Dynamical Ejection Research Articles

STAR CLUSTER FORMATION WITH STELLAR FEEDBACK AND LARGE-SCALE INFLOW

During star cluster formation, ongoing mass accretion is resisted by stellar feedback in the form of protostellar outflows from the low-mass stars and photo-ionization and radiation pressure feedback from the massive stars. We model the evolution of cluster-forming regions during a phase in which both accretion and feedback are present and use these models to investigate how star cluster formation might terminate. Protostellar outflows are the strongest form of feedback in low-mass regions, but these cannot stop cluster formation if matter continues to flow in. In more massive clusters, radiation pressure and photo-ionization rapidly clear the cluster-forming gas when its column density is too small. We assess the rates of dynamical mass ejection and of evaporation, while accounting for the important effect of dust opacity on photo-ionization. Our models are consistent with the census of protostellar outflows in NGC 1333 and Serpens South and with the dust temperatures observed in regions of massive star formation. Comparing observations of massive cluster-forming regions against our model parameter space, and against our expectations for accretion-driven evolution, we infer that massive-star feedback is a likely cause of gas disruption in regions with velocity dispersions less than a few kilometers per second, but that more massive and more turbulent regions are too strongly bound for stellar feedback to be disruptive.

A NARROW SHORT-DURATION GRB JET FROM A WIDE CENTRAL ENGINE

We use two-dimensional relativistic hydrodynamic numerical calculations to show that highly collimated relativistic jets can be produced in neutron star merger models of short-duration gamma ray bursts without the need for a highly directed engine or a large net magnetic flux. Even a hydrodynamic engine generating a very wide sustained outflow on small scales can in principle produce a highly collimated relativistic jet, facilitated by a dense surrounding medium which provides a cocoon surrounding the jet core. An oblate geometry to the surrounding gas significantly enhances the collimation process. Previous numerical simulations have shown that the merger of two neutron stars produces an oblate, expanding cloud of dynamical ejecta. We show that this gas can efficiently collimate the central engine power much as the surrounding star does in long-duration GRB models. For typical short-duration GRB central engine parameters, we find jets with opening angles of order 10 degrees in which a large fraction of the total outflow power of the central engine resides in highly relativistic material. These results predict large differences in the opening angles of outflows from binary neutron star mergers versus neutron star-black hole mergers.

NEUTRINO-DRIVEN WINDS IN THE AFTERMATH OF A NEUTRON STAR MERGER: NUCLEOSYNTHESIS AND ELECTROMAGNETIC TRANSIENTS

We present a comprehensive nucleosynthesis study of the neutrino-driven wind in the aftermath of a binary neutron star merger. Our focus is the initial remnant phase when a massive central neutron star is present. Using tracers from a recent hydrodynamical simulation, we determine total masses and integrated abundances to characterize the composition of unbound matter. We find that the nucleosynthetic yields depend sensitively on both the life time of the massive neutron star and the polar angle. Matter in excess of up to $9 \cdot 10^{-3} M_\odot$ becomes unbound until $\sim 200~{\rm ms}$. Due to electron fractions of $Y_{\rm e} \approx 0.2 - 0.4$ mainly nuclei with mass numbers $A < 130$ are synthesized, complementing the yields from the earlier dynamic ejecta. Mixing scenarios with these two types of ejecta can explain the abundance pattern in r-process enriched metal-poor stars. Additionally, we calculate heating rates for the decay of the freshly produced radioactive isotopes. The resulting light curve peaks in the blue band after about $4~{\rm h}$. Furthermore, high opacities due to heavy r-process nuclei in the dynamic ejecta lead to a second peak in the infrared after $3-4~{\rm d}$.

