Myr Timescales Research Articles

TIMESCALES ON WHICH STAR FORMATION AFFECTS THE NEUTRAL INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM

Turbulent neutral hydrogen (HI) line widths are often thought to be driven primarily by star formation (SF), but the timescale for converting SF energy to HI kinetic energy is unclear. As a complication, studies on the connection between Hi line widths and SF in external galaxies often use broadband tracers for the SF rate, which must implicitly assume that SF histories (SFHs) have been constant over the timescale of the tracer. In this paper, we compare measures of HI energy to time-resolved SFHs in a number of nearby dwarf galaxies. We find that HI energy surface density is strongly correlated only with SF that occurred 30-40 Myr ago. This timescale corresponds to the approximate lifetime of the lowest mass supernova progenitors (~ 8 Msun). This analysis suggests that the coupling between SF and the neutral ISM is strongest on this timescale, due either to an intrinsic delay between the release of the peak energy from SF or to the coherent effects of many SNe during this interval. At \Sigma_SFR > 10^-3 Msun yr^-1 kpc^-2, we find a mean coupling efficiency between SF energy and HI energy of \epsilon = 0.11 +/- 0.04 using the 30-40 Myr timescale. However, unphysical efficiencies are required in lower \Sigma_SFR systems, implying that SF is not the primary driver of HI kinematics at \Sigma_SFR < 10^-3 Msun yr^-1 kpc^-2.

Simulations of supermassive black hole growth in high-redshift disc galaxies

Observations suggest that a large fraction of black hole growth occurs in normal star-forming disk galaxies. Here we describe simulations of black hole accretion in isolated disk galaxies with sufficient resolution (~5 pc) to track the formation of giant molecular clouds that feed the black hole. Black holes in z=2 gas-rich disks (fgas=50%) occasionally undergo ~10 Myr episodes of Eddington-limited accretion driven by stochastic collisions with massive, dense clouds. We predict that these gas-rich disks host weak AGNs 1/4 of the time, and moderate/strong AGNs 10% of the time. Averaged over 100 Myr timescales and the full distribution of accretion rates, the black holes grow at a few per cent of the Eddington limit -- sufficient to match observations and keep the galaxies on the MBH-Mbulge relation. This suggests that dense cloud accretion in isolated z=2 disks could dominate cosmic black hole growth. In z=0 disks with fgas=10%, Eddington-limited growth is extremely rare because typical gas clouds are smaller and more susceptible to disruption by AGN feedback. This results in an average black hole growth rate in high-fgas galaxies that is up to 1000 times higher than that in low-fgas galaxies. In all our simulations, accretion shows variability by factors of 10^4 on a variety of time scales, with variability at 1 Myr scales driven by the structure of the interstellar medium.

Occurrence Probability of Large Solar Energetic Particle Events: Assessment from Data on Cosmogenic Radionuclides in Lunar Rocks

We revisited assessments of the occurrence probability distribution of large events in solar energetic particles (SEP), based on measurements of cosmogenic radionuclides in lunar rocks. We present a combined cumulative occurrence probability distribution of SEP events based on three time scales: directly measured SEP fluences for the last 60 years; estimates based on terrestrial cosmogenic radionuclides 10Be and 14C for the multi-millennial (Holocene) time scale; and cosmogenic radionuclides measured in lunar rocks on the time scale of up to 1 Myr. All the three time scales yield a consistent distribution. The data suggest a strong rollover of the occurrence probability so that SEP events with the fluence of protons with energy >30 MeV greater than 10^{11} (protons /cm2/yr) are not expected at the Myr time scale.

Sculpting the disk around T Chamaeleontis: an interferometric view

(Abridged) Circumstellar disks are believed to be the birthplace of planets and are expected to dissipate on a timescale of a few Myr. The processes responsible for the removal of the dust and gas will strongly modify the radial distribution of the dust and consequently the SED. In particular, a young planet will open a gap, resulting in an inner disk dominating the near-IR emission and an outer disk emitting mostly in the far-IR. We analyze a full set of data (including VLTI/Pionier, VLTI/Midi, and VLT/NaCo/Sam) to constrain the structure of the transition disk around TCha. We used the Mcfost radiative transfer code to simultaneously model the SED and the interferometric observations. We find that the dust responsible for the emission in excess in the near-IR must have a narrow temperature distribution with a maximum close to the silicate sublimation temperature. This translates into a narrow inner dusty disk (0.07-0.11 AU). We find that the outer disk starts at about 12 AU and is partially resolved by the Pionier, Sam, and Midi instruments. We show that the Sam closure phases, interpreted as the signature of a candidate companion, may actually trace the asymmetry generated by forward scattering by dust grains in the upper layers of the outer disk. These observations help constrain the inclination and position angle of the outer disk. The presence of matter inside the gap is difficult to assess with present-day observations. Our model suggests the outer disk contaminates the interferometric signature of any potential companion that could be responsible for the gap opening, and such a companion still has to be unambiguously detected. We stress the difficulty to observe point sources in bright massive disks, and the consequent need to account for disk asymmetries (e.g. anisotropic scattering) in model-dependent search for companions.

