26Al in galaxy regions: massive-star interactions with the ISM

Diehl, R.; Cerviño, M.; Hartmann, D. H.; Kretschmer, K.
Bibliographical reference

New Astronomy Reviews, Volume 48, Issue 1-4, p. 81-86.

Advertised on:
2
2004
Number of authors
4
IAC number of authors
0
Citations
20
Refereed citations
17
Description
Galactic 26Al is believed to be predominantly injected into the ISM from winds and supernovae of massive stars. These stars are typically born in groups and associations, which evolve over tens of Myrs, and shape the interstellar medium in their surroundings. 26Al contained in stellar outflows produces a γ-ray line at 1.809 MeV, which is potentially observable from regions of active star formation on time scales of a few Myrs, i.e., comparable to the mean life of 26Al. This relatively long time scale may lead to spatial offsets between the observed 26Al γ-ray emission and tracers of 26Al sources, such as locations of massive-stars, HII regions, or IR emission from dust heated by starlight. We find evidence for such an offset in star forming regions towards Orion.