P20 弾道を描く噴出物の力学と防災(ポスターセッション)

P20 弾道を描く噴出物の力学と防災(ポスターセッション)

Dynamical mass ejection from black hole-neutron star binaries

We investigate properties of material ejected dynamically in the merger of black hole-neutron star binaries by numerical-relativity simulations. We systematically study the dependence of ejecta properties on the mass ratio of the binary, spin of the black hole, and equation of state of the neutron-star matter. Dynamical mass ejection is driven primarily by tidal torque, and the ejecta is much more anisotropic than that from binary neutron star mergers. In particular, the dynamical ejecta is concentrated around the orbital plane with a half opening angle of 10--20deg and often sweeps out only a half of the plane. The ejecta mass can be as large as ~0.1M_sun, and the velocity is subrelativistic with ~0.2--0.3c for typical cases. The ratio of the ejecta mass to the bound mass (disk and fallback components) is larger, and the ejecta velocity is larger, for larger values of the binary mass ratio, i.e., for larger values of the black-hole mass. The remnant black hole-disk system receives a kick velocity of O(100)km/s due to the ejecta linear momentum, and this easily dominates the kick velocity due to gravitational radiation. Structures of postmerger material, velocity distribution of the dynamical ejecta, fallback rates, and gravitational waves are also investigated. We also discuss the effect of ejecta anisotropy on electromagnetic counterparts, specifically a macronova/kilonova and synchrotron radio emission, developing analytic models.

Hypervelocity Stars

Hypervelocity stars (HVSs) travel with such extreme velocities that dynamical ejection via gravitational interaction with a massive black hole (MBH) is their most likely origin. Observers have discovered dozens of unbound main-sequence stars since the first in 2005, and the velocities, stellar nature, spatial distribution, and overall numbers of unbound B stars in the Milky Way halo all fit an MBH origin. Theorists have proposed various mechanisms for ejecting unbound stars, and these mechanisms can be tested with larger and more complete samples. HVSs' properties are linked to the nature and environment of the Milky Way's MBH, and, with future proper motion measurements, their trajectories may provide unique probes of the dark matter halo that surrounds the Milky Way.

Impact of weak interactions of free nucleons on the r-process in dynamical ejecta from neutron star mergers

We investigate beta-interactions of free nucleons and their impact on the electron fraction (Y_e) and r-process nucleosynthesis in ejecta characteristic of binary neutron star mergers (BNSMs). For that we employ trajectories from a relativistic BNSM model to represent the density-temperature evolutions in our parametric study. In the high-density environment, positron captures decrease the neutron richness at the high temperatures predicted by the hydrodynamic simulation. Circumventing the complexities of modelling three-dimensional neutrino transport, (anti)neutrino captures are parameterized in terms of prescribed neutrino luminosities and mean energies, guided by published results and assumed as constant in time. Depending sensitively on the adopted neutrino-antineutrino luminosity ratio, neutrino processes increase Y_e to values between 0.25 and 0.40, still allowing for a successful r-process compatible with the observed solar abundance distribution and a significant fraction of the ejecta consisting of r-process nuclei. If the electron neutrino luminosities and mean energies are relatively large compared to the antineutrino properties, the mean Y_e might reach values >0.40 so that neutrino captures seriously compromise the success of the r-process. In this case, the r-abundances remain compatible with the solar distribution, but the total amount of ejected r-material is reduced to a few percent, because the production of iron-peak elements is favored. Proper neutrino physics, in particular also neutrino absorption, have to be included in BNSM simulations before final conclusions can be drawn concerning r-processing in this environment and concerning observational consequences like kilonovae, whose peak brightness and color temperature are sensitive to the composition-dependent opacity of the ejecta.

Effects of Stellar-Mass Black Holes on Massive Star Cluster Evolution

AbstractRecent observations have revealed the existence of stellar mass black hole (BH) candidates in some globular clusters (GC) in the Milky Way and in other galaxies. Given that the detection of BHs is challenging, these detections likely indicate the existence of large populations of BHs in these clusters. This is in direct contrast to the past understanding that at most a handful of BHs may remain in old GCs due to quick mass segregation and rapid mutual dynamical ejection. Modern realistic star-by-star numerical simulations suggest that the retention fraction of BHs is typically much higher than what was previously thought. The BH dynamics near the cluster center leads to dynamical formation of new binaries and dynamical ejections, and acts as a persistent and significant energy source for these clusters. We have started exploring effects of BHs on the global evolution and survival of star clusters. We find that the evolution as well as survival of massive star clusters can critically depend on the details of the initial assumptions related to BH formation physics, such as natal kick distribution, and the initial stellar mass function (IMF). In this article we will present our latest results.