Ionizing feedback from massive stars in massive clusters – III. Disruption of partially unbound clouds

We extend our previous smoothed particle hydrodynamics parameter study of the effects of photoionization from O-stars on star-forming clouds to include initially unbound clouds. We generate a set of model clouds in the mass range 104–106 M⊙ with initial virial ratios Ekin/Epot = 2.3, allow them to form stars and study the impact of the photoionizing radiation produced by the massive stars. We find that, on the 3 Myr time-scale before supernovae are expected to begin detonating, the fraction of mass expelled by ionizing feedback is a very strong function of the cloud escape velocities. High-mass clouds are largely unaffected dynamically, while low-mass clouds have large fractions of their gas reserves expelled on this time-scale. However, the fractions of stellar mass unbound are modest and significant portions of the unbound stars are so only because the clouds themselves are initially partially unbound. We find that ionization is much more able to create well-cleared bubbles in the unbound clouds, owing to their intrinsic expansion, but that the presence of such bubbles does not necessarily indicate that a given cloud has been strongly influenced by feedback. We also find, in common with the bound clouds from our earlier work, that many of the systems simulated here are highly porous to photons and supernova ejecta, and that most of them will likely survive their first supernova explosions.

THE NATURE OF STARBURSTS. III. THE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF STAR FORMATION

We map the spatial distribution of recent star formation over a few x 100 Myr timescales in fifteen starburst dwarf galaxies using the location of young blue helium burning stars identified from optically resolved stellar populations in archival Hubble Space Telescope observations. By comparing the star formation histories from both the high surface brightness central regions and the diffuse outer regions, we measure the degree to which the star formation has been centrally concentrated during the galaxies' starbursts, using three different metrics for the spatial concentration. We find that the galaxies span a full range in spatial concentration, from highly centralized to broadly distributed star formation. Since most starbursts have historically been identified by relatively short timescale star formation tracers (e.g., Halpha emission), there could be a strong bias towards classifying only those galaxies with recent, centralized star formation as starbursts, while missing starbursts that are spatially distributed.

BUILDING THE STELLAR HALO THROUGH FEEDBACK IN DWARF GALAXIES

We present a new model for the formation of stellar halos in dwarf galaxies. We demonstrate that the stars and star clusters that form naturally in the inner regions of dwarfs are expected to migrate from the gas rich, star forming centre to join the stellar spheroid. For dwarf galaxies, this process could be the dominant source of halo stars. The effect is caused by stellar feedback-driven bulk motions of dense gas which, by causing potential fluctuations in the inner regions of the halo, couple to all collisionless components. This effect has been demonstrated to generate cores in otherwise cuspy cold dark matter profiles and is particularly effective in dwarf galaxy haloes. It can build a stellar spheroid with larger ages and lower metallicities at greater radii without requiring an outside-in formation model. Globular cluster-type star clusters can be created in the galactic ISM and then migrate to the spheroid on 100\thinspace Myr timescales. Once outside the inner regions they are less susceptible to tidal disruption and are thus long lived; clusters on wider orbits may be easily unbound from the dwarf to join the halo of a larger galaxy during a merger. A simulated dwarf galaxy ($\text{M}_{vir}\simeq10^{9}\text{M}_{\odot}$ at $z=5$) is used to examine this gravitational coupling to dark matter and stars.

