Hot stars in old stellar populations: a continuing need for intermediate ages

We present numerical investigations into the formation of massive stars from turbulent cores of density structure  ρ∝ r ^−1.5  . The results of five hydrodynamical simulations are described, following the collapse of the core, fragmentation and the formation of small clusters of protostars. We generate two different initial turbulent velocity fields corresponding to power-law spectra   P ∝ k ⁻⁴  and   P ∝ k ^−3.5  , and we apply two different initial core radii. Calculations are included for both completely isothermal collapse, and a non-isothermal equation of state above a critical density  (10⁻¹⁴ g cm⁻³)  . Our calculations reveal the preference of fragmentation over monolithic star formation in turbulent cores. Fragmentation was prevalent in all the isothermal cases. Although disc fragmentation was largely suppressed in the non-isothermal runs due to the small dynamic range between the initial density and the critical density, our results show that some fragmentation still persisted. This is inconsistent with previous suggestions that turbulent cores result in the formation of a single massive star. We conclude that turbulence cannot be measured as an isotropic pressure term.     

Optical and X-Ray Observations of the Symbiotic System Ag Draconis During Quiescence and Outburst

We review the main characteristics of the symbiotic system AG Draconis, with special emphasis on its optical and X-ray variations. We also discuss the X-ray to visual energy distribution during quiescence and outburst and describe our spectroscopic and X-ray observations during the 2003 outburst. Based on X-ray observations collected with the XMM–Newton Observatory, on INES data from the IUE satellite, and on optical spectra collected with the Asiago–Cima Ekar, Bologna–Loiano and La Palma–Galileo Italian telescopes.     

Effects of clumping on temperature – I. Externally heated clouds

We present a study of radiative transfer in dusty, clumpy star-forming regions. A series of self-consistent, 3D, continuum radiative transfer models are constructed for a grid of models parametrized by central luminosity, filling factor, clump radius and face-averaged optical depth. The temperature distribution within the clouds is studied as a function of this parametrization. Among our results, we find that: (i) the effective optical depth in clumpy regions is less than in equivalent homogeneous regions of the same average optical depth, leading to a deeper penetration of heating radiation in clumpy clouds, and temperatures higher by over 60 per cent; (ii) penetration of radiation is driven by the fraction of open sky (FOS) – which is a measure of the fraction of solid angle along which no clumps exist; (iii) FOS increases as clump radius increases and as filling factor decreases; (iv) for values of   FOS >0.6–0.8  the sky is sufficiently 'open' that the temperature distribution is relatively insensitive to FOS; (v) the physical process by which radiation penetrates is preferentially through streaming of radiation between clumps as opposed to diffusion through clumps; (vi) filling factor always dominates the determination of the temperature distribution for large optical depths, and for small clump radii at smaller optical depths; (vii) at lower face-averaged optical depths, the temperature distribution is most sensitive to filling factors of 1–10 per cent, in accordance with many observations; (viii) direct shadowing by clumps can be important for distances approximately one clump radius behind a clump.     

Spatially intermittent fields in photospheric magnetoconvection

Motivated by recent high-resolution observations of the solar surface, we investigate the problem of non-linear magnetoconvection in a three-dimensional compressible layer. We present results from a set of numerical simulations which model the situation in which there is a weak imposed magnetic field. This weak-field regime is characterized by vigorous granular convection and spatially intermittent magnetic field structures. When the imposed field is very weak, magnetic flux tends to accumulate at the edges of the convective cells, where it forms compact, almost 'point-like' structures which are reminiscent of those observed in the quiet Sun. If the imposed field is slightly stronger, there is a tendency for magnetic flux to become concentrated into 'ribbon-like' structures which are comparable to those observed in solar plages. The dependence of these simulations upon the strength of the imposed magnetic field is analysed in detail, and the concept of the fractal dimension is used to make a further, more quantitative comparison between these simulations and photospheric observations.     

Inverted echo sounder measurement of dynamic height through an ENSOcycle in the central equatorial Pacific

A four-year record from an inverted echo sounder deployed near Palmyra Island at 6°N in the central Pacific Ocean is compared with a simultaneous record of subsurface pressure from this island lagoon. A factor m, converting round-trip acoustic travel time to surface dynamic height relative to a deep pressure level, was estimated from the ratio of the spectra of the two records in the energetic synoptic oscillation band. Year-to-year variation in m was not statistically significant. For the overall record, m was found to be -70±8 dynamic m/s, where the error bounds represent a 90% confidence interval. This is consistent with first-baroclinic-mode excitation     

The “Shiva Hypothesis”: Impacts, mass extinctions, and the galaxy

The “Shiva Hypothesis”, in which recurrent, cyclical mass extinctions of life on Earth result from impacts of comets or asteroids, provides a possible unification of important processes in astrophysics, planetary geology, and the history of life. Collisions with Earth-crossing asteroids and comets ≥ a few km in diameter are calculated to produce widespread environmental disasters (dust clouds, wildfires), and occur with the proper frequency to account for the record of five major mass extinctions (from ≥ 10⁸ Mt TNT impacts) and ~ 20 minor mass extinctions (from 10⁷–10⁸ Mt impacts) recorded in the past 540 million years. Recent studies of a number of extinctions show evidence of severe environmental disturbances and mass mortality consistent with the expected after-effects (dust clouds, wildfires) of catastrophic impacts. At least six cases of features generally considered diagnostic of large impacts (e.g., large impact craters, layers with high platinum-group elements, shock-related minerals, and/or microtektites) are known at or close to extinction-event boundaries. Six additional cases of elevated iridium levels at or near extinction boundaries are of the amplitude that might be expected from collision of relatively low-Ir objects such as comets. The records of cratering and mass extinction show a correlation, and might be explained by a combination of periodic and stochastic impactors. The mass extinction record shows evidence for a periodic component of about 26 to 30 Myr, and an ~ 30 Myr periodic component has been detected in impact craters by some workers, with recent pulses of impacts in the last 2–3 million years, and at ~ 35, 65, and 95 million years ago. A cyclical astronomical pacemaker for such pulses of impacts may involve the motions of the Earth through the Milky Way Galaxy. As the Solar System revolves around the galactic center, it also oscillates up and down through the plane of the disk-shaped galaxy with a half-cycle ~ 30±3 Myr. This cycle should lead to quasi-periodic encounters with interstellar clouds, and periodic variations in the galactic tidal force with maxima at times of plane crossing. This “galactic carrousel” effect may provide a viable perturber of the Oort Cloud comets, producing periodic showers of comets in the inner Solar System. These impact pulses, along with stochastic impactors, may represent the major punctuations in earth history.     

Simulations of a giant hybrid air shower detector

We have used Monte Carlo simulations to investigate the capabilities of a giant air shower observatory designed to detect showers initiated by cosmic rays with energies exceeding 10¹⁹ eV. The observatory is to consist of an array of detectors that will characterise the air shower at ground level, and optical detectors to measure the fluorescence light emitted by the shower in the atmosphere. Using these detectors together in a ‘hybrid’ configuration, we find that precise geometrical reconstruction of the shower axis is possible, leading to excellent resolution in energy. The technique is also shown to provide very good reconstruction below 10¹⁹ eV, at energies where the ground array is not fully efficient.