ALMA molecular observations of supernova 1987A

AbstractTwenty-six years after the explosion, we conducted a molecular line survey for supernova 1987A, using the ALMA observatory. The detection of molecules in the ejecta can uncover evidence of mixing and dynamics in the early days after the supernova explosion, as well as of molecular chemistry that took place in the last 25 years.It is still not well understood to what extent the macroscopic mixing occurred after the supernova explosion. Molecules can provide a new tool to probe and test the extent of mixing: macroscopic mixings stir the elements from different layers of nuclear-reaction zones in the stellar core, opening the possibilities to form molecules that were composed of elements from different nuclear-burning zones, which the ALMA can detect. Additionally, the ALMA measured the line profiles of molecules, which unveiled the dynamics of ejecta. The high sensitivity observations of molecules can open a new window to determine SN explosion mechanisms and allow us to probe macroscopic mixing after the explosion.

THE ROLE OF FISSION IN NEUTRON STAR MERGERS AND ITS IMPACT ON THEr-PROCESS PEAKS

Comparing observational abundance features with nucleosynthesis predictions of stellar evolution or explosion simulations can scrutinize two aspects: (a) the conditions in the astrophysical production site and (b) the quality of the nuclear physics input utilized. We test the abundance features of r-process nucleosynthesis calculations for the dynamical ejecta of neutron star merger simulations based on three different nuclear mass models: The Finite Range Droplet Model (FRDM), the (quenched version of the) Extended Thomas Fermi Model with Strutinsky Integral (ETFSI-Q), and the Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (HFB) mass model. We make use of corresponding fission barrier heights and compare the impact of four different fission fragment distribution models on the final r-process abundance distribution. In particular, we explore the abundance distribution in the second r-process peak and the rare-earth sub-peak as a function of mass models and fission fragment distributions, as well as the origin of a shift in the third r-process peak position. The latter has been noticed in a number of merger nucleosynthesis predictions. We show that the shift occurs during the r-process freeze-out when neutron captures and {\beta}-decays compete and an (n,{\gamma})-({\gamma},n) equilibrium is not maintained anymore. During this phase neutrons originate mainly from fission of material above A = 240. We also investigate the role of {\beta}-decay half-lives from recent theoretical advances, which lead either to a smaller amount of fissioning nuclei during freeze-out or a faster (and thus earlier) release of fission neutrons, which can (partially) prevent this shift and has an impact on the second and rare-earth peak as well.

Facies distribution of ejecta in analog tephra rings from experiments with single and multiple subsurface explosions

The volume, grain size, and depositional facies of material deposited outside an explosion crater, ejecta, are sensitive to the depth of the explosion, the explosion energy, and the presence or absence of a crater before the explosion. We detonate buried chemical explosives as an analog for discrete volcanic explosions in experiments to identify unique characteristics of proximal, medial, and distal ejecta facies and their distribution from a range of scaled depths in undisturbed and cratered ground. Ejecta are here discussed in terms of three facies: (1) proximal ejecta, which form a constructional landform around a crater; (2) medial ejecta, which form a continuous sheet deposit that thins much more gradually with distance; and (3) distal ejecta that are deposited as isolated clasts. The extent of proximal ejecta away from the crater, relative to crater size, is not sensitive to scaled depth, but the volume proportion of proximal ejecta to the total ejecta deposit is sensitive to the presence of a crater and scaled depth. Medial ejecta distribution and volume contributions are both sensitive to the presence of a crater and to scaled depth. Distal ejecta distance is dependent on scaled depth and the presence of a crater, while the volume proportion of distal ejecta is less sensitive to scaled depth or presence of a crater. Experimental facies and deposit structures inferred from observations of jet dynamics are used to suggest facies associations anticipated from eruptions dominated by explosions of different scaled depth configurations. We emphasize that significant differences in tephra ring deposits can result from the effects of scaled depth and preexisting craters on ejecta dynamics, and are not necessarily related to fundamental differences in explosion mechanisms or degree of magma fragmentation.

Dynamics of HVECs emitted from comet C/2011 L4 as observed by STEREO

AbstractHigh‐quality white‐light images from the Sun‐Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) HI‐1 telescope on board STEREO‐B reveal high‐velocity evanescent clumps (HVECs) expelled from the coma of the C/2011 L4 (Pan‐STARRS) comet. The observations were recorded around the comet's perihelion (i.e., ∼0.3 AU) during the period 9–16 March 2013. Animated images provide evidence of highly dynamic ejecta moving near radially in the antisunward direction. The bulk speed of the clumps at their initial detection in the HI1‐B images range from 200 to 400 km s−1 followed by an appreciable acceleration up to speeds of 450–600 km s−1, which are typical of slow to intermediate solar wind speeds. The clump velocities do not exceed these limiting values and seem to reach a plateau. The images also show that the clumps do not expand as they propagate. The white‐light images do not provide direct insight into the composition of the expelled clumps, which could potentially be composed of fine, submicron dust particles, neutral atoms and molecules, and/or ionized atomic/molecular cometary species. Although solar radiation pressure plays a role in accelerating and size sorting of small dust grains, it cannot accelerate them to velocities &gt;200 km s−1 in the observed time interval of a few hours and distance of &lt; 106 km. Further, order of magnitude calculations show that ionized single atoms or molecules accelerate too quickly compared to observations, while dust grains micron sized or larger accelerate too slowly. We find that neutral Na, Li, K, or Ca atoms with β &gt; 50 could possibly fit the observations. Just as likely, we find that an interaction with the solar wind and the heliospheric magnetic field can cause the observed clump dynamical evolution, accelerating them quickly up to solar wind velocities. We thus speculate that the HVECs are composed of charged particles (dust particles) or neutral atoms accelerated by radiation pressure at β &gt; 50 values. In addition, the data suggest that clump ejecta initially move along near‐radial, bright structures, which then separate into HVECs and larger dust grains that steadily bend backward relative to the comet's orbital motion due to the effects of solar radiation and gravity. These structures gradually form new striae in the dust tail. The near‐periodic spacing of the striae may be indicative of outgassing activity modulation due to the comet nucleus' rotation. It is, however, unclear whether all striae are formed as a result of this process.

Numerical relativity simulations of neutron star merger remnants using conservative mesh refinement

We study equal and unequal-mass neutron star mergers by means of new numerical relativity simulations in which the general relativistic hydrodynamics solver employs an algorithm that guarantees mass conservation across the refinement levels of the computational mesh. We consider eight binary configurations with total mass $M=2.7\,M_\odot$, mass-ratios $q=1$ and $q=1.16$, and four different equation of states (EOSs), and one configuration with a stiff EOS, $M=2.5M_\odot$ and $q=1.5$. We focus on the post-merger dynamics and study the merger remnant, dynamical ejecta and the postmerger gravitational wave spectrum. Although most of the merger remnants form a hypermassive neutron star collapsing to a black hole+disk system on dynamical timescales, stiff EOSs can eventually produce a stable massive neutron star. Ejecta are mostly emitted around the orbital plane; favored by large mass ratios and softer EOS. The postmerger wave spectrum is mainly characterized by non-axisymmetric oscillations of the remnant. The stiff EOS configuration consisting of a $1.5M_\odot$ and a $1.0M_\odot$ neutron star shows a rather peculiar dynamics. During merger the companion star is very deformed; about~$\sim0.03M_\odot$ of rest-mass becomes unbound from the tidal tail due torque; and the merger remnant forms stable neutron star surrounded by a massive accretion disk $\sim0.3M_\odot$. Similar configurations might be particularly interesting for electromagnetic counterparts. Comparing results obtained with and without the conservative mesh refinement algorithm, we find that post-merger simulations can be affected by systematic errors if mass conservation is not enforced in the mesh refinement strategy. However, mass conservation also depends on grid details and on the artificial atmosphere setup. [abridged]

DEPENDENCY OF DYNAMICAL EJECTIONS OF O STARS ON THE MASSES OF VERY YOUNG STAR CLUSTERS

Massive stars can be efficiently ejected from their birth star clusters through encounters with other massive stars. We study how the dynamical ejection fraction of O star systems varies with the masses of very young star clusters, , by means of direct N-body calculations. We include diverse initial conditions by varying the half-mass radius, initial mass segregation, initial binary fraction, and orbital parameters of the massive binaries. The results show robustly that the ejection fraction of O star systems exhibits a maximum at a cluster mass of for all models, even though the number of ejected systems increases with cluster mass. We show that lower mass clusters () are the dominant sources for populating the Galactic field with O stars by dynamical ejections, considering the mass function of embedded clusters. About 15% (up to ≈38%, depending on the cluster models) of O stars of which a significant fraction are binaries, and which would have formed in a ≈10 Myr epoch of star formation in a distribution of embedded clusters, will be dynamically ejected to the field. Individual clusters may eject 100% of their original O star content. A large fraction of such O stars have velocities up to only 10 km s−1. Synthesising a young star cluster mass function, it follows, given the stellar-dynamical results presented here, that the observed fractions of field and runaway O stars, and the binary fractions among them, can be well understood theoretically if all O stars form in embedded clusters.

Kilonova light curves from the disc wind outflows of compact object mergers

We study the radioactively-powered transients produced by accretion disk winds following a compact object merger. Starting with the outflows generated in two-dimensional hydrodynamical disk models, we use wavelength-dependent radiative transfer calculations to generate synthetic light curves and spectra. We show that the brightness and color of the resulting kilonova transients carry information about the merger physics. In the regions of the wind where neutrino irradiation raises the electron fraction to Ye > 0.25, r-process nucleosynthesis halts before producing high-opacity, complex ions (the lanthanides). The kilonova light curves thus show two distinct components: a brief (~2 day) blue optical transient produced in the outer lanthanide-free ejecta, and a longer (~10 day) infrared transient produced in the inner, lanthanide line-blanketed region. Mergers producing a longer-lived neutron star, or a more rapidly spinning black hole, have stronger neutrino irradiation, generate more lanthanide-free ejecta, and are optically brighter and bluer. At least some optical emission is produced in all disk wind models, which should enhance the detectability of electromagnetic counterparts to gravitational wave sources. However, the presence of even a small amount (10^{-4} Msun) of overlying, neutron-rich dynamical ejecta will act as a "lanthanide-curtain", obscuring the optical wind emission from certain viewing angles. Because the disk outflows have moderate velocities (~10,000 km/s), numerous resolved line features are discernible in the spectra, distinguishing disk winds from fast-moving dynamical ejecta, and offering a potential diagnostic of the detailed composition of freshly produced r-process material.

Mass ejection from neutron star mergers: different components and expected radio signals

In addition to producing a strong gravitational signal, a short gamma-ray burst (GRB), and a compact remnant, neutron star mergers eject significant masses at significant kinetic energies. This mass ejection takes place via dynamical mass ejection and a GRB jet but other processes have also been suggested: a shock-breakout material, a cocoon resulting from the interaction of the jet with other ejecta, and viscous and neutrino driven winds from the central remnant or the accretion disk. The different components of the ejected masses include up to a few percent of a solar mass, some of which is ejected at relativistic velocities. The interaction of these ejecta with the surrounding interstellar medium will produce a long lasting radio flare, in a similar way to GRB afterglows or to radio supernovae. The relative strength of the different signals depends strongly on the viewing angle. An observer along the jet axis or close to it will detect a strong signal at a few dozen days from the radio afterglow (or the orphan radio afterglow) produced by the highly relativistic GRB jet. For a generic observer at larger viewing angles, the dynamical ejecta, whose contribution peaks a year or so after the event, will generally dominate. Depending on the observed frequency and the external density, other components may also give rise to a significant contribution. We also compare these estimates with the radio signature of the short GRB 130603B. The radio flare from the dynamical ejecta might be detectable with the EVLA and the LOFAR for the higher range of external densities $n\gtrsim 0.5{\rm cm^{-3}}$.