Chaotic Exchange of Solid Material Between Planetary Systems: Implications for Lithopanspermia

We examined a low-energy mechanism for the transfer of meteoroids between two planetary systems embedded in a star cluster using quasi-parabolic orbits of minimal energy. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we found that the exchange of meteoroids could have been significantly more efficient than previously estimated. Our study is relevant to astrobiology, as it addresses whether life on Earth could have been transferred to other planetary systems in the Solar System's birth cluster and whether life on Earth could have been transferred from beyond the Solar System. In the Solar System, the timescale over which solid material was delivered to the region from where it could be transferred via this mechanism likely extended to several hundred million years (as indicated by the 3.8-4.0 Ga epoch of the Late Heavy Bombardment). This timescale could have overlapped with the lifetime of the Solar birth cluster (∼100-500 Myr). Therefore, we conclude that lithopanspermia is an open possibility if life had an early start. Adopting parameters from the minimum mass solar nebula, considering a range of planetesimal size distributions derived from observations of asteroids and Kuiper Belt objects and theoretical coagulation models, and taking into account Oort Cloud formation models, we discerned that the expected number of bodies with mass>10 kg that could have been transferred between the Sun and its nearest cluster neighbor could be of the order of 10(14) to 3·10(16), with transfer timescales of tens of millions of years. We estimate that of the order of 3·10(8)·l (km) could potentially be life-bearing, where l is the depth of Earth's crust in kilometers that was ejected as the result of the early bombardment.

Resolved Schmidt-Kennicutt Relation for Star Forming Regions in the Galaxy and Magellanic Clouds

AbstractThe relationship between star formation rate (SFR) and the gas surface density (Σgas) is one of the most critical links between star formation and galaxy evolution. The observed SFR- Σgas relation, the “Schmidt-Kennicutt (S-K) law”, is tight when properties are averaged over kpc, but breaks down at the scale of giant molecular clouds (GMCs). To understand the physics governing the variations at GMC scales and the tight correlation at kpc scales, spatially and temporally resolved data covering a wide range of linear scale are needed. We have used the Spitzer surveys of the Large Magellanic Cloud and Magellanic Bridge to identify massive young stellar objects (YSOs), estimate “instantaneous” SFRs, and compare them to the S-K relation. These instantaneous SFRs are further compared to that estimated from integrated Hα and 24 μm luminosities to examine how SFRs vary on 10 Myr timescales. We have also used SINFONI near-IR integral field spectra of two Galactic mini-starbursts W31 and W43 to determine their underlying massive stellar content, estimate the SFRs, and compare to the S-K relation. To investigate evironmental effects on star formation, we have used complete YSO samples in the LMC and the Bridge to estimate global star formation efficiencies (SFE) in these two systems.

Star Formation Timescale in the Circumnuclear Starburst Ring of Barred Galaxy NGC 7552

We present the multiple line observations carried out with interferometry. We observed the circumnuclear region of the barred galaxy NGC 7552 in molecular lines tracing diffuse molecular gas (12CO J = 2 - 1; observed by SMA) and relatively dense molecular gas (HCN J = 1 - 0; observed by ATCA). We also reprocessed a published HI image which covers the entire galaxy to gain an analytical image with higher resolution.The displacement between HCN (J = 1 – 0) and radio knots (3 cm continuum; ATCA archive data) is clearly seen in the circumnuclear starburst ring of NGC 7552. The propagation time derived from 12CO J = 2 - 1 and HI based rotation curve between the HCN (J = 1 – 0) and radio knots implies the timescale between the formation and death of massive stars. The timescale of NGC 7552 is about an order of magnitude shorter than 5 – 10 Myr timescale for OB stars to become supernovae. It is possible that star formation in the ring is top heavy, resulting in a shorter timescale.

CONSTRAINING THE OPTICAL EMISSION FROM THE DOUBLE PULSAR SYSTEM J0737-3039

We present the first optical observations of the unique system J0737-3039 (composed of two pulsars, hereafter PSR-A and PSR-B). Ultra-deep optical observations, performed with the High Resolution Camera of the Advanced Camera for Surveys on board the Hubble Space Telescope could not detect any optical emission from the system down to m_F435W=27.0 and m_F606W=28.3. The estimated optical flux limits are used to constrain the three-component (two thermal and one non-thermal) model recently proposed to reproduce the XMM-Newton X-ray spectrum. They suggest the presence of a break at low energies in the non-thermal power law component of PSR-A and are compatible with the expected black-body emission from the PSR-B surface. The corresponding efficiency of the optical emission from PSR-A's magnetosphere would be comparable to that of other Myr-old pulsars, thus suggesting that this parameter may not dramatically evolve over a time-scale of a few Myr.

