Some theoretical studies of the interstellar medium

Thesis/Dissertation · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:5073052

Franco, J

This dissertation consists of three parts in which various aspects of the interaction of stars with their environments are analyzed. (1) In order to begin the investigation of supernova explosions inside interstellar ''bubbles,'' Sedov's self-similar blast wave structure for a power law density distribution is reviewed. Calculations over the structure are preformed to obtain the total energy content, the shock radius evolution, the electron temperature distribution, and the luminosity of such blast waves. Also, Sedov's exact solution is compared with Kahn's analytical approximation. The differences are typically smaller than 5%. (2) The effects of the stellar wind from the most luminous star in the core of the Orion Nebula are reviewed with the aid of far-ultraviolet satellite observations. In particular, the production of C/sup +3/ and Si/sup +3/ by three processes: x-ray, ultraviolet, and collisional ionization is analyzed. It is concluded that those ions are likely produced by ultraviolet ionization of the nebular gas. (3) Under the assumption that molecular clouds are turbulent and clumpy, it is shown that rapidly rotating protostars are likely to be formed. The interaction between the rotating protostars and their parent molecular cloud, via a rotationally driven wind, is analyzed. It is then shown that the dissipation of the protostellar rotational energy can maintain the observed dynamical structure and temperatures in the molecular clouds. As a consequence of this interaction it is proposed that the star formation process is self-regulated, and the star formation rate is obtained. The model predictions are in good agreement with observational estimates for the Taurus-Auriga complex and the solar neighborhood.

• Research Organization: Wisconsin Univ., Madison (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5073052
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis (Ph.D.)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
INTERSTELLAR SPACE
STARS
BLAST EFFECTS
CARBON IONS
COSMIC GASES
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
IONIZATION
PROTOSTARS
SHOCK WAVES
SILICON IONS
STAR EVOLUTION
STELLAR WINDS
CHARGED PARTICLES
FLUIDS
GASES
IONS
SPACE
640105* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Galaxies
640102 - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources