Bibcode
DOI
Tenorio-Tagle, G.; Munoz-Tunon, C.; Cid-Fernandes, Roberto
Bibliographical reference
Astrophysical Journal v.456, p.264
Advertised on:
1
1996
Citations
25
Refereed citations
20
Description
The presence of giant shells or loops in giant H II regions is clear
witness to the mechanical energy input from massive stars. Here we
evaluate the impact that winds may have on the structure of giant
nebulae and on their supersonic velocity dispersion. We follow the
recent suggestion of Chu and Kennicutt to see whether a combination of a
large number of unresolved wind-driven shells caused by massive stars
could produce the integrated broad Gaussian profiles typical of giant H
II regions.
The results, accounting for a wide range of energies, densities, and
velocities or ages of the expanding shells, show that supersonic
Gaussian profiles may arise only from a collection of unresolved
wind-driven shells if the shells present a peculiar velocity
distribution which implies a strongly peaked age distribution leading to
an awkward star formation history. On the other hand, a uniform
distribution of ages produces profiles with a flat-topped core defined
by the terminal shell velocity and a steep decay as ν-6,
up to the largest detectable shell speed. Thus, supersonic profiles can
arise only if the final speed of the unresolved shells is supersonic.
This implies an equally supersonic random speed of motions in the
ionized gas disrupting the shells before they slow down to subsonic
speeds. It also implies a mechanism, independent of the shells caused by
massive stars, responsible for the supersonic stirring of the background
medium. These facts, together with the conditions for shells to remain
unresolved by present-day devices (energies, final speeds, and ages),
indicate that the winds may be produced by low-mass stars. In the latter
case, if the sources move supersonically in the gravitational potential
of the whole system, they could stir the gas, with their cometary bow
shocks, to a velocity dispersion σgas
σstars, causing a supersonic local random speed of
motions within the system.