Paleoproterozoic–earliest Mesoproterozoic basin evolution in the Mount Isa region, northern Australia and implications for reconstructions of the Nuna and Rodinia supercontinents

Paleoproterozoic-earliest Mesoproterozoic sequences in the Mount Isa region of northern Australia preserve a 200 Myr record (1800-1600 Ma) of intracontinental rifting, culminating in crustal thinning, elevated heat flow and establishment of a North American Basin and Range-style crustal architecture in which basin evolution was linked at depth to bimodal magmatism, high temperature-low pressure metamorphism and the formation of extensional shear zones. Rifting initiated in crystalline basement ≥1840 Ma old and produced three stacked sedimentary basins (1800-1750 Ma Leichhardt, 1730-1670 Ma Calvert and 1670-1575 Ma Isa superbasins) separated by major unconformities and in which depositional conditions progressively changed from fluviatilelacustrine to fully marine. By 1685 Ma, a deep marine, turbidite-dominated basin existed in the E and basaltic magmas had evolved in composition from continental to oceanic tholeiites as the crust became increasingly thinned and attenuated. Except for an episode of minor deformation and basin inversion at c. 1640 Ma, sedimentation continued across the region until onset of the Isan Orogeny at 1600 Ma. A near-identical record of crustal thinning and basaltic magmatism accompanied basin formation (lower Willyama Supergroup) in the formerly contiguous Broken Hill region from 1730-1670 Ma. This was followed by further extension and a second phase of basin development that lasted until at least 1640 Ma. Modern-day rifted continental margins preserve a comparable record of crustal thinning and near-continuous basin formation over 100-200 Myr timescales, supporting suggestions that the late Paleoproterozoic-early Mesoproterozoic rift basins of Mount Isa and Broken Hill similarly evolved to continental breakup and formed part of a continental margin sequence no later than 1640 Ma and possibly as early as 1670 Ma. This rifted margin predates assembly and breakup of the Neoproterozoic Rodinia supercontinent to which Australia once belonged and best accords with a pre-Rodinia, SWEAT-like super-continent (Nuna) that matches the E-facing late Paleoproterozoic-early Mesoproterozoic rift sequences of eastern Australia against rocks of comparable age in western Canada. Reconstructions of Rodinia (AUSWUS) based on the distribution of Grenville-age orogenic belts that coincidently position the continental rift sequences of Broken Hill along strike from more juvenile 1700-1650 Ma accreted terranes in the SW United States (Yavapai and Mazatzal provinces) are only possible if the proposed alignment of terranes is not original but an artefact of Neoproterozoic supercontinent assembly. The SWEAT hypothesis avoids this complication but, like AUSWUS, presupposes that eastern Australia and western Laurentia remained juxtaposed throughout the Mesoproterozoic until onset of Rodinia breakup after 830 Ma.

Warm Eocene climate enhanced petroleum generation from Cretaceous source rocks: A potential climate feedback mechanism?

Earth surface temperatures, including in the deep sea increased by 5–10°C from the late Paleocene ca. 58 Myr ago to the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO) centered at about 51 Myr ago. A large (∼2.5‰) drop in δ13C of carbonate spans much of this interval. This suggests a long‐term increase in the net flux of13C‐depleted carbon to the ocean and atmosphere that is difficult to explain by changes in surficial carbon cycling alone. We reveal a relationship between surface temperature increase and increased petroleum generation in sedimentary basins operating on 100 kyr to Myr time scales. We propose that early Eocene warming has led to a synchronization of periods of maximum petroleum generation and enhanced generation in otherwise unproductive basins through extension of the volume of source rock within the oil and gas window across hundreds of sedimentary basins globally. Modelling the thermal evolution of four sedimentary basins in the southwest Pacific predicted an up to 50% increase in petroleum generation that would have significantly increased leakage of light hydrocarbons and oil degeneration products into the atmosphere. Extrapolating our modelling results to hundreds of sedimentary basins worldwide suggests that globally increased leakage could have caused a climate feedback effect, driving or enhancing early Eocene climate warming.

