper motions

Based on the Ogorodnikov-Milne model, we analyze the proper motions of Tycho-2 and UCAC2 stars. We have established that the model component that describes the rotation of all stars under consideration around the Galactic y axis differs significantly from zero at various magnitudes. We interpret this rotation found using the most distant stars as a residual rotation of the ICRS/Tycho-2 system relative to the inertial reference frame. For the most distant (d≈900 pc) Tycho-2 and UCAC2 stars, the mean rotation around the Galactic y axis has been found to be M ₁₃ ^? =?0.37±0.04 mas yr^?1. The proper motions of UCAC2 stars with magnitudes in the range 12–15^m are shown to be distorted appreciably by the magnitude equation in μ_α cos δ, which has the strongest effect for northern-sky stars with a coefficient of ?0.60±0.05 mas yr^?1 mag^?1. We have detected no significant effect of the magnitude equation in the proper motions of UCAC2 stars brighter than ≈11^m.     

Atmospheric models of He-peculiar stars: synthetic He I line profiles and absolute visual magnitudes

We analyze the influence of magnetic pressure effects on the atmospheric structure of B peculiar type stars, as well as, on the emergent He?I line profiles and absolute visual magnitudes. We consider a photosphere in local thermodynamic and hydrostatic equilibrium. The hydrostatic equilibrium equation is modified to include the Lorentz force. Atomic occupational numbers are computed in LTE considering non-ideal effects in the gas equation of state. We depict the influence of a magnetic field on local He?I line profiles and discuss the effects of the helium abundance in magnetic B-type stars. The Lorentz force might explain local variations up to 7 % in the equivalent width of helium lines, while local enhancements of He chemical abundances would produce larger changes. To analyze the line variations in real stars we computed the net contribution of a bipolar magnetic field over the stellar disk. The resulting disk-averaged magnetic field predicts variations with the rotation phase up to 2–3 % in the line EWs for a dipolar magnetic field of 1000 G.     

A search for planetary system candidates

We report on our search for possible planetary system candidates in a volume-limited sample of 62 nearby A stars. Since the evolutionary lifetimes of A stars ( 10⁹ yrs) roughly correspond to the era of planet formation and subsequent heavy bombardment in our solar system, our study could provide valuable insight into the origin of our own Solar System. From our ground-based visual and IUE high-resolution spectroscopy of all the northern nearby A stars, we have identified at least 12 stars with circumstellar gas. Combining these results with our previous IRAS survey we are probing the link between stars with circumstellar gas and those showing circumstellar dust disks. Our aim is not just to identify stars with gas, or stars with both gas and dust, but to identify systems with dynamic spectral activity similar to Pic, a well known proto-planetary system candidate. By measuring the gas dynamics in the disks of these Pic-like stars, we can begin to study the physics of accretion disks of young evolving systems.     

The chemical composition of solar-type stars in comparison with that of the Sun

The question whether the solar chemical composition is typical for solar-type stars is analysed by comparing the Sun with different stellar samples, including a sample of stars with very similar parameters, solar twins. Although typical in terms of overall metallicity for stars of solar age and galactic orbit, the solar atmosphere is found to have abundances, as compared with solar twins, that indicate that its gas has once been affected by dust formation and dust separation. It is concluded that this may be related to the formation of the solar planetary system and its special properties.     

On the role of interstellar gas in spiral galaxies

This paper discusses the role played by the interstellar gas in spiral galaxies,using a two-disk model, one for the stars, one for the gas. The following conclusions are drawn. 1. When stars and gas have different velocity dispersions,the stellar and gaseous arm must separate. 2. Such a separation makes the spiral mode of density waves unstable. 3. The ratio η between the densities of gas and stars must be less than a certain value for density waves to be maintained.4.The smaller η is,the more tightly wound will be the arms.     

On evolution of contact eclipsing binaries

It is shown that during contact eclipsing binaries evolution under the influence of stellar wind, magnetic stellar wind and with matter transfer by gas flow, in binary stellar systems there may take place a process of star merger (low mass stars) within 10⁵–10⁷ yr and a fast increase of distance between stars of massive binaries. W UMa-type stars are a finite evolutionary stage of very close and low mass binary pairs. As for contact systems of early spectral types (CE-systems), they are more varied in evolution.     

Evolution of the cometary cloud under the action of stellar perturbations

The probability of variation of the integrals of the orbit as a result of an encounter was found for a two dimensional system. A method of solution of the Kolmogorov-Feller's equation is obtained using this probability function as a kernel, and it allows us to obtain the distribution of the integrals of the orbit as a function of time. The method is applied to the investigation of the evolution of orbits in the outer cometary cloud under the action of galactic stars. We consider the variations of orbits as a purely discontinuous random process, so we take into account not only distant but also close interactions.     

