Collaborative Research: Peering to the Heart of Massive Star Birth

比太阳大得多的大质量恒星通过其强大的恒星风和强烈的辐射影响星系的演化。当它们作为超新星爆炸时，大质量恒星将重元素抛入周围的星际介质中。然而，尽管它们很重要，但人们对它们是如何形成的知之甚少。在这个项目中，将在新墨西哥州和智利用射电望远镜观测100多颗非常年轻的大质量恒星。计算机模型将用于解释观测数据，并从整体上更好地理解大质量星星的形成。研究生和本科生将参与这个项目。提议者还计划开发一个现有的外展计划，星星狩猎，涉及中学生和他们的教师在天文学研究演习。“星星狩猎+”将被部署到新墨西哥州、弗吉尼亚州的学校，并最终在全国范围内部署。这个由弗吉尼亚州和新墨西哥州的团队合作的项目将调查大质量年轻恒星的性质和起源。 提出了一种理论和观测相结合的方法：将产生一个模型光谱能量分布和合成图像的网格。然后，将用甚大阵列观测厘米级连续辐射，用阿塔卡马大毫米阵列观测毫米/亚毫米级辐射，观测100多颗大质量原恒星。观测数据将用于测试模型，说明低质量同伴和无线电喷流的存在，并表征流入和流出特性。将把入流速度和质量流率与SED拟合的堆芯吸积模型的预期值进行比较。同样，分子外流特性将与无线电射流和模型预测进行比较。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Massive stars much larger than the sun affect the evolution of galaxies through their powerful winds and the intense radiation they produce. When they explode as supernovae, massive stars throw heavy elements into the surrounding interstellar medium. Yet despite their importance, little is known about how they are formed. In this project, over 100 very young, massive stars will be observed with radio telescopes in New Mexico and Chile. Computer models will be used to interpret the observational data and to develop a better understanding of massive star formation as a whole. Graduate and undergraduate students will be involved in this project. The proposers also plan on developing an existing outreach program, Star Hunt, that involves middle school children and their teachers in an astronomy research exercise. Star Hunt Plus will be deployed to schools in New Mexico, Virginia and eventually nationwide.This collaborative project, between teams in Virginia and New Mexico, will investigate the nature and origin of massive young stars. A combined theoretical and observational approach is proposed: a grid of model Spectral Energy Distributions and synthetic images will be produced. Over 100 massive protostars will then be observed in cm continuum emission with the Very Large Array and in mm/sub-mm emission with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array. The observational data will be used to test the models, illustrate the presence of lower-mass companions and radio jets, and characterize inflow and outflow properties. Infall velocities and mass flow rates will be compared to the values expected from the SED-fitted core accretion models. Similarly, the molecular outflow properties will be compared to those of the radio jets and predictions of the models.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.