Rapid star formation and global gravitational collapse

Most young stars in nearby molecular clouds have estimated ages of 1-2 Myr, suggesting that star formation is rapid. However, small numbers of stars in these regions with inferred ages of >= 5-10 Myr have been cited to argue that star formation is instead a slow, quasi-static process. When considering these alternative pictures it is important to recognize that the age spread in a given star-forming cloud is necessarily an upper limit to the timescales of local collapse, as not all spatially-distinct regions will start contracting at precisely the same instant. Moreover, star-forming clouds may dynamically evolve on timescales of a few Myr; in particular, global gravitational contraction will tend to yield increasing star formation rates with time due to generally increasing local gas densities. We show that two different numerical simulations of dynamic, flow-driven molecular cloud formation and evolution 1) predict age spreads for the main stellar population roughly consistent with observations, and 2) raise the possibility of forming small numbers of stars early in cloud evolution, before global contraction concentrates the gas and the bulk of the stellar population is produced. In general, the existence of a small number of older stars among a generally much-younger population is consistent with the picture of dynamic star formation, and may even provide clues to the time evolution of star-forming clouds.

RECOILING MASSIVE BLACK HOLES IN GAS-RICH GALAXY MERGERS

The asymmetric emission of gravitational waves produced during the coalescence of a massive black hole (MBH) binary imparts a velocity "kick" to the system that can displace the hole from the center of its host. Here we study the trajectories and observability of MBHs recoiling in three (one major, two minor) gas-rich galaxy merger remnants that were previously simulated at high resolution, and in which the pairing of the MBHs had been shown to be successful. We run new simulations of MBHs recoiling in the major merger remnant with Mach numbers in the range 1<M<6, and use simulation data to construct a semi-analytical model for the orbital evolution of MBHs in gas-rich systems. We show that: 1) in major merger remnants the energy deposited by the moving hole into the rotationally supported, turbulent medium makes a negligible contribution to the thermodynamics of the gas. This contribution becomes significant in minor merger remnants, potentially allowing for an electromagnetic signature of MBH recoil; 2) in major merger remnants, the combination of both deeper central potential well and drag from high-density gas confines even MBHs with kick velocities as high as 1200 km/s within 1 kpc from the host's center; 3) kinematically offset nuclei may be observable for timescales of a few Myr in major merger remnants in the case of recoil velocities in the range 700-1,000 km/s; 4) in minor mergers remnants the effect of gas drag is weaker, and MBHs with recoil speeds in the range 300-600 km/s will wander through the host halo for longer timescales. When accounting for the probability distribution of kick velocities, however, we find that the likelihood of observing recoiling MBHs in gas-rich galaxy mergers is very low, typically below 10^-5 - 10^-6.

YOUNG STARS AT THE EDGE: STELLAR CLUSTERING IN THE OUTER REGIONS OF THE M33 DISK

We investigate the distribution of bright main sequence stars near the northern edge of the M33 disk. Clustering on sub-kpc scales is seen among stars with ages near 10 Myr, and two large star-forming complexes are identified. Similar large-scale grouping is not evident among stars with ages 100 Myr. These stars are also distributed over a much larger area than those with younger ages, and it is argued that random stellar motions alone, as opposed to orderly motions of the type spurred by large scale secular effects, can re-distribute stars out to distances of at least 2 kpc (i.e. one disk scale length) from their birth places on 100 Myr timescales. Such random motions may thus play a significant role in populating the outer regions of the M33 disk. Finally, it is suggested that - to the extent that the ambient properties of the outer disk mirror those in the main body of the disk - stars in this part of M33 may have formed in star clusters with masses 50 - 250 solar, which is substantially lower than the peak of the solar neighborhood initial cluster mass function.

THE NATURE OF STARBURSTS. I. THE STAR FORMATION HISTORIES OF EIGHTEEN NEARBY STARBURST DWARF GALAXIES

We use archival HST observations of resolved stellar populations to derive the star formation histories (SFHs) of 18 nearby starburst dwarf galaxies. In this first paper we present the observations, color-magnitude diagrams, and the SFHs of the 18 starburst galaxies, based on a homogeneous approach to the data reduction, differential extinction, and treatment of photometric completeness. We adopt a star formation rate (SFR) threshold normalized to the average SFR of the individual system as a metric for classifying starbursts in SFHs derived from resolved stellar populations. This choice facilitates finding not only currently bursting galaxies but also "fossil" bursts increasing the sample size of starburst galaxies in the nearby (D<8 Mpc) universe. Thirteen of the eighteen galaxies are experiencing ongoing bursts and five galaxies show fossil bursts. From our reconstructed SFHs, it is evident that the elevated SFRs of a burst are sustained for hundreds of Myr with variations on small timescales. A long >100 Myr temporal baseline is thus fundamental to any starburst definition or identification method. The longer lived bursts rule out rapid "self-quenching" of starbursts on global scales. The bursting galaxies' gas consumption timescales are shorter than the Hubble time for all but one galaxy confirming the short-lived nature of starbursts based on fuel limitations. Additionally, we find the strength of the H{\alpha} emission usually correlates with the CMD based SFR during the last 4-10 Myr. However, in four cases, the H{\alpha} emission is significantly less than what is expected for models of starbursts; the discrepancy is due to the SFR changing on timescales of a few Myr. The inherently short timescale of the H{\alpha} emission limits identifying galaxies as starbursts based on the current characteristics which may or may not be representative of the recent SFH of a galaxy.

