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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Molecular Hydrogen Regulated Star Formation In Cosmological Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Simulations, Robert Thompson, Kentaro Nagamine, Jason Jaacks, Jun-Hwan Choi
Molecular Hydrogen Regulated Star Formation In Cosmological Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Simulations, Robert Thompson, Kentaro Nagamine, Jason Jaacks, Jun-Hwan Choi
Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications
Some observations have shown that star formation (SF) correlates tightly with the presence of molecular hydrogen (H2); therefore, it is important to investigate its implication on galaxy formation in a cosmological context. In the present work, we implement a sub-grid model (hereafter H2-SF model) that tracks the H2 mass fraction within our cosmological smoothed particle hydrodynamics code GADGET-3 by using an equilibrium analytic model of Krumholz et al. This model allows us to regulate the SF in our simulation by the local abundance of H2 rather than the total cold gas density, which naturally …
Effects Of External Radiation Fields On Line Emission—Application To Star-Forming Regions, Marios Chatzikos, Gary J. Ferland, R. J. R. Williams, Ryan Porter, P. A. M. Vanhoof
Effects Of External Radiation Fields On Line Emission—Application To Star-Forming Regions, Marios Chatzikos, Gary J. Ferland, R. J. R. Williams, Ryan Porter, P. A. M. Vanhoof
Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications
A variety of astronomical environments contain clouds irradiated by a combination of isotropic and beamed radiation fields. For example, molecular clouds may be irradiated by the isotropic cosmic microwave background, as well as by a nearby active galactic nucleus. These radiation fields excite atoms and molecules and produce emission in different ways. We revisit the escape probability theorem and derive a novel expression that accounts for the presence of external radiation fields. We show that when the field is isotropic the escape probability is reduced relative to that in the absence of external radiation. This is in agreement with previous …
Detecting The Rapidly Expanding Outer Shell Of The Crab Nebula: Where To Look, Xiang Wang, Gary J. Ferland, J. A. Baldwin, E. D. Loh, C. T. Richardson
Detecting The Rapidly Expanding Outer Shell Of The Crab Nebula: Where To Look, Xiang Wang, Gary J. Ferland, J. A. Baldwin, E. D. Loh, C. T. Richardson
Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications
We present a range of steady-state photoionization simulations, corresponding to different assumed shell geometries and compositions, of the unseen postulated rapidly expanding outer shell to the Crab Nebula. The properties of the shell are constrained by the mass that must lie within it, and by limits to the intensities of hydrogen recombination lines. In all cases the photoionization models predict very strong emissions from high ionization lines that will not be emitted by the Crab's filaments, alleviating problems with detecting these lines in the presence of light scattered from brighter parts of the Crab. The near-NIR [Ne VI] λ7.652 μ …
Supermassive Black Hole Formation At High Redshifts Via Direct Collapse: Physical Processes In The Early Stage, Jun-Hwan Choi, Isaac Shlosman, Mitchell C. Begelman
Supermassive Black Hole Formation At High Redshifts Via Direct Collapse: Physical Processes In The Early Stage, Jun-Hwan Choi, Isaac Shlosman, Mitchell C. Begelman
Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications
We use numerical simulations to explore whether direct collapse can lead to the formation of supermassive black hole (SMBH) seeds at high redshifts. Using the adaptive mesh refinement code ENZO, we follow the evolution of gas within slowly tumbling dark matter (DM) halos of Mvir ~ 2 × 108 M☉ and Rvir ~ 1 kpc. For our idealized simulations, we adopt cosmologically motivated DM and baryon density profiles and angular momentum distributions. Our principal goal is to understand how the collapsing flow overcomes the centrifugal barrier and whether it is subject to fragmentation which can potentially …
Expanded Iron Uta Spectra—Probing The Thermal Stability Limits In Agn Clouds, Gary J. Ferland, R. Kisielius, F. P. Keenan, P. A. M. Van Hoof, V. Jonauskas, Matt L. Lykins, R. L. Porter, R. J. R. Williams
Expanded Iron Uta Spectra—Probing The Thermal Stability Limits In Agn Clouds, Gary J. Ferland, R. Kisielius, F. P. Keenan, P. A. M. Van Hoof, V. Jonauskas, Matt L. Lykins, R. L. Porter, R. J. R. Williams
Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications
The Fe unresolved transition arrays (UTAs) produce prominent features in the ~15-17 Å wavelength range in the spectra of active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Here, we present new calculations of the energies and oscillator strengths of inner-shell lines from Fe XIV, Fe XV, and Fe XVI. These are crucial ions since they are dominant at inflection points in the gas thermal stability curve, and UTA excitation followed by autoionization is an important ionization mechanism for these species. We incorporate these, and data reported in previous papers, into the plasma simulation code Cloudy. This updated physics is subsequently employed to reconsider the …