Conditions for the formation of massive stars

Thesis/Dissertation · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:5383728

Wolfire, M G

Upper limits on the masses of stars that can form are reinvestigated and models for the inflow of matter through cocoons around stars of 60, 100, and 100 M/sub 0/ are calculated. Radiative forces on dust play a crucial role in halting an accretion inflow. Rather general conditions that must hold at the inner and outer boundaries of a protostellar cocoon are considered. Limits are derived on the dust-to-gas ratios and mass inflow rates that will permit inflow onto very massive stars. It is found that the ISM dust mixture of Mathis, Rumpl, and Nordsieck would not allow an inflow to occur. It is necessary that the standard galactic gas to dust ratio be reduced by a factor four or more and the larger graphite grains be missing from the dust size distribution function. The inflows also require mass accretion rates of about 10/sup -3/ M/sub 0//yr or more for there to be sufficiently strong ram pressure to overcome the strong radiative deceleration that occurs at the inner boundary of the shell. For the model calculations, radiative deceleration of grains and grain destruction processes are explicitly accounted for in an interactive solution of the radiative-hydrodynamic equations.

• Research Organization: Wisconsin Univ., Madison (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5383728
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640102* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
COSMIC DUST
DUSTS
FLUIDS
GASES
INTERSTELLAR GRAINS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
PARTICLES
PROTOSTARS
STAR ACCRETION
STAR EVOLUTION