Theoretical Studies in Interstellar Astrophysics

中小尺度星际介质的动力学是由恒星的能量注入决定的，特别是大质量恒星的电离辐射、风和超新星爆炸。麦基博士将研究电离氢区在非均匀介质中的演化，包括孤立的大质量恒星和这些星团周围的电离氢区。将计算在电离氢区爆炸的超新星遗迹的动力学和光谱，并评估其对观测到的遗迹统计的影响。来自大质量星团的超新星在星际介质中创造了一个“超级气泡”；我们将研究这种结构的动力学，并将其应用于银河系和恒星爆发星系。一种强大的新流体力学计算机代码将用于解决由能量注入引起的星际气体动力学中的一些基本问题，包括冲击波与星际云的相互作用。星际激波的光谱为天文学家提供了研究恒星能量注入效应的基本诊断工具，并计划对分子气体中的激波结构进行全面攻击。大量的计算将发展这样的假设，即星际水脉泽是由致密分子气体中的冲击波造成的。在恒星的一生中，恒星通过辐射和恒星宽度为星际介质提供能量，对于一些恒星来说，在它们死亡时通过超新星爆炸来提供能量。这种能量最终被辐射到星际空间，因此星际介质的能源化可以被视为一种能量流，它起源于几种形式的恒星，通过星际介质向外流动，最终以辐射、宇宙射线的形式离开银河系，在极端情况下，还以风的形式离开银河系。星际天体物理学的核心问题之一是了解恒星能量注入如何产生星际介质的物理条件和形态，无论是在我们的银河系还是在其他星系中。麦基博士的研究重点将放在大质量恒星的能量注入上，大质量恒星在星际介质的能量注入中占主导地位。

The dynamics of the interstellar medium on small and intermediate scale sizes is governed by energy injection from stars, particularly the ionizing radiation, winds, and supernova explosions of massive stars. The evolution of ionized hydrogen regions, both around isolated massive stars and clusters of such stars, in an inhomogeneous medium will examined by Dr. McKee. The dynamics and spectra of the remnants of supernovae which explode in ionized hydrogen regions will be calculated, and the implications for the observed statistics of remnants assessed. Supernovae from a cluster of massive stars create a "superbubble" in the interstellar medium; the dynamics of such structures will be investigated, with applications both to the Galaxy and to starburst galaxies. A powerful new hydrodynamics computer code will be used to address some fundamental problems in interstellar gas dynamics posed by energy injection, including the interaction of a blast wave with an interstellar cloud. The spectra of interstellar shocks provide astronomers with essential diagnostic tools for the study of the effects of stellar energy injection, and a comprehensive attack on the structure of shocks in molecular gas is planned. Extensive calculations will develop the hypothesis that interstellar water masers are due to shocks in dense molecular gas. Stars energize the interstellar medium through radiation and stellar wiinds during the star's life, and for some stars, through supernova explosions at their death. This energy is eventually radiated into intergalactic space, so the energization of the interstellar medium may be viewed as an energy flow which originates in stars in several forms, streams outward through the interstellar medium, and finally leaves the Galaxy in the form of radiation, cosmic rays, and in extreme cases, a wind. One of the central problems in interstellar astrophysics is to understand how stellar energy injection produces the physical conditions and morphology of the interstellar medium, both in our Galaxy and in other galaxies. Dr. McKee's research will focus on energy injection by massive stars, which dominates the energy injection into the interstellar medium.