Candidate hypervelocity stars of spectral type G and K revisited

Hypervelocity stars (HVS) move so fast that they are unbound to the Galaxy. When they were first discovered in 2005, dynamical ejection from the supermassive black hole (SMBH) in the Galactic Centre (GC) was suggested as their origin. The two dozen HVSs known today are young massive B stars, mostly of 3-4 solar masses. Recently, 20 HVS candidates of low mass were discovered in the Segue G and K dwarf sample, but none of them originates from the GC. We embarked on a kinematic analysis of the Segue HVS candidate sample using the full 6D phase space information based on new proper motion measurements. Their orbital properties can then be derived by tracing back their trajectories in different mass models of our Galaxy. We present the results for 14 candidate HVSs, for which proper motion measurements were possible. Significantly lower proper motions than found in the previous study were derived. Considering three different Galactic mass models we find that all stars are bound to the Galaxy. We confirm that the stars do not originate from the GC. The distribution of their proper motions and radial velocities is consistent with predictions for runaway stars ejected from the Galactic disk by the binary supernova mechanism. However, their kinematics are also consistent with old disk membership. Moreover, most stars have rather low metallicities and strong $\alpha$-element enrichment as typical for thick disk and halo stars, whereas the metallicity of the three most metal-rich stars could possibly indicate that they are runaway stars from the thin disk. One star shows halo kinematics.

Dynamical mass ejection from binary neutron star mergers: Radiation-hydrodynamics study in general relativity

We perform radiation-hydrodynamics simulations of binary neutron star mergers in numerical relativity on the Japanese "K" supercomputer, taking into account neutrino cooling and heating by an updated leakage-plus-transfer scheme for the first time. Neutron stars are modeled by three modern finite-temperature equations of state (EOS) developed by Hempel and his collaborators. We find that the properties of the dynamical ejecta of the merger such as total mass, average electron fraction, and thermal energy depend strongly on the EOS. Only for a soft EOS (the so-called SFHo), the ejecta mass exceeds $0.01M_{\odot}$. In this case, the distribution of the electron fraction of the ejecta becomes broad due to the shock heating during the merger. These properties are well-suited for the production of the solar-like $r$-process abundance. For the other stiff EOS (DD2 and TM1), for which a long-lived massive neutron star is formed after the merger, the ejecta mass is smaller than $0.01M_{\odot}$, although broad electron-fraction distributions are achieved by the positron capture and the neutrino heating.

The interplay of disc wind and dynamical ejecta in the aftermath of neutron star–black hole mergers

We explore the evolution of the different ejecta components generated during the merger of a neutron star (NS) and a black hole (BH). Our focus is the interplay between material ejected dynamically during the merger, and the wind launched on a viscous timescale by the remnant accretion disk. These components are expected to contribute to an electromagnetic transient and to produce r-process elements, each with a different signature when considered separately. Here we introduce a two-step approach to investigate their combined evolution, using two- and three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations. Starting from the output of a merger simulation, we identify each component in the initial condition based on its phase space distribution, and evolve the accretion disk in axisymmetry. The wind blown from this disk is injected into a three-dimensional computational domain where the dynamical ejecta is evolved. We find that the wind can suppress fallback accretion on timescales longer than ~100 ms. Due to self-similar viscous evolution, the disk accretion at late times nevertheless approaches a power-law time dependence $\propto t^{-2.2}$. This can power some late-time GRB engine activity, although the available energy is significantly less than in traditional fallback models. Inclusion of radioactive heating due to the r-process does not significantly affect the fallback accretion rate or the disk wind. We do not find any significant modification to the wind properties at large radius due to interaction with the dynamical ejecta. This is a consequence of the different expansion velocities of the two components.

Peridynamics simulations of geomaterial fragmentation by impulse loads

In this work, we have developed nonlinear peridynamics models of drained and saturated geomaterials, and applied them to simulations of dynamic fragmentation and ejecta formation due to impulse loads. First, we have re-phrased and re-interpreted the non-local state-based peridynamics formulation to connect the non-local integral operator with the local differential operator. Second, we have implemented the Drucker–Prager plasticity model in state-based peridynamics at finite strain. A peridynamics version of the Hughes and Winget algorithm is derived for the constitutive update. Third, we have developed a peridynamics U-p formulation for saturated geomaterials. Fourth, numerical simulations have been carried out to verify the proposed peridynamics formulations in the simulation of geomaterial fragmentation induced by impulse loads. Comparisons of analytical and numerical results indicate that the peridynamics model has the ability to both match traditional continuum compression examples, as well as simulate complex geomaterial fragmentation processes resulting from impulse loads. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.