GAS in Protoplanetary Systems (GASPS)

Context - Circumstellar discs are ubiquitous around young stars, but rapidly dissipate their gas and dust on timescales of a few Myr. The Herschel space observatory allows for the study of the warm disc atmosphere, using far-infrared spectroscopy to measure gas content and excitation conditions, and far-IR photometry to constrain the dust distribution. Aims - We aim to detect and characterize the gas content of circumstellar discs in four targets as part of the Herschel science demonstration phase. Methods - We carried out sensitive medium resolution spectroscopy and high sensitivity photometry at lambda ~60-190 micron using the Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer instrument on the Herschel space observatory. Results - We detect [OI] 63 micron emission from the young stars HD 169142, TW Hydrae, and RECX 15, but not HD 181327. No other lines, including [CII] 158 and [OI] 145, are significantly detected. All four stars are detected in photometry at 70 and 160 micron. Extensive models are presented in associated papers.

CHEMODYNAMICS OF COMPACT STELLAR SYSTEMS IN NGC 5128: HOW SIMILAR ARE GLOBULAR CLUSTERS, ULTRA-COMPACT DWARFS, AND DWARF GALAXIES?

Velocity dispersion measurements are presented for luminous GCs in NGC 5128 derived from high-res. UVES spectra. The measurements are made with the pPXF code that parametrically recovers line-of-sight velocity dispersions. Combining the measured velocity dispersions with surface photometry and structural parameter data from HST enables both dynamical masses and M/L ratios to be derived. The fundamental plane relations of these clusters are investigated in order to fill the apparent gap between the relations of Local Group GCs and more massive early-type galaxies. It is found that the properties of these massive stellar systems match those of nuclear clusters in dwarf elliptical galaxies and UCDs better than those of Local Group GCs, and that all objects share similarly old (>8 Gyr) ages, suggesting a possible link between the formation and evolution of dE,Ns, UCDs and massive GCs. We find a very steep correlation between dynamical (M/L) ratio and dynamical mass of the form (M/L)_dyn ~ M_dyn^(0.24+/-0.02) above M_dyn = 2x10^6 Msol. Formation scenarios are investigated with a chemical abundance analysis using absorption line strengths calibrated to the Lick/IDS index system. The results lend support to two scenarios contained within a single general formation scheme. Old, massive, super-solar [alpha/Fe] systems are formed on short (<100 Myr) timescales through the merging of single-collapse GCs which themselves are formed within single, giant molecular clouds. More intermediate- and old-aged (~3-10 Gyr), solar- to sub-solar [alpha/Fe] systems are formed on much longer (~Gyr) timescales through the stripping of dE,Ns in the 10^13-10^15 Msol potential wells of massive galaxies and galaxy clusters.

The Neptune Trojans - a new source for the Centaurs?

The fact that the Centaurs are the primary source of the Short Period Comets is well established. However, the origin of the Centaurs themselves is still under some debate, with a variety of different source reservoirs being proposed in the last decade. In this work, we suggest that the Neptune Trojans (together with the Jovian Trojans) could represent an additional significant source of Centaurs. Using dynamical simulations of the first Neptune Trojan discovered (2001 QR322), together with integrations following the evolution of clouds of theoretical Neptune Trojans obtained during simulations of planetary migration, we show that the Neptune Trojan population contains a great number of objects which are unstable on both Myr and Gyr timescales. Using individual examples, we show how objects that leave the Neptunian Trojan cloud evolve onto orbits indistinguishable from those of the known Centaurs, before providing a range of estimates of the flux from this region to the Centaur population. With only moderate assumptions, it is shown that the Trojans can contribute a significant proportion of the Centaur population, and may even be the dominant source reservoir. This result is supported by past work on the colours of the Trojans and the Centaurs, but it will take future observations to determine the full scale of the contribution of the escaped Trojans to the Centaur population.