Competitive accretion in embedded stellar clusters

We investigate the physics of gas accretion in young stellar clusters. Accretion in clusters is a dynamic phenomenon as both the stars and the gas respond to the same gravitational potential. Accretion rates are highly non-uniform with stars nearer the centre of the cluster, where gas densities are higher, accreting more than others. This competitive accretion naturally results in both initial mass segregation and a spectrum of stellar masses. Accretion in gas-dominated clusters is well modelled using a tidal-lobe radius instead of the commonly used Bondi–Hoyle accretion radius. This works as both the stellar and gas velocities are under the influence of the same gravitational potential and are thus comparable. The low relative velocity which results means that R _tidal< R _BH in these systems. In contrast, when the stars dominate the potential and are virialized, R _BH< R _tidal and Bondi–Hoyle accretion is a better fit to the accretion rates.     

No molecular gas around nearby solar-type stars

Molecular gas around main-sequence stars is thought to disperse in only a few million years, constraining the time-scale for giant planets to form. However, this hypothesis has never been fully tested, as many of the search targets have been A-type stars, where the primary gas tracer, carbon monoxide, is readily photodissociated. A survey has been made of 14 nearby F and G stars with known circumstellar dust – no CO is detected, and a mean upper limit for all the stars implies less than 0.015 Uranus masses of H₂. Since these solar-like stars have negligible dissociating UV radiation, this indicates that the lack of gas detections is not an observational bias, and also that theories with formation of the outer gas giants at late times are not supported.     

Evolution of the cometary cloud under the action of stellar perturbations

The probability of variation of the integrals of the orbit as a result of an encounter was found for a two dimensional system. A method of solution of the Kolmogorov-Feller's equation is obtained using this probability function as a kernel, and it allows us to obtain the distribution of the integrals of the orbit as a function of time. The method is applied to the investigation of the evolution of orbits in the outer cometary cloud under the action of galactic stars. We consider the variations of orbits as a purely discontinuous random process, so we take into account not only distant but also close interactions.     

On the 'coarse-grained' evolution of collisionless stellar systems

We have suggested in a previous article that the coarse-grained evolution of a collisionless stellar system could be viewed as a diffusion process in velocity space compensated by an appropriate friction. Using a quasi-linear theory, we calculate the diffusion coefficient associated with this evolution. This provides a new self-consistent relaxation equation for f , the locally averaged distribution function. This equation bears some resemblance to the conventional Fokker–Planck equation of collisional systems but the friction term is non-linear in f (accounting for degeneracy effects) and the relaxation time is much smaller (in agreement with the concept of 'violent relaxation'). Under the condition that the diffusion current vanishes identically at equilibrium, we recover Lynden-Bell's distribution function; but if we allow stars to escape from the system at a constant rate, we can derive a truncated model which coincides with Lynden-Bell's solution in the core but provides a depletion of high-energy stars in the halo. This distribution function has a finite mass and is the generalization of the Michie–King model to the case of (possibly degenerate) collisionless stellar systems.     

Star formation in a multi-phase interstellar medium

This contribution reports on our first efforts to simulate a multiphase interstellar medium on a kiloparsec scale in three dimensions with the stars and gas modeled self-consistently. Starting from inhomogenous initial conditions, our closed box simulations follow the gas as it cools and collapses under its own self-gravity to form stars which eventually return material and energy back through supernovae explosions and winds. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Dynamics for galactic archaeology

Our Galaxy is a complex machine in which several processes operate simultaneously: metal-poor gas is accreted, is chemically enriched by dying stars, and then drifts inwards, surrendering its angular momentum to stars; new stars are formed on nearly circular orbits in the equatorial plane and then diffuse through orbit space to eccentric and inclined orbits; the central stellar bar surrenders angular momentum to the surrounding disc and dark halo while acquiring angular momentum from inspiralling gas; the outer parts of the disc are constantly disturbed by satellite objects, both luminous and dark, as they sweep through pericentre. We review the conceptual tools required to bring these complex happenings into focus. Our first concern must be the construction of equilibrium models of the Galaxy, for upon these hang our hopes of determining the Galaxy’s mean gravitational field, which is required for every subsequent step. Ideally our equilibrium model should be formulated so that the secular evolution of the system can be modelled with perturbation theory. Such theory can be used to understand how stars diffuse through orbit space from either the thin gas disc in which we presume disc stars formed, or the debris of an accreted object, the presumed origin of many halo stars. Coupling this understanding to the still very uncertain predictions of the theory of stellar evolution and nucleosynthesis, we can finally extract a complete model of the chemodynamic evolution of our reasonably generic Galaxy. We discuss the relation of such a model to cosmological simulations of galaxy formation, which provide general guidance but cannot be relied on for quantitative detail.